The Mortal Instruments vs Movie and TV Show

Like many others, I got wrapped up the world Cassandra Clare created of Shadowhunters and the supernatural as I read the Mortal Instruments series. They were such a fun series and the companion books - The Infernal Devices - was even better! My friends, sister, and I talked about them all the time - on the phone and in person. Yes, I am a mom. Yes, I'm old, but that doesn't mean I can't get wrapped up in some young adult super natural series. Trust me, I do it a lot.

Then, one glorious day, I learned they were turning the book into a movie. YAY!!! I was so excited. My sister and I researched it and discovered the actors/actresses playing in it. The lead characters, Jace and Clary, would be played by Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower.

Collins was an adorable actress I had seen in the Snow White remake, Mirror Mirror. She didn't have red hair, but she would do.

Then there was Bowers. I began to wonder if the casting director had even read the books, or at least a description of the characters. Needless to say, I was a bit, well, a lot disappointed in that choice. Still, I had hope that the two of them would pull it off. Unfortunately, it was a flop and the sequels were cancelled. :(

Now, let's fast forward to 2016 when the decision was made to turn these books into a TV series called Shadowhunters. This time Clary would be played by Katherine McNamara and Jace would be played by Dominic Sherwood. This time, they looked more the part. Clary looked very similar to how I pictured her and Jace actually looked like he wouldn't break if he came up against some sort of other worldy, supernatural monster. YAY! I had high hopes again.

Bottom line, it did not meet my expectations. The acting is sub-par. Anytime someone speaks, I tend to cringe because it reminds me of a high school play. The story line has been completely messed up from the book. I don't know what is going on anymore. It may be a great show to watch if you have never read the book? Maybe? Also, the relationship between the characters is completely lost. No one has fun, everyone is serious, and no one seems to be real friends - they just get along well enough to do whatever Clary tells them to do even if it ends up getting everyone in trouble.

Lesson learned from these attempts? Some books are just better left on paper and perhaps does not need to be taken to the screen.

#papertoscreen #Shadowhunters #CassandraClare #MortalInstruments