If You Think 'Wuthering Heights' Is Divisive, Wait Until You See These 5 Adaptations

While the latest version of Wuthering Heights, starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, garners both praise and condemnation, and critics debate whether the director had the right to transform the Victorian classic into an erotic thriller, it's important to remember: Emerald Fennell is far from the first to evoke reader anger.

Film history is full of examples of creators reworking literary sources and leaving purists upset.

1. 'Eat Pray Love', 2010

IMDb Score: 5.9/10

Ryan Murphy's adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir, Eat, Pray, Love, transforms the story of inner search into a visually impeccable fantasy.

Eat Pray Love offers viewers less of a transformative journey and more of a collection of postcards. Italy, India, and Bali serve as picturesque backdrops for Julia Roberts' character, who rarely leaves her emotional and material comfort zones.

This is where the contradiction lies – as an adaptation, the movie feels like a watered-down version of the book, a criticism even leveled by the author herself.

2. 'Dune', 1984

IMDb Score: 6.2/10

David Lynch's Dune is an example of a film adaptation that took on a life of its own, losing the meaning of the original in the process. Dune is a failed blockbuster heavily influenced by its producers.

Lynch succeeded in recreating Frank Herbert's surreal world, turning Dune into a dreamlike amusement park ride. However, breaking the connection with the book resulted in a breakdown of the book's logic and a simplification of its philosophy.

This explains the ongoing debate: some consider Lynch's movie a rare middle ground between auteur and Hollywood cinema, while others view it as a failed adaptation.

3. 'The Time Traveler's Wife', 2009

IMDb Score: 7.1/10

Henry suffers from a unique condition: he travels through time uncontrollably. When he is 36, he meets a little girl who claims to be his future wife. They will marry when she is 23 and he is 31.

This love story is one of Rachel McAdams' most memorable works, but few know that it is based on Audrey Niffenegger's novel of the same name.

This sentimental and mildly comic flick was warmly received by viewers. However, while director Robert Schwentke focuses on the tender relationships between the characters, Niffenegger presents more of an elegy for loss imbued with existential themes.

4. 'The Golden Compass', 2007

IMDb Score: 6.1/10

For some viewers, The Golden Compass is an unfinished story and a missed opportunity for a cult franchise, despite its unprecedented budget and stellar cast.

However, fans of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy are unlikely to agree. The novels tell the story of orphan Lyra, who embarks on a search for a friend who was kidnapped by a secret organization.

The movie was directed by Chris Weitz, who hadn't previously worked with children's stories. Perhaps because of this, the slightly confusing book wasn't adapted for the screen with the necessary attention – the film was visually impressive but too fast-paced and rushed.

5. 'I Know What You Did Last Summer', 1997

IMDb Score: 5.9/10

In the late 1990s, Jim Gillespie's horror movie sparked renewed public interest in teen slashers. Kevin Williamson, who had previously worked on Scream, wrote the screenplay based on Lois Duncan's novel.

As is often the case with movies of this genre, the central characters were teenagers. They committed a crime and tried to cover it up, but a year later, eerie notes began to haunt them.

Unlike the film, Duncan's novel was an intimate psychological drama about guilt, not a violent spectacle. Duncan, who had experienced the tragic death of her own daughter, was outraged by the movie's shift in emphasis and careless depiction of violence.