With State of Play (based on the BBC series) coming out this week and Hannah Montana currently #1 at the box office, I've been thinking about TV transitions. Studios have long mined the tube for ideas hoping to recapture some of that magic on the big screen but for every Mission Impossible there is a Wild Wild West lurking around the corner. Movies that use the same crew tend to be successful (Serenity, Borat) while movies that are made years after are hit or miss. So how do you stay true to the show without just making a 2 hour episode? (I'm looking at you Simpsons Movie) The best ones expand the universe of the show and do things they couldn't do in the series, using the medium to its full advantage. A bigger budget and the freedom of new settings offer countless opportunities to explore the characters we love. A great adaptation can even surpass its predecessor, I know I can't think of The Addams Family without conjuring up images of Raul Julia and a bald Christopher Loyd. Having said that, TV has come a long way especially in the last decade. With shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, and Battlestar Galactica, TV has proved it can do things that film simply cannot. Clearly some stories belong on the small screen. So what should be adapted and what should be left alone? I think if there is something to add to the narrative and talented people behind it, I'm willing to give it a chance.
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