After watching the Oscars last night, I couldn’t help but think that there were so many great YA adaptations that didn’t make the cut. Since they’re targeted toward teens, they can’t be any good, right? That’s what the Academy seems to think. Well, they couldn’t be more wrong. There were definitely some kickass YA film adaptations from last year that deserve recognition.
So, I’m going to make my own Oscars event! I originally wasn’t going to post today, but this idea was too good to pass up. Because I don’t really pay attention to technical details of making movies (usually), we’re going to have a few different categories:
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Most Creative Author Cameo
- Best Soundtrack
- Closest Adaptation
- Best Overall Film
- Haven’t Read It Yet
- Honorable Mentions
That seems like a good number to me! Honorable Mentions will mostly be movies that I wish I had seen, but never got to. Because despite my best efforts, there were still some I missed!
2019 YA Oscars
Best Actor: Nick Robinson
I loved Nick Robinson’s take on Simon Spier; to me, he played the role almost perfectly. Him, and the other cast, are partly what makes this such a great movie. Ahhh. I just loved it, okay?
Best Actress: Amandla Stenberg
She was actually at the Oscars and got to present an award with John Lewis (which was awesome!), but The Hate U Give itself didn’t get any Oscar love. But Stenberg’s performance was outstanding; she not only appeared in this, but also Everything, Everything and The Darkest Minds. A busy year for her!
Most Creative Author Cameo: Angie Thomas
Also from The Hate U Give: Angie Thomas hands Starr (Amandla) a t-shirt towards the end during the protest that turns into a riot. I didn’t notice it until the third time I watched it, but still so cool!
Best Soundtrack: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Maybe you wouldn’t count this as a YA adaptation, but I certainly am. Miles is a teen, the comics are targeted toward teens, and this movie was amazing. Granted, it did win an Oscar, but I’m still including it here.
Closest Adaptation: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
From what I can remember, I think this movie was pretty much event by event from the book, with maybe a few small liberties here and there. Definitely one of those feel-good movies you’ll probably want to watch over and over.
Best Overall Film: Love, Simon
Love, Simon maybe isn’t the best made film, but it’s my absolute favorite from the year, with The Hate U Give at a close second. The movie just made me happy, and even though it took liberties with the book, it’s still my favorite.
Haven’t Read It Yet: Darkest Minds
I actually saw this movie a few weeks ago, but as I haven’t read the book series (yet), I feel I can’t accurately judge it. But as a movie, it was entertaining, and I love the dystopian vibes. Fits right into my reading niche!
Honorable Mentions
Have Seen
There are a few YA adaptations that I’ve seen, but they didn’t make enough of an impression to make the list. These include:
- Every Day: This felt weird in a movie format to me, and was a bit disappointing
- Ready Player One: Totally different form the book
- Crimes of Grindelwald: Not the movie I wanted it to be
- Maze Runner: The Death Cure: An overall entertaining movie, but I can’t remember much about what actually happened in the book
Haven’t Seen
And, there are a lot of adaptations that I missed! Including:
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post
- Mortal Engines
- Dumplin’
- Maze Runner
- Midnight Sun
Hopefully, I can get to some of these this year!