Adaptations... *Shrugs*

 I mean-- ok.

Do we need adaptations of things? Like really, do we need to be adapting pieces of media into other media? 

The reason I ask is because it has recently been brought to my attention that the most well-received adaptations are often the ones that are incredibly faithful to the source material and that don't take too many unnecessary artistic liberties. As they say, if it ain't broke don't fix it. But this made me think, do we need to be adapting things?

My logic goes that if the best adaptations are the ones that don't change anything, what was the point of adapting them at all? This is not to say that adaptations should never change things, or that they should go out of their way to change things, this is more to ask the question of 'where is the line?'

Where do we draw the line of when too much change is too much? The more I ask that question about different things, the more I realize that in most cases the answer is that it depends. One of the biggest deciding factors is the medium of the original and the medium of the adaptations. Take a stage play adapted into a film, or a film adapted into a book. The various different ways these mediums portray their stories and messages would not necessarily translate perfectly between the others.

Another notable difference is the audience that each medium would attract. Avid readers and the casual filmgoer might not have the same sensibilities when choosing their entertainment.

Of course, adaptations aren't going anywhere. In fact, as many before me have pointed out, adaptations, remakes, and reboots seem to be all that we get nowadays. So, where do we go from here? All that we really can do is try to see what we get as it's own thing, and respect the originals for what they are.