the long walk: book vs. movie
plot progression: personally i think i preferred the book's overall plot, just because it was more detailed, and i felt that the movie moved really fast and jumped from major event to major event with very little time in between
ending: i feel like this was the most noticeable difference, since the entire order is shifted in the movie, with pete winning instead of ray. i think the book's ending was more sad, just because of the mystery surrounding what happened to ray afterwards. i feel like the not-knowing is really gutwrenching! but that being said, i think i liked the symbolic meaning of the movie's ending (ray's revolutionary ideas and how he wants to end the walk, then him ultimately sacrificing himself for pete, pete's "choose love" thing, then him killing the major to hopefully end the walk and make the difference ray didn't have the time for). it's pretty close between the book and the movie for this one
characters: i'll do an individual section for each of the main ones below, but overall, i definitely think the characters in the movie were better, since they were a lot more likeable than their book counterparts. although i was sad about the omission of characters like scramm T_T
characters - ray garraty: uhhh i think his backstory in the book was more developed (like his relationship with jan, his memories of jimmy owens), but i liked his personality in the movie better. the way i see it, he doesn't know why he's walking in the book, but he's walking with a clear purpose in the movie. it's hard to say which version is better, but at the end of the day i think i might like movie ray more?
characters - pete mcvries: movie pete is definitely more likable than book pete. i generally like book pete but his motives and personality are a lot better in the movie--book pete kind of just spouts random shit without context, and movie pete says the same things, but it makes sense for his character. for example, he says, "just keep on dancing with me like this forever, garraty, and i'll never tire. we can scrape our shoes on the stars and hang upside down from the moon" in both the book and the movie, but it hits better in the movie, because we know he wanted to be a songwriter
characters - billy stebbins: i'm a bookbins lover so my answer's pretty clear. he's just so much more mysterious in the book and i think that really makes his character more interesting, especially since he's also the major's son, and there's mystery that naturally comes with that. i felt like his story was more developed in the book, just because ray had this crazy fascination with him and we were able to see their interactions. the admission of being the major's son also hits harder in the book i think.. maybe that's because i was expecting it in the movie, but i think it just made more sense with his book character more
characters - art baker: i feel like book and movie portrayals were pretty much equal? i think i liked his sweet, loving personality in the movie more (the part about him hoping to make some friends on the walk was really adorable but also heartbreaking), but for me, his death was more gutwrenching in the book. idk, i just really loved the whole lead-lined coffin thing........ that scene almost made me cry when i read it for the first time. overall, i probably prefer movie art a little more but i love both
characters - collie parker: movie collie one hundred percent. he just has so much more depth in the movie, and i love that we're able to see his emotions. on the outside, he seems like this tough, bold guy, but over the course of the film, we see him break down, we see that he's homesick and missing his family. it's probably because the book is told from ray's perspective and we see a lot more of collie in the movie, but movie collie has a lot more emotional range, and he's such a great character. i will scream and cheer him on when he runs at the halftrack Every Time
characters - gary barkovitch: movie barko.... he's a Lot less likable in the book.... he's probably the most controversial character in both, but i found myself liking him a lot in the film. his scene with ray right before his death was really powerful to me, the way he's clearly guilty about how he acted with rank... :') he's obviously a conflicted guy (with mental health issues? maybe?) and, while he's definitely unnecessarily cruel at times, i think his character is intriguing and has a lot of depth
characters - hank olson: probably movie hank, but i also really like book hank. he's just a lovable guy, despite his brash personality lol :') his mental decline always hits hard, especially because he has so much life at the beginning, then lapses into catatonia at the end of his walk. i think the decline is done better in the book, just because the book takes more time to delve into the details, but it was saddening to be able to see it onscreen..... and then ben wang is just wonderful and did hank's death scene so well.... his screams will haunt me forever T_T
