Ken Follett's World Without End

An Ambitious Adaptation That May Not Satisfy Everyone That Loved The Book, But Still Proves To Be Entertaining
I always experience a fair amount of excitement, as well as trepidation, when I hear that one of my favorite novels is being adapted into a TV show or movie. That is certainly the case with Ken Follett's sprawling, unforgettable and absolutely massive "World Without End." The hardcover is such a doorstop in size, but I was genuinely connected to the characters and consider it an almost perfect reading experience. Ostensibly a sequel of sorts to "Pillars of the Earth" (they are set in the same location approximately two centuries apart), it is interesting to note that "Pillars" received the mini-series treatment from the Starz network in 2010. The fledgling Reelz network picked up this 8-part 2012 adaptation of "World Without End" for its broadcast debut. Reelz made a name for itself when it bought the mini-series "The Kennedys" after the History Channel bowed to pressures not to air it, and they picked up a basket full of Emmys for that decision. Here they team with Tony (RIP)...

A terrible adaptation and a disappointing standalone
I am a huge Ken Follett fan and would probably consider "Pillars of the Earth" my favorite book of all time. Loved "World Without End" almost just as much. I thought the Pillars TV adaptation was fantastic and did the book justice. When I heard that WWE was getting adapted, I was thoroughly excited.

Sadly, my first clue should have been that this series did not air on Starz as Pillars did, with Starz's budget. It aired here in the U.S. on the Reelz Channel and looked every bit as cheap and low budget as you would think. Production values aside, the book was just horribly adapted. I always expect some liberties to be taken when translating a novel from words to film, but the amount of liberties taken here were absolutely ridiculous. Entire plots and entire characters were changed, minimized, or disappeared altogether.

Having accepted the fact that things were going to be changed, I tried to rewatch the series and tell myself to consider it as a standalone...

If you have read the book, think twice....
This movie is SO incredibly different from the book. In fact, I could not even watch it all the through because I found the differences to be so distracting. On the other hand, what I did see seemed to be a fairly decent production. The acting was not bad, and the sets were tolerable. If you have not read the book AND like historical miniseries, I would say that you will probably enjoy this movie. If you have read the book, save your time. You will NOT like it at all.

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