The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a critically acclaimed story that became a classic tale since its publication in 1967. This story of prejudice, friendship, and rivalry was so loved by fans it later became a motion picture. It follows Ponyboy Curtis and his gang of friends, the Greasers. The Greasers are the town delinquents, to put it kindly. They always get into fights with their rival gang, the Socs, and cause mischief. However, one night a fight breaks loose and it turns out to be more than just a scrimmage. Ponyboy and his buddy Johnny need to run away to avoid any charges against them for the fight, but their lives are soon thrown off course. Ponyboy needs to learn about the injustice and unfairness of the world, while also grappling with the ideas of grief and loss. For a story focused around gang rivalry, The Outsiders is a perfect mix of emotion and realism. 

After reading the book and watching the movie, I realized a lot about the story, the author, and the characters. Overall, I think this was a great book to movie adaptation. I didn’t know what to expect at first because although they could be good, movie adaptations of books are hit or miss. This was definitely on the better end, but did miss on a couple of marks.

The beginning of the movie was very rushed compared to the books. In the book, the story starts with Ponyboy getting jumped by a couple of Socs. This immediate conflict left room for a lot of exposition and context that helped the reader understand key details about the lives of the Greasers. Ponyboy explains the rivalry between the Socs and the Greasers, and we are clearly shown the extent of that enmity from the get-go. Ponyboy’s brothers come to his rescue along with their greaser buddies. This is how we’re introduced to the family dynamic between Ponyboy and his brothers, and it also shows the camaraderie of everyone within the greaser gang. All of this background information is crucial to understanding the character development that goes on in the rest of the book. 

However, these scenes are completely cut out of the movie. This was off putting when I watched it, because it transitioned from the opening credits to the night in which the first climactic fight occurred. It barely gives any of the context that was previously mentioned. Only in little bits and pieces does Ponyboy reveal his family dynamic with his brothers. Or how the Socs treat the Greasers. We barely get introduced to Pony’s brothers or the other Greasers. The first thirty minutes of the movie just seemed rushed and really lacked the amount of storytelling S.E. Hinton put into the book. 

Despite this gripe, there is really nothing else to critique. After the first climactic fight, the rest of the movie was extremely accurate to the book, especially the characters and locations. I realized now how great S.E. Hinton was at describing the people and places, because everything looked almost identical to how I imagined them in my head. Firstly, the settings were spot on in every way. The city and neighborhoods really gave off an urban, yet still midwestern vibe. And all of the climactic and dramatic scenes really encapsulated the mood S.E. Hinton was going for when she wrote them. The characters were also perfectly casted in the movie. The actors matched the description of the fictional counterparts so well, it was fairly easy to identify them. 

After the first thirty minutes of the movie, the story really felt like the book in my opinion. Not just through settings and characters, but also through pace. I actually hadn’t read The Outsiders in a little under a year and had only general memories of certain parts. However, when it came to the slower, more true scenes I immediately felt the familiarity I felt when I first read it. Every part seemed true to the story and felt very satisfying to watch. Not all book to movie adaptations are able to do this, which was what I thought before watching the movie. Even famous adaptations like Harry Potter are guilty of changing characters’ personalities and actions. Even if it cut out some important details, The Outsiders is still, what I consider, a faithful rendition of the book. I do suggest before watching the movie to brief yourself on some of the characters just so you won’t be confused as to who is who. Otherwise I definitely recommend both watching the movie and reading the book.