Have you read Stephen King's novel The Long Walk? If so, you will probably notice that changes were made for the film adaptation, let's discuss! If you haven't seen the film, be aware that there are SPOILERS contained in this article.
1. Number of Walkers
First and foremost, the amount of walkers changed from 100 boys (book) to 50 (movie). Although this is a pretty big change in terms of numbers, I actually don't think it had that much of an effect on the plot. Even though we get a bit of interaction with some side characters in the book, the main focus stays on the characters we see in the movie.
Additionally, any prominent traits from those missing characters were reassigned to the remaining ones, so movie-goers got the most important bits of the story. That, combined with the fact that there are only so many hours in a movie to cover all these characters and plot points, and I understand why they decided to half the number.
2. Walking speed/warnings
Okay, so I know that I said the book is a masterpiece, and I do stand by that. However, The Long Walk was the first novel Stephen King ever wrote, at only 19 years old. What I mean by that is, I don't think he knew just quite how fast 4 miles per hour actually is. All this to say, I think changing the walking speed from the book's near jogging pace of 4 miles per hour to a still brisk (but much more reasonable) 3 miles per hour was a very good idea.
Also changed was the time between warnings, going from 30 seconds to 10. This, I think, was again because of the time constraints set due to the movie's runtime. In the book these 30 seconds seem to pass in the blink of an eye, but without Garraty's internal monologue to guide the viewers along, I can see how a mere half a minute wouldn't carry nearly the same amount of nail-biting stress that the 10 second grace period does.
3. Scramm
For those of you who have only seen the movie, you won't know who I'm talking about. Scramm is a character in the book, described as being large and physically fit. He has a pregnant wife, Cathy, and he is the odds-on favorite to win the Walk due to his size and strength. However, he develops pneumonia and dies a little over halfway through the Walk.
In the movie, Scramm's character is cut entirely. Instead, Stebbins gets sick, though this is not definitively what he dies from. Stebbins is also assigned the muscular physique, while Hank Olson is the one with a wife.
4. The Vanguard
In the novel there is a Vanguard; two boys who walk ahead of the rest of the pack, usually by quite a few yards, sometimes enough that they disappear from Garraty's view. Readers later learn that the boys are brothers, and native to the Hopi tribe. In the movie, both characters are scrapped. However, Collie Parker's character, who is white in the book, is stated to be from Sioux Falls and most likely from the Lakota tribe, a change that was added as part of the translation to the movie.
5. Garraty's father
Not much is changed about Ray Garraty's father; in fact, we don't know much about him in either version. But we do get a little more background in the book. We learn that Mr. Garraty is vehemently opposed to the Long Walk, along with most of the totalitarian government's other rulings. In the book, he is "squaded"- taken away by the government and most likely, but not officially, killed.
In the movie, Mr. Garraty is dragged out of his house and killed by the Major in front of his wife and son. This also ties in with the changes made to Garraty's motivations to enter the Walk. In the book, it's mostly for the wealth; whereas in the movie, it's to exact revenge against the Major.
6. McVries's scar
Peter McVries's scar is one of the first things audiences notice about him, both in the movie and the novel. But in both instances, we don't know how he got it until much later in the story. In the movie, he tells Garraty that the scar is a result of a fight he got into with a man who slashed his face and left him for dead. Book McVries got his scar from his former girlfriend, who cut his face with a letter opener when he tried to initiate intimacy with her after they'd had a fight.
7. Barkovitch's death
Okay, so this change isn't as "important" or impactful as the rest, but it's big enough that I noticed it right away in the theater. In the movie, Barkovitch goes insane and stabs himself several times in the throat. While book Barkovitch also goes insane, he actually ends up ripping his throat out with his bare hands.
As small of a difference as this is, I really wish they hadn't made this change, because this moment in the story really makes us realize just how brutal the Walk is. Sure, we've seen the walkers die from exhaustion, sunstroke, and being shot by the soldiers. But Barkovitch's death is the one that makes readers remember that these are children, only walking for the 1% chance they'll win, and for the entertainment of the country.
Moreover, this is a story about the human body pushing itself far past its limits. As bad as this sounds, anyone can stab themselves. But book Barkovitch committing such an act of brutality serves to remind us that the Walk is not only unsparing on the walkers' physicality, but also on their rational limits and self-preservation instincts. Barkovitch mutilating himself in this way drives the point home: he's already so far beyond his physical and mental boundaries, and the trauma of experiencing so many needless deaths, combined with extreme fatigue, probably instigated his final drastic action.
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8. Stebbins
One of the biggest character changes made in the movie is that of Stebbins. We've already discussed Scramm and how Stebbins takes on several of his physical attributes, but his personality was also altered quite a bit. In the movie, Stebbins engages with the main group fairly frequently; albeit not with the same joviality and care they share with one another. But in the book, we don't hear much about Stebbins after his initial introduction, until he slowly begins to enter Garraty and McVries's circle with cryptic statements about other walkers and about the Walk itself.
He is also described as being skinny, and when Garraty first sees him he believes that Stebbins will be elimiinated early. This proves to be incorrect when Stebbins trucks on throughout the whole Walk, his physical appearance remaining consistently unaffected by the harsh conditions, except for a few sweat stains on his clothes. These traits again differ from his movie portrayal, where he is tall, lean, and strong, taking away any element of surprise his endurance created for the audience.
These are a few specific changes I could've done without, because, in the book, his tenacity keeps readers shocked and wondering how much longer it will last. It also makes his reveal of being the "rabbit" that much more stunning. I wish those elements of suspense had been kept for the movie.
9. The Major
The Major is a character that actually didn't change much. Honestly, there really wasn't much to change. In both book and movie, he sends the boys off, checks in with them a few times during the Walk, and reappears at the end to grant the winner his Prize. But one major (haha!) change was made for the movie: the Major's death. That's right! In the book, the Major doesn't die. He approaches the winner to congratulate him on his victory, but the winner brushes past him and leaves him there on the road. This brings us to our final point.
10. The ending
The ending of the movie is, without a doubt, the biggest deviance from the book. In the movie, we're down to the final three Walkers, Stebbins goes down first, standing tall and letting the soldiers shoot him. Next, Garraty goes down in an act of self-sacrifice so that McVries can live. I don't know about you, but that had me nearly jumping out of my seat in the theater. Finally, McVries shoots the Major dead and walks down the now-empty street, implying he's either died or gone insane. I know that was a lot to keep up with, but bear with me as we break down the original version of this scene.
In the book, we still keep those remaining three, but McVries goes down first, sitting down in the road and letting the soldiers shoot him as he said he would do much earlier in the Walk (in both the book and the movie). Stebbins and Garraty continue to walk for a while, and Garraty realizes that he can't keep going. He goes to tell Stebbins this, but before he can, Stebbins collapses dead from fatigue. This is when the Major comes out to congratulate Garraty. In the distance, Garraty sees a shadowy figure, beckoning him towards it. He walks past the Major, towards the figure, and begins to run. Does he die? Did his mind finally break along with the rest of him? Well, that's up to you. All I know is that the only thing the movie ending shares with the book's is the ambiguity.
So what are my final thoughts?
The Long Walk is one of my favorite books in the world, and it has been for several years now. Actually, thinking about it now, I was probably a bit too young when I first read it. The Long Walk as a story is so very internal, being that it's all from Ray's point of view, and I always knew it would be tricky to adapt into a movie. I was very apprehensive about the film, so the fact that it ended up getting my stamp of approval is testament to the unflinching writing and devastating performances. Even with all the changes made, I think writer JT Mollner and director Francis Lawrence took from the book what they could make into a movie, and created a beautiful, raw, heartbreaking piece of art, one that everyone should see.