*snip* > It is my opinion that fantasy and science fiction books do > not translate well to the big screen because of cost > constraints when designing sets and props. These days, the budget of sets/props isn't what creates as much disappointment. With the new popularity and improvement in quality of the Computer Generated images, previous limitations (both financial and practical) aren't the reason sci-fi/fantasy turns out less-then phenomenal. Usually, the problem is corporate deadlines and an ill-appreciation for the art of the story in the first place.