Are movies always worse than the book? Can anyone name a movie thats better than the original book version?
Are movies always worse than the book? Can anyone name a movie thats better than the original book version?
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death in venise
handmaid’s tale (show)
Gone Girl. Book bored me to tears. Movie was much better.
The Martian according to my husband. Also, I liked the movie fried green tomatoes WAY better than the book
Freedom Writers
What was the book like?? I didn’t realise until recently it was a book first..
@Carmel, I going to take the picture of the book and the movie so you can see it ok
@Angela thanks!
@Carmel, Your welcome and I post the picture of the book and the movie on here
The perks of being a wallflower. Book was good, but the movie was amazing
The Godfather and Jaws
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, 1. The movie great, the book was crap.
Jaws
Carrie. The book was good, the film was excellent and slightly different.
A Time to Kill
@Lucy Same!
Not always but a lot of the time they can be.
Shrek.
The kids book is okay but not a patch on the film adaptation!
There’s a few exceptions; silence of the lambs , the godfather and jaws.
The Notebook.
I loved the book and movie.
Fight Club. Author even agrees.
Enchanted april, my family and other animals
I think we often look at this the wrong way… movies become an extension/ adaptation of the book.. if it’s exactly the same- many people complain about that..
I think Schindler’s List was pretty true… and I saw Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society before I read the book- there were changes, but not enough to hinder the storytelling..
I think Gone Girl is. I think Gillian Flynn was a screenwriter originally.
Water for Elephants and The man called ove were both good movies following the books
‘The Martian’ and ‘game of thrones’ tv series.
The Book Thief was a better movie than book. Shawshank Rdemption the movie was as good as the book. Just my opinion… 🙂
One flew over the cuckoo’s nest.
The theatre production was also amazing!! It might just have been Christian Slater though…
@Carmel oh yes, he would certainly help.
I’ve always found books to be better. I remember years ago reading Angela’s Ashes. I was so excited to see the film but so much was missed that I felt was relevant. Not always the case I know and can’t be easy to condense a book into a couple of hours!!
Psycho, Forrest Gump.
I’ve not found one yet.
Forrest Gump, the book was horrible. Practical Magic, the characters and the ending were better in the movie. Get Carter, the book has a different name but I can’t think of it, the main character is a jerk and very unlikable in the book and I had a few other issues with the book.
I liked The Notebook movie better than the book.
I didn’t like the book at all.
I preferred the ending of My Sisters Keeper in the movie. The book ending was too impossibly implausible for me. I thought they did a great job with the film.
I agree. Hated the books ending including the brothers story .. totally not plausible.
I may have to watch the movie then. I hated the ending of the book so much I didn’t even bother with the movie. Its the only book I’ve actually ever been angry at for making me read it and then ending the way it did.
Same, just felt mum got what she wanted and nothing about the ending seemed believeable for any of it. See what you think of the movie ending.
So pleased you guys feel this. I’ve been shouted down for this opinion so many times! The book ending is ridiculous. the film is unbearably sad but a better finale.
I actually don’t get the hype over Jodi Picoult. Lazy writer as far as I’m concerned.
I think the books are always better because they are more detailed and descriptive. I think a lot of that gets lost when a movie is made. I haven’t yet watched a movie that I thought was better than the book.
@Karen Try A Time to Kill.
@Hollie who’s the author?There are several listed on good reads.
John Grisham
Room
@Maria agree!
Cujo
Murder on the Orient Express
The Martian
@Benjamin Yes!
If I see the movie first I usually like it more
I’m the same way. I no longer bother reading the book if I already saw the movie
I think the Lord of the Rings movies were very well done. ?
Merry and Pippin were robbed of their glory for saving the Shire!
@Jenny I kind of agree but the ending of the last movie was already quite long so thought it was a pretty good alternative. ?
Oh I like the films, it’s just Merry and Pippin were my favourite characters when I read the books
Room, The Secret Life of Bees. People will probably want to kill me, but I like the Game of Thrones show better because the books drag on and are released too far in between.
@Heather completely agree with you on Game of Thrones. I think the books seem to have endless wandering around in Woods.
My husband read Chocolat after seeing the film and was really disappointed with it, said the film was so evocative of the flavours and people that the book was just flat by comparison. Resultingly I’ve never bothered reading it.
Not better, but the same, and that is rare. Usually the books are always better… “A Time to Kill”.
Forrest Gump
Last of the Mohicans
Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud
Blade Runner
The Shinning
Stand By Me
The Princess Bride
Silence of the Lambs
The Shawshank Redemption
Fight Club
Children of Men
The Notebook
Only one I can think of is The Wizard of Oz
Jaws
I can definitely think of movies that ruin their eponymous books, but can’t think of any books I’ve read with bettet movie adaptations
I loved the book The Shining by Stephen King, but I didn’t like the movie. I think it’s hard to capture in a movie what you imagine or picture while reading a book.I vote for a book any day!
I do too! I think a lot gets lost when they make a movie from the book. The movies can be good but the books are always way better.
I have never read The Shining, but enjoyed the movie. I wonder if that would have been different had I read the book first??
@Misty I think the movie would have disappointed you had you read the book first.
All Harry Potter movies were very well done.
I wouldn’t say better than the books tho ?
In no way better than the books.
yeah obviously the books were obviously better as they dwell on every detail of the story and leaving nothing behind. The movies on the other hand did give a cleat picture of what Harry potter is about. The movies don’t cover all the nitty gritties but they are a good enough story
I prefer to read the book before the movie as many readers do but I saw the movie Slum Dogs Millionaire before I read the book and I liked the movie so much more. How would I have felt if I had done it the other way, who knows?
The book was amazing. I was disappointed in the movie. The story was actually changed. However, as a stand-alone movie, I think it was very good.
Ugh. Annihilation. Couldn’t even get through the book. Loved the movie.
The Bridges of Madison County. The book was absolutely terrible but Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood brought life and sensitive, complicated portrayals to these characters.
Yes! such a beautiful film and lacklustre book!
Godfather
Carrie
Angel Heart
Get Carter
Both great books, but superb films ?
Big Fish! Book was not so great. Movie was fantastic!
Omg that movie was so so so so good
I actually like The Notebook as a movie. I didn’t care for the book. But you’re right, usually the book is better. The book allows you in the mind of the narrator where a movie just lacks…
@Misty oh yes. Agree. I didnt like the book.
I liked “This is Where I Leave You” significantly better as a movie. There are maybe two more movies I liked about equally to their books….. and every other case I can think of the book was significantly better
Did you at least like the book or would you have skipped it altogether? I’ve been wanting to read it for a long time, and now that the movie is on Amazon Prime, I’m wondering if I should read it first or what.
@Betsy it’s been awhile, but I think I liked it okay. I think it was an enjoyable read. Not earth-shattering, not even fantastic, but not horrible either.
@Becca Okay, good perspective, thanks.
The Silence of the Lambs
Shutter Island movie is way better than the book
Really? I just read the book recently and really liked it. But it’s also been a very very long time since I’ve seen the movie.
@Chelsea it’s one of my favourite movies but possibly my mistake was reading the book after. Knowing the ending, it doesn’t have the same appeal. Maybe that’s why I prefer the movie.
Spoiler ahead for anyone reading.
True. I remembered that he was the patient but I had completely forgotten that he also killed his wife. So it was still a good twist for me.
I think Gone Girl was a much better movie than it was a book.
I could not get into that book, but loved the movie.
I didn’t realize that so many of the movies mentioned were based off books!
@Melissa i know right?? Didnt expect these answers when i asked.
Now I have more books to add to my list.
I actually preferred The green mile as a movie than the book
@Becky me too!
Dances With Wolves
The guns of Navarone
The books have an advantage because when I read them I make imaginary movies, and I usually like my interpretation better than the filmmakers’.
The godfather
Hidden Figures,
The 39 steps – Kenneth More version
Coraline and Stardust. So far Neil Gaiman books work better as movies for me. ??♀️
A Bridge too Far
The Cruel Sea
all Harry Potter book
WHAT? You thought the movies were better than the books? Disagree!
How.
I hated the book of life of pie but loved the film
The Princess Bride. I’ll fight you on it.
I did not like the book The Jane Austin Book Club but I enjoyed the movie. That is the only example I have.
The Fault in Our Stars
Shawshank redemption
You best me to it
A simple favor
All Harry Potter books
How.
Hunger games was pretty close book to movie
Anna Karenina
I could name a bunch but I generally feel like people will take whichever they get to first as the picture of the story in their mind.
Jaws!
The Notebook. Great movie, horrible book.
I’m following this one ?
The Manchurian Candidate
Fight club
Two movies thsnks I enjoyed enjoyed as much as the book were Life of Pi and The Book Thief
Equal if not better on book & movie: The Notebook ; Twilight series ; Their Eyes Were Watching God ?
The Kite Runner film was better
The Wizard of Oz
The Book Thief
Lord of the rings series.
Children of Men, one of my favorite movies. The book bored me to tears.
The Devil Wears Prada
Forrest Gump
I hated the book!
Me too!!
Atonement
LA Confidential, World War Z
@Altyn I’m the opposite with World War Z. Loved book, hated film
The Painted Veil the book and The Painted Veil the film complimented each other well. I got sucked in by every page in the book, but I wanted a different ending and the filmmakers sensed that and changed the ending in the film. Perfection! 🙂 <3
Lord of the rings films
Practical magic
Yes!!!!
I liked the Crazy Rich Asians movie a lot more than the book
To Kill a Mockingbird
Stand By Me
Dr. Zhivago. And if you count TV series Riley Ace of Spies, if I remember the name right, it was back in the 1990s. Didn’t enjoy the film Braveheart but the book surprisingly was boring.
The birds
Twilight breaking dawn part 2
How To Train Your Dragon
P.S. I Love You….. The only book I’ve ever been mad that I wasted my time reading it!
Forrest Gump
Stardust!
The Princess Bride