Films adaptions better than the book

Rizla · 02-14-2012, 10:33 PM

Movies that were better than the original book (all Sci-Fi / Fantasy. I don't know why):

Bladerunner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)
Is the movie better? I'm going to say tentatively that Yes, it is. Yes, the book is remarkable, but the movie? It remains the pinnacle of the Sci-Fi movie genre ∴ it is better. Sue me

The Prestige : by Christopher Priest.
The book is very good, but the movie is better formed. It ties up all loose-ends elegantly while still leaving some sneaky paradoxes.
Christopher Nolan did the rewrite. I read he is going to redo / continue Bladerunner

Nolan's work on Batman is awesome. He uses different elements from different strips to create new stories. Much like my next choice...

The Thief of Baghdad / The Arabian Nights:
I can never get into the book

Great movie.

Logan's Run: A clear example of the script-writer taking what is good from a book and chucking the rest.

The 13th Warrior:
The movie was great fun and the book left me cold (I couldn't get into it).

The Abyss:
This is actually the reverse. The book adaption of the film is by Orson Scott Card and he does some really good characterization. A really good writer ( or used to be. Sorry Orson!).

xg4bx · 02-15-2012, 12:23 AM

this might be controversial but i've gotta say Lord of the Rings. i thought the books were painfully dull and the movies did a nice job of cutting to the chase.

jhempel24 · 02-15-2012, 12:40 AM

I'm going to go out on a limb here with a couple movies that HAVE to be better than the books:

Hunger Games....terrible book...book 2 was great..book 1 was awful, it's a rip off of Battle Royale

And then The Woman in Black....I just finished this, and it was the longest 136 pages I've ever read...not scary in ANY way...and since Daniel Radcliff is the actor playing the main character, I kept having the voice of Harry Potter in my head LOL.

JeremyR · 02-15-2012, 01:07 AM

Logan's Run

The book just doesn't make any sense, IMHO.

sabredog · 02-15-2012, 01:29 AM

Bladerunner

Blossom · 02-15-2012, 02:06 AM

Twilight series. I like the movies but the books were horrible!

DuckieTigger · 02-15-2012, 04:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xg4bx

this might be controversial but i've gotta say Lord of the Rings. i thought the books were painfully dull and the movies did a nice job of cutting to the chase.

That is a can of worms. The movies are good, BUT they are hard to understand without prior knowledge of the book. Sure if all you want is the action, then the movies are better suited for you. I'll leave it at that - sorry to hear you did not like the book.

spindlegirl · 02-15-2012, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xg4bx

this might be controversial but i've gotta say Lord of the Rings. i thought the books were painfully dull and the movies did a nice job of cutting to the chase.

I'm going to agree with you. I remember people walking out of the theatre going "What about Tom Bombadil?" I was thinking that Tom and his wife were the two most boring characters there. Everything they did was too predictably boring and perfect and Tra La La..... (Not to mention, they really did not take up THAT much of the book....)

heySkippy · 02-15-2012, 05:45 AM

Jaws

The Godfather

The Exorcist

AlexGrama · 02-15-2012, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xg4bx

this might be controversial but i've gotta say Lord of the Rings. i thought the books were painfully dull and the movies did a nice job of cutting to the chase.

You must be joking.

jhempel24 · 02-15-2012, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heySkippy

The Exorcist

Just read this not too long ago...I completely agree...the book was dull.

spindlegirl · 02-15-2012, 06:24 AM

Forrest Gump

miguel1626 · 02-15-2012, 06:40 AM

I won't even comment on LotR, because anyone who thinks the movies are better has either (a) very low IQ or (b) some serious psychological disorder

Anyway, from the top of my head I cannot think of any movie better than the source, although I agree with the OP that Blade Runner has greatly surpassed the original in terms of impact and influence. Regarding the other examples posted, I haven't read the originals, so I'm unable to comment.

BTW, if the Twilight movies are better than the books, I shudder to even think of the books. I only watched the first movie with my wife, and it was a seizure-inducing experience.

Outside movies, I do regard one adaptation as better than the original: the Dexter TV series (at least the first few seasons). The TV show gets rid of all the supernatural content of the books, and has better stories in general (Dexter by Design was absolutely awful, for instance).

AlexGrama · 02-15-2012, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miguel1626

I won't even comment on LotR, because anyone who thinks the movies are better has either (a) very low IQ or (b) some serious psychological disorder

Anyway, from the top of my head I cannot think of any movie better than the source, although I agree with the OP that Blade Runner has greatly surpassed the original in terms of impact and influence. Regarding the other examples posted, I haven't read the originals, so I'm unable to comment.

BTW, if the Twilight movies are better than the books, I shudder to even think of the books. I only watched the first movie with my wife, and it was a seizure-inducing experience.

Outside movies, I do regard one adaptation as better than the original: the Dexter TV series (at least the first few seasons). The TV show gets rid of all the supernatural content of the books, and has a better stories in general (Dexter by Design was absolutely awful, for instance).

We're on the same wavelength about LoTR books. Great deal though about Twilight.

Iphinome · 02-15-2012, 07:08 AM

Stardust, the book was nice but the movie improved on it.
Practical Magic, the book was just awful.

02-14-2012, 10:33 PM	#1
Rizla Guru Posts: 830 Karma: 2637377 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: PRS-650 / Cybook Opus	Films adaptions better than the book Movies that were better than the original book (all Sci-Fi / Fantasy. I don't know why): Bladerunner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) Is the movie better? I'm going to say tentatively that Yes, it is. Yes, the book is remarkable, but the movie? It remains the pinnacle of the Sci-Fi movie genre ∴ it is better. Sue me The Prestige : by Christopher Priest. The book is very good, but the movie is better formed. It ties up all loose-ends elegantly while still leaving some sneaky paradoxes. Christopher Nolan did the rewrite. I read he is going to redo / continue Bladerunner Nolan's work on Batman is awesome. He uses different elements from different strips to create new stories. Much like my next choice... The Thief of Baghdad / The Arabian Nights: I can never get into the book Great movie. Logan's Run: A clear example of the script-writer taking what is good from a book and chucking the rest. The 13th Warrior: The movie was great fun and the book left me cold (I couldn't get into it). The Abyss: This is actually the reverse. The book adaption of the film is by Orson Scott Card and he does some really good characterization. A really good writer ( or used to be. Sorry Orson!). __________________ Just do it - Marlon Brando on acting.

02-15-2012, 12:23 AM	#2
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,450 Karma: 21908184 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: kindle 3	this might be controversial but i've gotta say Lord of the Rings. i thought the books were painfully dull and the movies did a nice job of cutting to the chase. __________________ "As long as you're in my house, you'll do what I do, and believe what I believe. So butter your bacon... and bacon up that sausage, boy."

02-15-2012, 12:40 AM	#3
jhempel24 Wizard Posts: 1,996 Karma: 6955269 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, B&N Nook Colro	I'm going to go out on a limb here with a couple movies that HAVE to be better than the books: Hunger Games....terrible book...book 2 was great..book 1 was awful, it's a rip off of Battle Royale And then The Woman in Black....I just finished this, and it was the longest 136 pages I've ever read...not scary in ANY way...and since Daniel Radcliff is the actor playing the main character, I kept having the voice of Harry Potter in my head LOL. __________________ Top of the Heap Book Reviews \| Top of the Heap Facebook Page \| Dropbox Referal Link (use this to get more space)

02-15-2012, 01:29 AM	#5
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,549 Karma: 14516829 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-300/650/T1, iPad2, K3(wife's)	Bladerunner __________________

02-15-2012, 06:40 AM	#13
miguel1626 Great Old One Posts: 160 Karma: 924096 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: L1 Orbit Device: Kindle 3, iPad 2, iPod Touch 4th gen	I won't even comment on LotR, because anyone who thinks the movies are better has either (a) very low IQ or (b) some serious psychological disorder Anyway, from the top of my head I cannot think of any movie better than the source, although I agree with the OP that Blade Runner has greatly surpassed the original in terms of impact and influence. Regarding the other examples posted, I haven't read the originals, so I'm unable to comment. BTW, if the Twilight movies are better than the books, I shudder to even think of the books. I only watched the first movie with my wife, and it was a seizure-inducing experience. Outside movies, I do regard one adaptation as better than the original: the Dexter TV series (at least the first few seasons). The TV show gets rid of all the supernatural content of the books, and has better stories in general (Dexter by Design was absolutely awful, for instance). __________________ Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. - Philip K. Dick Last edited by miguel1626; 02-15-2012 at 06:57 AM. Reason: typo

02-15-2012, 01:07 AM	#4
JeremyR Guru Posts: 950 Karma: 2385068 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: St. Louis Device: Kindle 3 Wi-Fi	Logan's Run The book just doesn't make any sense, IMHO.

02-15-2012, 02:06 AM	#6
Blossom Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,788 Karma: 4486914 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Eastern TN Device: PW/K4B/K4S/K3+3G KFire/SGP 5.0/LG Vortex	Twilight series. I like the movies but the books were horrible!

02-15-2012, 05:45 AM	#9
heySkippy Groupie Posts: 182 Karma: 1316076 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Florida Device: iPad	Jaws The Godfather The Exorcist

02-15-2012, 06:24 AM	#12
spindlegirl Grand Scheme of Things Posts: 1,215 Karma: 9838441 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Near a Tim Hortons, most likely. Device: Sony PRS-T2 (Black)	Forrest Gump

02-15-2012, 07:08 AM	#15
Iphinome Paladin of Eris Posts: 2,511 Karma: 4917151 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: USAland Device: Kindle 1, Kobo 1, Nexus 7	Stardust, the book was nice but the movie improved on it. Practical Magic, the book was just awful. __________________ Find me on Goodreads Kindle Nook or Sony, we are the 99% #occupymobileread

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Best films of 2011 so far	markbot	Lounge	34	12-26-2011 07:00 PM
Twitch Films	scifiguy51	Recipes	2	09-15-2011 08:54 AM
What are some of the better book to film adaptions out there?	happy_terd	Lounge	45	03-01-2010 09:53 AM
Kevin Kelly's "True Films" 3.0 free e-book download	TadW	Deals, Freebies, and Resources (No Self-Promotion)	2	01-15-2008 06:58 AM
Is anybody into asian films?	harajukuchic	Lounge	7	03-29-2005 04:43 PM


Advertisement Enthusiast