Books made into movies

[SmartyPants]

Aaah, yeah, the good old LOTR.. how could i forget? An example of an excellent adaptation. In fact i preferred the movies... yep, i am shamed to admit, that while The Hobbit was my most adored childhood book, the LOTR books never really grew on me..

wow i never realised Blade Runner and Total Recall were based on the books!

[rteest42]

...and this seems to be a perfect thread to jump into to say, "HI!!!"

Book over movie almost every time. Can't honestly think of anything other than LOTR that is better in movie form.

There are some good movies of books, but mostly? One or the other. I find that I can't handle the two versions.

I do enjoy Harry Potter movies, though they lose so much.

I tolerated Twilight far better as a book series.

We won't discuss Hitchhiker as a movie, except to say I <3 Alan Rickman.

Lovely Bones, was hauntingly beautiful as a book, and the trailer alone made me decide not to ruin the memory.

One of my favorite light series of books, Stephanie Plum, is FINALLY about to be made into a movie, and I am freaking SCARED to see what they do to One For The Money (although reading what the author has lately served up as novels, maybe ... well, I will watch, if only to drool over Daniel Sunjata playing Ranger.)

Tim Burton movies, especially, should NEVER be after a book!!! He shouldn't be allowed to adapt books. At least not those I've read. His own mind is perfectly wonderful, but he needs to stay away from other authors!

Anyway, Hi!!
Glad to be here... I am planning on a nook purchase as my Christmas gift to me...

Take care,
Trish

[SmartyPants]

Originally Posted by rteest42

..
Lovely Bones, was hauntingly beautiful as a book, and the trailer alone made me decide not to ruin the memory.

welcome to the forums Trish! Hurry up and get that nook... or any other e-reader for that matter! They are great.
And - I actually thought Lovely Bones (the movie) was pretty good as far as adaptations go!

Originally Posted by rteest42

...Tim Burton movies, especially, should NEVER be after a book!!! He shouldn't be allowed to adapt books. At least not those I've read. His own mind is perfectly wonderful, but he needs to stay away from other authors!

yeah have to agree! I was bitterly disapponted with his Alice in Wonderland.. i am still waiting for someone to make a great movie out of Alice books, but somehow dont think it will happen any time soon. Especially Through the Looking Glass.. Would make a great dark movie for grown-ups, but it would take someone truly talented (or on drugs ) to create it.

[sabredog]

Philip K Dick's book "Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep" was made into "Blade Runner" by Ridley Scott in 1982.

A superb movie adaption of a rather dreary book. Sometimes Hollywood gets it right!

I could mention Starship Troopers...or...The Princess of Mars....

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by SmartyPants

Aaah, yeah, the good old LOTR..
wow i never realised Blade Runner and Total Recall were based on the books!

So did I!

The last movie seemed a bit rushed in the end during the Battle of Pelennor Fields. but overall superb. We have family marathon weekends watching the Platinum editions twice a year

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Some of Michael Chrichton's books were made into movies with very little of the plot altered (thinking of 13th Warrior, Sphere, Jurassic Park). Yes, the movies lost a TON of infodump that he lays on us, essentially losing the force of his message. But the stories weren't badly warped and the characters only mildly bent.

I liked "13th Warrior" quite a lot, but didn't like the book - but then I don't like Crichton at all.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by sabredog

The last movie seemed a bit rushed in the end during the Battle of Pelennor Fields. but overall superb. We have family marathon weekends watching the Platinum editions twice a year

"Platinum" editions? Are they different from the theatre or extended editions?

And yes, the ending of Return of the King was a bit rushed, but they did well with fitting everything in. The only thing I didn't really like was the changes to the ents and how they are lured into going to war. It just doesn't work with their personality, but from a movie-telling viewpoint I can see the point. I love the documentaries that comes with the extended edition.

[beppe]

I know of two good books made in good movies. By the same author Ira Levin.

Rosemary's Baby and Marathon Man.

And a third one From Here to Eternity.

These are all oldies, maybe you young kids do not even know them, but books and films are timeless.

[HistoryWes]

I preferred the LOTR book, although I did enjoy the movie. If I'm not mistaken, Crichton was a director or scriptwrighter before becomming a novelist, so that may have something to do with how he wrote.

As for "Princess of Mars" ripped from the book A Princess of Mars (one of my favorite all time books), what can you say. It was a B movie with a little budget and bad actors, trying to recreate one of the most sweeping sci-fi stories of all time.
Fortunately "John Carter of Mars" comes out in 2012, adapted from the same book, this time with a big Disney budget, and great actors... not to mention the director who brought us Wall-E and Finding Nemo (in his live action debut).

[cearbhallain]

Originally Posted by Ea

I liked "13th Warrior" quite a lot, but didn't like the book - but then I don't like Crichton at all.

I *love* that movie, I hadn't read the book before it came out (heck I didn't even know it was Crichton when it came out) and boy was I surprised by how scary it is. I did eventually read the book, and I found it interesting that the story was a melding of actual historical documents and the legend of Beowulf.

I don't know how I came to read Jurassic Park, my sister probably thrust it at me, but I found it to be one of Crichton's best. There was the usual extreme extrapolation of the dangers of a *new* science, but I thought in this case it was interesting, and he really succeeded in bringing the suspense. After reading the novel we went to see the movie in the theatre. Yeah it was a big exciting blockbuster but the most suspenseful scene was completely missing, the best character was turned into a babbling cartoon, and the end was downright insulting.

Has anyone actually read Andromeda Strain? That movie used to terrify me as a child, but I've never read it.

[SameOldStory]

Timeline by Michael Crichton - Liked the book (but hated the ending). Did you know that they made a movie with the same name? It was almost like the Timeline book but not worth watching.

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian - I've reread the entire set 3(maybe 4) times. Watched the movie several times.

Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser - Read the entire set several times. The movie, though different, was very good.

The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill - the book was exceptional, the movie OK to good.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by cearbhallain

Has anyone actually read Andromeda Strain? That movie used to terrify me as a child, but I've never read it.

The book was right at the beginning of his career. And it is very good. The beginning of a genre. Now it will appear simply outdated.


Andromeda

Spoiler:

I came to know Crichton through Andromeda strain. I just started working at the uni when the Italian publisher needed someone to check the translation of the computer jargon. At that time computers were rather rare, and completely extraneous to every day life. When this was happening it was pre pre pre everything. So I read it both in Italian and in English and made a little money with it. There was nothing like Crichton around at that time. The most technological thing was Jan Fleming James Bond.

13 th warrior

Spoiler:

I read the 13th warrior when it came out in 76. The title is Eaters of the Dead. It was a good read, not so much the walhalla stuff, but the arab part, that is the beginning of the trip. The movie is much nicer. I agree with Ea.

I have more about Crichton's books made into movies. I will write this up and post it in a while. More than a promise it is a menace

[cearbhallain]

Originally Posted by beppe

I have more about Crichton's books made into movies. I will write this up and post it in a while. More than a promise it is a menace

I am so looking forward to that. Crichton does kind of epitomize this topic. He's had books that were better than the movies, books that weren't as good, books that posed interesting questions, and books that said nothing at all.

[jabberwock_11]

I am a huge fan of The Princess Bride both movie and book, but I have to admit that this is one of the very few instances where the movie surpasses the book. Although the book has some really good detail on the background of the characters I just felt that the movie managed to capture the fun and adventure a bit better than the book.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian - I've reread the entire set 3(maybe 4) times. Watched the meovie several times.

I am a big naval history buff (particularly age of sail) and have read pretty much all the fiction written in the genre, but I must admit Patrick O'brian's novels were a huge struggle.

Master and commander, which is a mix up of several Jack Aubrey novels, is a great movie and one my wife and I re-watch often.