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 Member Retired Posts: 3,183 Karma: 11721895 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Nook STR (rooted) & Sony T2	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!).

02-15-2012, 06:40 AM	#13
miguel1626 Great Old One Posts: 189 Karma: 998538 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: L1 Orbit Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro, iPhone 8 Plus	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). Last edited by miguel1626; 02-15-2012 at 06:57 AM. Reason: typo

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02-15-2012, 12:23 AM	#2
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	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.

02-15-2012, 12:40 AM	#3
jhempel24 Wizard Posts: 2,157 Karma: 7068605 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.

02-15-2012, 01:07 AM	#4
JeremyR Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 2458402 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: St. Louis Device: Kindle Keyboard, Nook HD+	Logan's Run The book just doesn't make any sense, IMHO.

02-15-2012, 01:29 AM	#5
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,629 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	Bladerunner

02-15-2012, 02:06 AM	#6
Blossom Treasure Seeker Posts: 18,708 Karma: 26026435 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices	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 Wizard Posts: 1,594 Karma: 21245891 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra h20, Paperwhite 2017, Phone & Tablet w Moonreader	Forrest Gump

02-15-2012, 07:08 AM	#15
Iphinome Paladin of Eris Posts: 3,119 Karma: 20849349 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: USAland Device: Kindle 10	Stardust, the book was nice but the movie improved on it. Practical Magic, the book was just awful.

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