Adapting a book to the screen is quite a challenge. Cut a scene, and critics might accuse you of ruining the narrative. Alter a character, and you risk alienating fans. But if done right, it’s truly impressive.
There’s a whole discussion on Reddit where people have been sharing rare examples of filmmakers surpassing the source material with their cinematic vision. From cult classics such as American Psycho to more recent productions like I’m Thinking of Ending Things, here are the movies that audiences believe are actually better than the book.
#1
Carrie. It was Kings first book and, although good, there was emotion and depth in Sissy Spacek’s portrayal that went far beyond the character in the orig story.
Image source: wadubois, Red Bank Films
#2
I feel like the Princess Bride was better as a movie.
Image source: Quiverjones, 20th Century Fox
#3
Godfather.
The book was obviously a best seller but it had some really – REALLY — cringe side plots (involving huge d***s and huge vags; Puzo seems to have had a fetish about outsized sex organs) which Coppola wisely dropped in the film.
Image source: amerkanische_Frosch, Paramount Pictures
#4
Forrest Gump. The book was … something.
Image source: excaligirltoo, Paramount Pictures
#5
Shawshank Redemption is a great movie. Book is good, as well.
Image source: fonebone819, Columbia Pictures
#6
Jaws, in my opinion. The book is not bad, don’t get me wrong, but the characters in it are extremely unlikeable. I think Spielberg was right to eliminate some of the subplots and to buff the characters up to be more likable/relatable. Also, the end of the book kinda sucked. I won’t spoil it, but compared to the movie it’s extremely anti-climatic.
I still like both, the book is still a very good read and I understand why it was such a phenomenon, but I’ll always say the movie was better.
Image source: annieknowsall, Universal Pictures
#7
Silence of the Lambs. Of course it followed the book almost exactly.
Image source: TMQ73, Strong Heart Productions
#8
How to train your dragon franchise.
Image source: CatMom1201, DreamWorks Animation
#9
Who Framed(Censored) Roger Rabbit.
The books plot is very different, and the characters are all unlikeable. Eddie isn’t a tragic character who’s dealing with his brothers death by drinking his life away and alienating all the toons he used to befriend. He’s a hard bitten, hard drinking a*****e just because. Roger is dead, and the character who k*lled him doesn’t really make any sense. The producers of the movie took the idea of a world with toons and humans and threw away the plot. They made the right choice; the movie turned out amazing.
Image source: Yakb0, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
#10
Stand By Me (based on Stephen King’s “The Body”)… I loved the book too! But the movie is a classic to me, just perfect rendition.
Image source: anon, Columbia Pictures
#11
Goodfellas (based on the novel Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi). Wiseguy is actually pretty interesting, it’s basically Henry Hill telling his own story. But Goodfellas is a masterpiece.
Image source: Flurb4, Warner Bros. Pictures
#12
American Psycho.
The book really goes deep into Patrick’s obsession with fashion and dining culture. It gets a little tedious.
Image source: eviltedfurgeson, lionsgate
#13
MASH. it was a mediocre novel, but one heck of a movie and a very good TV series.
Image source: Neat-Ad-8987, 20th Century Fox Television
#14
The Martian.
The book was excellent, but after a while Mark Watney started to feel like Wile E Coyote with things constantly falling on him. The movie kept just the right amount of adversity to keep the story moving along and never got too bogged down in the details the way the book sometimes did.
Image source: afriendincanada, 20th Century Studios
#15
Jurassic Park is a good book, but an all-time great movie.
Image source: theyusedthelamppost, Universal Pictures
#16
The Children of Men. Book was good. Movie is top 20 all time.
Image source: DrunkestJesus, Universal Pictures
#17
Matilda. Danny DeVito k*lled it.
Image source: whatevernamedontcare, Sony Pictures Releasing
#18
No Country For Old Men is the best literal film representation of any book I’ve ever read. Both are masterpieces.
Image source: Scevs, Miramax Films
#19
I am an avid Stephen King fan, but I have to admit, the movie version of **The Shining** was very good, and better IMO than the book. However, in most cases SK’s books are much better than the movies / shows / miniseries.
Image source: BigBearSD, Warner Bros.
#20
The Devil Wears Prada.
Image source: oakcrisssy, 20th Century Fox
#21
Shrek.
Image source: johneradicated, dreamworks
#22
The top answer should be “Paddington.”
That movie had no business being as good as it is. The sequel too. Brings that bear to life like no book could.
Image source: BestThingGoing, StudioCanal UK
#23
Casino Royale – the improved Felix Leiter character makes it infinitely more interesting, buttressed by an amazing performance from Jeffrey Wright.
First Blood – the book is just violence p*rn.
LOTR – ok I know this one is going to p**s a lot of people off. Tolkien never intended to write a story in the way we think of a novel/movie. I get that. He did what he was going for very well. But I find the movies more enjoyable. Sue me. That said, The Hobbit movies are garbage. Peter Jackson reached George Lucasian heights in making a prequel trilogy that’s so bad it diminishes the quality of the original. If you don’t have time to read the book and want to see it on screen, watch the Rankin Bass cartoon from the 70s.
Image source: asoiahats, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
#24
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The original text is a depressing short story of a guy dreaming of being greater than his actual tedious life. I love that movie even though it isn’t terribly popular.
Image source: just-a-scratch-, 20th Century Fox
#25
The Mist. The book is better for most of it, but the ending in the movie knocks the socks off the book ending.
Image source: AurelianoTampa, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
#26
Fight Club.
Image source: BCF13, 20th Century Fox
#27
Stardust
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.
Image source: theniwokesoftly, Paramount Pictures
#28
Coraline. The book was all right, but the movie was iconic.
Image source: onlyrightangles, Laika Pandemonium Films
#29
Both Fight Club and LA Confidential are much better movies than books.
Sometimes taking a second pass through the narrative to tighten it up for a two hour movie can tighten up the mistakes.
Image source: Idolitor, Warner Bros.
#30
I feel like a lot of it depends on the order one reads/watches initially. That said…
I prefer the film *Memoirs of a Geisha* to the book.
And *Howl’s Moving Castle*. I didn’t like the books at all.
Image source: Exact_Roll_4048, Sony Pictures Releasing
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