OT: Name a Movie or Series better than the Book.

[LocalBeachBum]

Movies better than their books:

Jaws. (Did you really need an affair between Mrs. Brody and Hooper? No!)

Ready Player One

Starship Troopers

 

[HailStout]

I thought you’d like that. King movies suck. Books not so much

His short stories have made amazing movies.

stand by me
The running man
Shawshank

I like IT part one, part 2 not so much

Pet Sematary freaked the F out of me as a kid

The Shining is a classic, but the book is so freaking good

The Long Walk has gotten really good reviews, but I haven’t seen it.

 

[HailStout]

Misery is the only one close

Great movie, but dear god that book is amazing. You don’t leave that room he is trapped in for like the first 200 to 300 pages. I remember my hands sweating I was so nervous when he finally did. Also, I read all those books when I was WAY too young.

 

[kired]

I loved The Martian. I personally rank the book higher but I know a lot of people prefer the movie.

 

[HailStout]

I can give you the worst:

World War Z

F everyone involved in making that movie. The book is amazing.

 

[champdawg.sixpack]

His short stories have made amazing movies.

stand by me
The running man
Shawshank

I like IT part one, part 2 not so much

Pet Sematary freaked the F out of me as a kid

The Shining is a classic, but the book is so freaking good

The Long Walk has gotten really good reviews, but I haven’t seen it.

I’ll give you Shawshank

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Hunt For Red October

The movie compacts the story some which I think makes it work well.

It was by far the most-movie ready of Clancy’s books because the book itself wasn’t that long.

Most of his other books were way too long to make into great adaptations with the exceptions of Patriot Games and maybe Clear and Present Danger.

I still need to see Without Remorse. I’d like to see how Michael B. Jordan’s Clark compares to Willem Dafoe’s.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Another post brought this topic to my brain. So many times movies or shows actually fall way short of the book they are adapted from.

I actually have 3 in mind but it will only give one for now. Field of Dreams is miles better than the Book, Shoeless Joe, that it came from.

What else ya got?

As great as The Green Mile was as a novella series and then novel, the film adaptation was excellent.

 

[leeinator]

Apocalypse Now

 

[lazlow]

Dune.... and as lo-fi (still great effects for the time) as lynch's version was. Like it best.

 

[TXDawg.sixpack]

Not a big reader, so I haven't read these books but for those that did how to the 2 Terminal Lists series stand up tot he written versions? I did enjoy watching both.

The first Terminal List was a much better adaptation than the second. Fairly true to the book from what it remember, but still not better.

 

[HailStout]

I’ll give you Shawshank

Running man is not a “good” movie, but I freaking love it. I probably haven’t seen stand by me since I was a teenager, so nostalgia may be winning out there.

Shawshank is a masterpiece. Check out the movies that were up for best picture the year it came out. It’s insane.

 

[TXDawg.sixpack]

The Jack Reacher movies (Tom Cruise) were horrible adaptations of the books, but the Amazon Prime series are very true to the source material (and very fun to watch).

 

[TXDawg.sixpack]

I loved The Martian. I personally rank the book higher but I know a lot of people prefer the movie.

The Martian book >>>>> The Martian movie. It’s not even close.

 

[TXDawg.sixpack]

It was by far the most-movie ready of Clancy’s books because the book itself wasn’t that long.

Most of his other books were way too long to make into great adaptations with the exceptions of Patriot Games and maybe Clear and Present Danger.

I still need to see Without Remorse. I’d like to see how Michael B. Jordan’s Clark compares to Willem Dafoe’s.

Sadly, the movie version is terrible compared to the book. The movie is still worth watching, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the book.

 

[mstateglfr]

Stand by Me
Forrest Gump


Both movies are generational iconic and also, to me, better in movie form.

 

[Chesusdog]

The Martian- Love the book. The audiobook, narrated by RC Bray (not the Wil Wheaton version) is top quality and gets an annual listen.

The movie isn't better, but the movie ending is. Not the rescue, but the enpilogue. The book ends about 5 minutes after they pull off the rescue mission, the movie gives you a little glimpse at the future of all the characters.

 

[Chesusdog]

The Martian book >>>>> The Martian movie. It’s not even close.

100% agree. I do prefer the movie epilogue though. Book just ends right after they get Whatney back.

Hope Project Hail Mary is as good. The book is awesome.

 

[PhredPhantom]

Silence of the Lambs - movie is better

Red Dragon - book is better

Hannibal - haven’t read the book but the movie was not particularly well-done

Hannibal Rising - haven’t seen the movie (if there is one) and haven’t read the book

All books by Thomas Harris (from Mississippi BTW)

 

[CochiseCowbell]

So far, 11.22.63 the series is better.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

I can't think of a Crichton movie better than the book. Timeline was one of my favorites by him, but the movie was abysmal.

Sphere was decent, but there's just no way you can truly translate the fear and distrust from the written pages into a two hour film. The cast and crew did a good job trying though.

Speaking of Crichton, if you fans haven't read them I recommend the two published posthumously: Pirate Latitudes and Dragon Teeth. The former feels a bit incomplete, but the latter is fantastic.



One could argue the Lord of the Rings trilogy is better than the books, if you prefer to skip pages upon pages of poetry and lineages, but you'd be wrong. The books are still better, but I can at least entertain the debate.

 

[Boosh]

Band and Brothers and Forest Gump, the movies are better than the book.

Definitely Forest Gump.

 

[HumpDawgy]

Porkys

 

[JackShephard]

I thought you’d like that. King movies suck. Books not so much

"Original" King books are good. The newer stuff he churns out annually (or even semi-annually) is just awful. Early 2000's was the end of peak King. Lisey's Story, Duma Key, and Cell were the last ones I was able to finish.

 

[Dawgbite]

Misery is the only one close

Shawshank
The Green Mile
Stand by me.
I’ll agree that King’s horror books made some pretty crappy movies but his “ other” books translated into some decent movies.

 

[HailStout]

Tommyknockers?

I will see your Tommmmyknockers and raise you the Langoliers:

 

[grinningmule]

I can't think of a Crichton movie better than the book. Timeline was one of my favorites by him, but the movie was abysmal.

Sphere was decent, but there's just no way you can truly translate the fear and distrust from the written pages into a two hour film. The cast and crew did a good job trying though.

Speaking of Crichton, if you fans haven't read them I recommend the two published posthumously: Pirate Latitudes and Dragon Teeth. The former feels a bit incomplete, but the latter is fantastic.



One could argue the Lord of the Rings trilogy is better than the books, if you prefer to skip pages upon pages of poetry and lineages, but you'd be wrong. The books are still better, but I can at least entertain the debate.

Glad you mentioned the last two by Crichton, I need to go back and read them again.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Forrest Gump - movie is so much better
11.22.63 - book and it's not close
Game of Thrones - don't think I need to even go into detail
World War Z - fantastic book, trash movie
The Shining - both great
Dune - new movie supersedes the book. Too many strange words in the book for my to get into it.
No Country for Old Men - book and movie are exactly the same
The Dark Tower - movie was a trainwreck
I'll think of others

 

[Darryl Steight]

Hunt For Red October

The movie compacts the story some which I think makes it work well.

Same here. Love that movie. I feel the same about No Country for Old Men. Loved the book, and the movie follows it pretty closely, but honestly it's a bit of a long read. The Coens do a good job of keeping a great pace.

One example I can think of is near the end, Llewelyn's wife and the coin toss. I'll try not to spoil too much (although surely everyone has seen this Top 10 alltime movie by now) but the book takes you through the details, what she calls, what happens after, etc. The movie instead cuts directly from them sitting face to face to Chigur walking out of the house. It's just perfect.

 

[SanfordRJones]

American Psycho was much better as a movie. The book was so over-the-top disgusting that it was unreadable.

 

[L4Dawg]

The Natural
Godfather 1&2

 

[L4Dawg]

Forrest Gump - movie is so much better
11.22.63 - book and it's not close
Game of Thrones - don't think I need to even go into detail
World War Z - fantastic book, trash movie
The Shining - both great
Dune - new movie supersedes the book. Too many strange words in the book for my to get into it.
No Country for Old Men - book and movie are exactly the same
The Dark Tower - movie was a trainwreck
I'll think of others

The Dune movies, all of them including the latest, were straight up trash compared to the book.

 

[gtowndawg]

Time for my next one.

Jaws the movie is way better than the book. Here Spielberg did good. In the book the shark just dies.

But the mayor being in debt to the mob is a way better explanation of why he refused to shut the beaches down. That's what I recall from the book.

The Godfather was a good book but the movie just brought those characters to life in a way the book couldn't.

 

[gtowndawg]

Misery is the only one close

What a book. Only King could make a woman that crazy.

 

[gtowndawg]

The Martian book >>>>> The Martian movie. It’s not even close.

Totally agree. I'm sure Project Hail Mary will be better than the movie too (althought the movie looks pretty good).

 

[CochiseCowbell]

The Natural
Godfather 1&2

To me, The Natural book and movie are two completely separate entities; both enjoyable. It's been a while, but I remember thinking they were wildly diffirerent.

 

[aTotal360]

All the Dan Brown books that got turned into movies. The DaVinci Code was one of my favorite reads of all time.

 

[johnson86-1]

The Jack Reacher movies (Tom Cruise) were horrible adaptations of the books, but the Amazon Prime series are very true to the source material (and very fun to watch).

I mean, the books are pretty ridiculous as far as Reacher being basically a super human. The only thing that made the movies worse is that it's just so hard to see a 5'6" guy being Reacher.

 

[HailStout]

All the Dan Brown books that got turned into movies. The DaVinci Code was one of my favorite reads of all time.

I loved Angels and Demons

 

[TXDawg.sixpack]

I mean, the books are pretty ridiculous as far as Reacher being basically a super human. The only thing that made the movies worse is that it's just so hard to see a 5'6" guy being Reacher.

FACT!