List of Movies that are better than the book

24 November 2021, 10:41 AM

So, IMO there are virtually zero movies that are better than the book they're based on. I can only think of ONE movie that's better than the book, and one other movie that seems to be better than the book.

Movie is better: Forrest Gump
Don't get me wrong here, I enjoyed the book immensely, but the changes made in the movie just make for a better story.

Movie *might* be better: Hidden Figures
I really like that movie so I went looking for the book. The only thing I could find was a comic book format ("graphic novel" kind of thing) and I couldn't make myself read it. So, if that movie is based on that comic book, even without reading it I'd lean towards saying the movie is better.

What do you guys have? Any other movies that surpass the book?

24 November 2021, 11:35 AM

CHAS

Doug mentioned something about a Dallas and Debbie movie, but I cannot think of any.

24 November 2021, 11:51 AM

Qaanaaq-Liaaq

I can’t think of too many movies that are better than the book. The only one that I can think of is “A Clockwork Orange”. The movie follows very closely to the book and if the movie isn’t better than the book, it’s at least equal to the book. The book and film complement each other well.

It’s a novel about a dystopian future in which an out of control teen age gang runs rampant in Britain. The opening scene of the movie takes place in the Korova Milkbar. Its décor is something else. You have to see it to believe it. There are many Russian and slang words used in the movie and book although the book has more of them. The book has a glossary for these words. For the movie, don’t worry about it. You can understand what these words mean because of the context in which they’re used. For example, “droogs” means friends.

24 November 2021, 12:28 PM

CHAS

quote:
Originally posted by Qaanaaq-Liaaq:
I can’t think of too many movies that are better than the book. The only one that I can think of is “A Clockwork Orange”. The movie follows very closely to the book and if the movie isn’t better than the book, it’s at least equal to the book. The book and film complement each other well.

It’s a novel about a dystopian future in which an out of control teen age gang runs rampant in Britain. The opening scene of the movie takes place in the Korova Milkbar. Its décor is something else. You have to see it to believe it. There are many Russian and slang words used in the movie and book although the book has more of them. The book has a glossary for these words. For the movie, don’t worry about it. You can understand what these words mean because of the context in which they’re used. For example, “droogs” means friends.

Must agree. Stanley Kubrick is very good with making a visual impact.
Have been a friend of Malcolm McDowell since IF.
Sometimes the writing of Anthony Burgess seemed to indicate that he was getting paid by the word.

24 November 2021, 12:33 PM

Mikhailoh

I always enjoyed Burgess' writing. Several of his books I liked a lot - Beard's Roman Women, 1985, I forget the rest. I was reading Burgess around 1980.

24 November 2021, 01:31 PM

Lisa

I feel like the original Willie Wonka movie with Gene Wilder is better than the book. Been a long time since I read the book though.

Also maybe Shawshank Redemption -- that's an amazing movie and I don't recall the book (which was really more of a novella) being anywhere near as good. Then again, it's hard to top Morgan Freeman in anything.

24 November 2021, 03:03 PM

Nina

Hmmm, I'm struggling as well. I can think of a jillion where an amazing book was made into an awful movie (Oscar and Lucinda, anyone?), but not the opposite.

Maybe some of the YA books, where the book itself isn't great, but the movie took the plot and made a visually impressive creation. I'm thinking of the Hunger Games series, for example.

I was going to say "The Greatest Story Ever Told," but I didn't want to go to h*ll.

24 November 2021, 07:55 PM

CHAS

Brokeback Mountain came from a good short story.
The movie changed a lot and added a lot for the better.

24 November 2021, 08:03 PM

big al

quote:
Originally posted by CHAS:
Doug mentioned something about a Dallas and Debbie movie, but I cannot think of any.

Yeah, I saw that movie too, but I have no idea what book it was based on.

Big Al

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24 November 2021, 08:07 PM

QuirtEvans

I'll go with The Princess Bride.

24 November 2021, 08:43 PM

dolmansaxlil

quote:
Originally posted by QuirtEvans:
I'll go with The Princess Bride.

I was going to say the same!

I agree about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Shawshank Redemption. On the Stephen King front I would consider adding Stand By Me to the list. The original story (The Body) was great, too, but the movie was better.

24 November 2021, 08:43 PM

dolmansaxlil

Another one: Jaws.

25 November 2021, 01:27 PM

big al

Perhaps my favorite movie and one that potentially falls within this category is Doctor Strangelove. The credits identify it as based on Red Alert, a pretty straightforward thriller by Peter George.

Kubrick and George generated the initial screenplay, but the final result as reworked by that team plus Terry Southern became a very different beast, a black comedy instead of a thriller and the vehicle for what I regard as Peter Sellers finest moments.

I suspect that there are other movies that so deviated from the source material that I'm unaware of the association. That one comes to mind both because of being my favorite and also being a Kubrick admirer for a lot of his work. Does anyone remember Paths of Glory?

Big Al

30 November 2021, 02:31 PM

Jack Frost

On the Stephen King front I would consider adding Stand By Me to the list. The original story (The Body) was great, too, but the movie was better.[/QUOTE]

My first thought. Excellent film and I think King has said his favorite film adaptation of his writing.

Jf