Fight Club. It wasn’t fun to read it felt like the author was ploying with me trying purposefully to confuse me to a point where it forced me to become disinterested. However with the movie i was captivated every second. The book’s attempt to obscure and mystify the reader might have been an intentional stylistic choice, but for me, it didn’t translate well.
by Johhnyfailedhistest
27 Comments
Anything by Stephen King for me. To me it feels almost like George Lucas. Great idea man, terrible at execution. Give his outlines to someone more talented as a film maker though, and they’ll produce gold.
My experience was with “Different Seasons”, a collection of 4 short stories that have produced 3 movies (The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and Apt Pupil). In all 3 cases I didn’t love the book, but at least 2 of those movies are pretty much perfect.
Blade Runner
The Devil Wears Prada and Legally Blonde.
Deathly hallows.
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
The Cider House Rules by John Irving
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Forrest Gump by Winston Groom
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
The Godfather
Trainspotting. The book is interesting but no where near as entertaining as the movie.
I think that one of the best “books to film” that I read was space odissee by Clarke
Jaws
The Godfather
Jurassic Park the film is better than Jurassic Park the novel, in my opinion, but not by much. Both a brilliant in their own ways.
Suprised I’m the first to say it, but American Psycho.
Not a movie but Dexter. The show was not perfect but my god those books were awful.
Stardust is a much better film than book. Tighter plotting, better characterisation; more action.
Fried Green Tomatoes
the book is a collection of news stories- i didn’t even finish it – it wasn’t for me – others may like it tho
but the movie can get me in the feels
No Country for Old Men
A show rather than a movie, but Queen’s Gambit. The book was a fantastic story but told so dryly, the show made the tone make sense and feel exciting and personal
Ready Player One – Wade was pretty gate-keeper-y and all “prove it” about pop culture, Halliday and the oasis but faaark is he annoying in the book. Definitely made him more likeable in the movie.
Psycho
As good as the book is, the movie version made enough tweaks to improve the story in a lot of little ways (added suspense, more morally complex characters, etc.)
Road to Perdition
No Country for Old Men (The acting is excellent and very little from the book is lost.)
Trainspotting.
The Godfather.
Jaws.
And by far the best example of this for me was Starship Troopers.
Not a movie but I thought that “His Dark Materials” tv series on BBC was way more enjoyable than the books.
Jaws and The Godfather are the two I always think of.
I’ve found that most of the books that I read are usually better than the movie.
Im reading What Dreams May Come right now. One of those books that’s been on my TBR that I wanted to read, but just kept putting it off every time I remembered about it. A little over the half way mark
And I honestly really just prefer the movie version.
Maze Runner
Children of Men. The book, by PD James is just not nearly as good as the movie. It has the same premise but, I would say, a different vibe and a focus on religion that really isn’t in the movie. The ending is also completely different. Charon took a great concept with meh execution and really made it sing on film.
Season 1 of Jack Reacher *AND* the Tom Cruise movie are both better than the book they are based on