Movies that are better than the book

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Dicktar2023
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Movies that are better than the book

Post by Dicktar2023 »

Interesting story in the Atlantic...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/six-films-be ... 00063.html

Two obvious choices missing from this list:

The Godfather: not a bad book, but no one would say it's a classic. The movie, on the other hand, might be the greatest film of all time.

Jaws: book is real garbage, even for an "Airplane Read"

My personal pick is American Psycho. Very good movie. Worst novel I've ever finished.
WeeVikes
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by WeeVikes »

Dicktar2023 wrote: 22 Jul 2025 17:57 pm Interesting story in the Atlantic...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/six-films-be ... 00063.html

Two obvious choices missing from this list:

The Godfather: not a bad book, but no one would say it's a classic. The movie, on the other hand, might be the greatest film of all time.

Jaws: book is real garbage, even for an "Airplane Read"

My personal pick is American Psycho. Very good movie. Worst novel I've ever finished.
I disagree with the opinion on “Clear and Present Danger”. I liked the book better, but it is a darn fine movie. A matter of preference, I suppose.
3dender
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by 3dender »

Talented Mr. Ripley is a great book too though. So is Jurassic Park. Not sure about those two... making a great movie out of a great book doesn't seem to be the spirit of the prompt.

For my money Fight Club, Children of Men and Starship Troopers are the 3 most obvious cases. Three all-timer classic movies made out of seroiusly flawed books. A Clockwork Orange and 2001 are probably up there too, and +1 to The Godfather. Probably the Harry Potter movies too.
edwin drood
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by edwin drood »

3dender wrote: 23 Jul 2025 07:56 am Talented Mr. Ripley is a great book too though. So is Jurassic Park. Not sure about those two... making a great movie out of a great book doesn't seem to be the spirit of the prompt.

For my money Fight Club, Children of Men and Starship Troopers are the 3 most obvious cases. Three all-timer classic movies made out of seroiusly flawed books. A Clockwork Orange and 2001 are probably up there too, and +1 to The Godfather. Probably the Harry Potter movies too.
A little trivia: 2001 A Space Odyssey, the novel, was written by Arthur Clarke and Stanley Kubrick during the filming of the brilliant movie, and the book actually came out after the release of the film. It was, however, based on a 1951 short story, The Sentinel, by Clarke.
Backesdraft
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by Backesdraft »

Dicktar2023 wrote: 22 Jul 2025 17:57 pm Interesting story in the Atlantic...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/six-films-be ... 00063.html

Two obvious choices missing from this list:

The Godfather: not a bad book, but no one would say it's a classic. The movie, on the other hand, might be the greatest film of all time.

Jaws: book is real garbage, even for an "Airplane Read"

My personal pick is American Psycho. Very good movie. Worst novel I've ever finished.
I’ve not read Jaws but my wife just read it last summer and she was very disappointed. She couldn’t believe how much she disliked it (Jaws is one of her favorite movies).

The Shawshank Redemption- good book (novella really) but amazing movie.

Nobody will agree with this one but I’ll throw it out there anyways: Congo. Love the movie, though I know it isn’t well reviewed in most corners of the world. The book is just OK, not terrible but not nearly as engaging.
FrankTheTank
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by FrankTheTank »

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was a book I remember loving when I was a kid. The movie was just okay.
edwin drood
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by edwin drood »

Backesdraft wrote: 23 Jul 2025 12:49 pm
Dicktar2023 wrote: 22 Jul 2025 17:57 pm Interesting story in the Atlantic...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/six-films-be ... 00063.html

Two obvious choices missing from this list:

The Godfather: not a bad book, but no one would say it's a classic. The movie, on the other hand, might be the greatest film of all time.

Jaws: book is real garbage, even for an "Airplane Read"

My personal pick is American Psycho. Very good movie. Worst novel I've ever finished.
I’ve not read Jaws but my wife just read it last summer and she was very disappointed. She couldn’t believe how much she disliked it (Jaws is one of her favorite movies).

The Shawshank Redemption- good book (novella really) but amazing movie.

Nobody will agree with this one but I’ll throw it out there anyways: Congo. Love the movie, though I know it isn’t well reviewed in most corners of the world. The book is just OK, not terrible but not nearly as engaging.
I was working at a B. Dalton bookstore when the book was a bestseller. It was hard to keep in stock. When the movie came out, it had already sold 5.5 million copies in paperback. That's a huge number of books. Now over 20 million.
MikoTython
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by MikoTython »

Has anyone ever read the novel that 'The Unforgiven' was based upon ? That would be an interesting comparison.

Both the novel & the movie 'Deliverance' are pretty equally excellent.

The main reason Godfather II shouldn't be considered a sequel, is because it actually completed the original story, along w/ a going forward plot-line into the 50s/60s.
Dicktar2023
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by Dicktar2023 »

MikoTython wrote: 24 Jul 2025 15:00 pm Has anyone ever read the novel that 'The Unforgiven' was based upon ? That would be an interesting comparison.

Both the novel & the movie 'Deliverance' are pretty equally excellent.

The main reason Godfather II shouldn't be considered a sequel, is because it actually completed the original story, along w/ a going forward plot-line into the 50s/60s.
You mean Unforgiven, the Clint Eastwood movie? That was an original screenplay by David Webb Peoples.
MikoTython
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by MikoTython »

Dicktar2023 wrote: 24 Jul 2025 15:55 pm
MikoTython wrote: 24 Jul 2025 15:00 pm Has anyone ever read the novel that 'The Unforgiven' was based upon ? That would be an interesting comparison.

Both the novel & the movie 'Deliverance' are pretty equally excellent.

The main reason Godfather II shouldn't be considered a sequel, is because it actually completed the original story, along w/ a going forward plot-line into the 50s/60s.
You mean Unforgiven, the Clint Eastwood movie? That was an original screenplay by David Webb Peoples.
Gee, thanks for the correction(s).
Dicktar2023
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by Dicktar2023 »

MikoTython wrote: 24 Jul 2025 16:58 pm
Dicktar2023 wrote: 24 Jul 2025 15:55 pm
MikoTython wrote: 24 Jul 2025 15:00 pm Has anyone ever read the novel that 'The Unforgiven' was based upon ? That would be an interesting comparison.

Both the novel & the movie 'Deliverance' are pretty equally excellent.

The main reason Godfather II shouldn't be considered a sequel, is because it actually completed the original story, along w/ a going forward plot-line into the 50s/60s.
You mean Unforgiven, the Clint Eastwood movie? That was an original screenplay by David Webb Peoples.
Gee, thanks for the correction(s).
I wasn't being snotty. You might have meant the 1960 Burt Lancaster movie The Unforgiven (which apparently was based on a novel).
MikoTython
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by MikoTython »

Dicktar2023 wrote: 24 Jul 2025 17:19 pm
MikoTython wrote: 24 Jul 2025 16:58 pm
Dicktar2023 wrote: 24 Jul 2025 15:55 pm
MikoTython wrote: 24 Jul 2025 15:00 pm Has anyone ever read the novel that 'The Unforgiven' was based upon ? That would be an interesting comparison.

Both the novel & the movie 'Deliverance' are pretty equally excellent.

The main reason Godfather II shouldn't be considered a sequel, is because it actually completed the original story, along w/ a going forward plot-line into the 50s/60s.
You mean Unforgiven, the Clint Eastwood movie? That was an original screenplay by David Webb Peoples.
Gee, thanks for the correction(s).
I wasn't being snotty. You might have meant the 1960 Burt Lancaster movie The Unforgiven (which apparently was based on a novel).
Sorry. Its pretty staggering that such a thematically rich film was based upon a screenplay. It happens, though.
WLTFE
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Re: Movies that are better than the book

Post by WLTFE »

Forest Gump
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