# Bad movies from good books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 5, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612 "2011-03-05T20:09:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612/81 "2011-03-10T16:28:02Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > _Eight Million Ways To Die_ bears only a superficial resemblance to the Lawrence Block novel, and is a crappy movie besides (apart from a memorable screaming match which I believe still holds the cinematic record for most "FUCK YOU!"s in a short sequence). I don’t think there’s ever been a good movie made from a Block novel. > > Similarly, there have been at least two Travis McGee movies made from John MacDonald novels, both crummy B-pictures. Have they ever attempted a movie version of the series about Keller, the somewhat-sympathetic hit man? ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612/82 "2011-03-10T17:12:35Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Seems like the opposite case would be alot harder to think of examples of. The number of poor film renditions of good books is pretty astronomical. There’s a huge difference though between crappy adaptations that just _failed_ and those that make you say “WTF?” like _Moby Dick_ filmed like a _Jaws_ movie. I’d be curios to see a version of this thread discussing the “novellisation of the movie,” like was Alan Dean Foster’s version of _Terminator: Salvation_ better than the movie? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Raven\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612/83 "2011-03-10T17:47:12Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Rosie in leather! > > What do I win? You can have the little bit of vomit that’s in my mouth right now… ☹ God, I thought I’d banished all memory of this cinematic colostomy, but it’s all coming back… and up. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612/84 "2011-03-10T18:52:10Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > “Watership Down”. AAAAAAAUGH!! What was with that awful hippie song “Bright Eyes”?? > > I am still hoping the company that produced “Babe” will make Watership the same way. Not animated, but still bloody. Hey, they’re rabbits not Disney bunnies! 😃 The Watership Down cartoon wasn’t bloody enough for you? That damned movie traumatized me! ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612/85 "2011-03-10T18:59:23Z")
> [@MegaBee](#): > > The Watership Down cartoon wasn’t bloody enough for you? That damned movie traumatized me! Heh. It was actually pretty close to the book - not identical of course, but the changes were understandable. It’s not really a good example for this thread. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612/86 "2011-03-10T20:17:38Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Comparing Edgar Rice Burroughs to Arthur Conan Doyle? What’s not to compare? Along with Ian Fleming, they define the “when wonderful characters happen to terrible writers” nook of popular literature. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612/87 "2011-03-10T22:44:38Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Comic? [Yeah.](http://comicrelated.com/graphics/benjaminbutton_inside.jpg) The comic was the first adaptation of the story I had exposure to. It wasn’t until you asked this and I looked stuff up that I learned that the story on which the comic and film are based was written in the 1920s. So I guess that means the movie wasn’t based on the comic, which is what I’d thought up until now. :smack: Oh well. The comic is still better than the movie (which sucked)! ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612/88 "2011-03-11T10:11:29Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Hmmmm…Carrie, The Body, Misery, Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile were not so bad. Carrie sucked, The Shining…sucked (I know many loved it, but I didn’t), The Stand…sucked… Christine does a pretty good job, but the book was still much darker, would love to see this one remade with modern effects. Firestarter - can’t compare to the book in any way shape or form. Running man - hmmm…not as good as the book, but is ok… Hasn’t there also been some sort of adaptation of “The Mist” …which sucked ---
**Author:** ![AlienVessels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@AlienVessels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlienVessels)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612/89 "2011-03-11T10:39:29Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > I’ve read the book and seen the movie and liked both, although the movie has only a passing resemblance to the book, so I try to keep them separated in my mind. But the movie has a bunch of gratuitous violence and explosions, a little gratuitous nudity, some decent special effects, and NPH as a telepath in a Nazi uniform. What’s not to like? The movie had a fraction of the violence and explosions it would have if it followed the book. The movie was a caricature and theatrical camp. It’s entertaining, but a faithful rendition of the book would have been a lot more interesting and without the distractions all the director induced absurdity created. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612/90 "2011-03-11T19:23:28Z")
I just have to get in on this Starship Troopers nonsense. Read the book first. Pulp sci-fi era reading level; not that Heinlein cant write, but this novel was not a demonstration of literary skill. Nothing special plot- no amazing ideas, including the ‘super techno battle popular mechanics exoskeleton stuff’ or the ‘earn your citizenship through military service’ meme. Stilted, preachy, cold war militarist libertarian jack-off fantasy. Guns and ammo in space. A short, easy diversionary read with a more or less distasteful message. Ive read and enjoyed other works by him a lot more. Sorry if you thought it was better than that (it wasnt). I had no interest in seeing the movie when it came out, but a friend convinced me to give it a go years later. A complete over the top, silly, campy, tongue placed firmly in cheek send up. No respect for the original novel, but why pretend. Waaaay better. Actually somewhat enjoyable. I would put it in the category of movies better than the novels that inspired them, which I think is pretty small. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-from-good-books/573612.md?page=4)