# Has a movie adaptation of a beloved book ever lived up to your expectations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760 "2018-01-02T17:26:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/121 "2018-01-07T20:28:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I just saw Neverwhere, the BBC film adaptation of Gaimans books. Very low budget special effects but otherwise spot on. The BBC miniseries is actually the original version of _Neverwhere_. Gaiman later adapted his own screenplay into a novel. IIRC he said part of the reason for this was he wanted to have a version out there with things he’d wanted to put in the series but that they didn’t have the budget to include. ---
**Author:** ![tavalla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tavalla/32/89_2.png) [@tavalla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavalla)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/122 "2018-01-07T21:09:22Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Can anyone compare ‘the body’ by King with the movie Stand by Me? I haven’t gotten around to reading the book, but I’d assume it can’t be better than the movie. It’s been a while since I last saw Stand By Me, but my recollection was it was pretty close to the novella and pretty well done, too. It helps that it’s a novella, not a novel - came from the same collection as Shawshank Redemption. A more compact story means less abridging, and you can stay closer to the original plot. (Ditto 1408, since you’ve mentioned it - that was a short story.) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/123 "2018-01-07T21:32:46Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > **Has a movie adaptation of a beloved book ever lived up to your expectations?** > Yes: _ **The Hunt for Red October** _. An excellent book by Tom Clancy, a riveting read where anti-sub warfare details were expertly laid out in the gripping story. The movie was different, and it glossed over much if not many of the ASW details in the book, but it told the excellent story admirably well. I really enjoyed, and still enjoy, the movie. And the music was wonderful, too, particularly the Russian music. I always thought Alec Baldwin was a far, far better Jack Ryan than Harrison Ford was. The Ryan of the books was (mostly) an intellectual even with his Naval academy background, and Baldwin conveyed that. Ford is mostly (not always, but mostly) an action hero, and while I liked Patriot Games I didn’t really like Ford’s interpretation of Ryan. \*\* toast pakora\*\*, I first saw \*Diva \*at university, at a campus theater. The _ **entire audience** _ cheered when Gorodish’s fancy car blew up with the villains in it and the garage door rolled up, revealing another fancy car exactly like it. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/124 "2018-01-07T23:34:22Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > My top three would be To Kill A Mockingbird, The Shawshank Redemption and the Green Mile. Beat me to it, all three. ---
**Author:** ![TurboNuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@TurboNuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TurboNuke)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/125 "2018-01-08T01:08:27Z")
I love the animated version of Watership Down. I get the same feelings as I do reading the book. Its excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/126 "2018-01-08T16:30:55Z")
The movie is not at all faithful to the book, but I loved Bladerunner. (/sacrilege) It’s in many ways better. It keeps the questions on what it means to be human, and the look at empathy, but the story makes more sense. (/sacrilege) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/127 "2018-01-08T18:47:24Z")
A little bit off-topic. Has anyone both read and seen _Nobody’s Fool,_ the novel by Richard Russo, movie with Paul Newman? It’s my book club assignment and I’m finding the beginning of the book deadly dull and slow as molasses in January. Is the movie better? ---
**Author:** ![jkirkman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@jkirkman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jkirkman)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/128 "2018-01-08T20:49:24Z")
A many have said, the LoTR movies, in my case really just the first one–especially the extended edition. The Shire in the opening was better than I had ever pictured. Bree was fun, and I did not like Moria, but Lorien was fine. And Rivendale was just awesome. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/129 "2018-01-08T21:02:16Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > A little bit off-topic. > > Has anyone both read and seen _Nobody’s Fool,_ the novel by Richard Russo, movie with Paul Newman? It’s my book club assignment and I’m finding the beginning of the book deadly dull and slow as molasses in January. Is the movie better? The movie is not especially exciting, but I am very fond of it. It is a little like one of those painting movies, where the plot is background noise for the setting and characters. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/130 "2018-01-08T21:15:01Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > The movie is not especially exciting, but I am very fond of it. It is a little like one of those painting movies, where the plot is background noise for the setting and characters. That’s helpful. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/131 "2018-01-08T21:29:33Z")
> [@TurboNuke](#): > > I love the animated version of Watership Down. I get the same feelings as I do reading the book. Its excellent. It is indeed - as an aside, I watched it as a kid when it first came out, and it caused a minor controversy. It was marketed as a “kid’s movie”, for, like, young children: the poster showed a colourful cast of cute bunnies. Allegedly, many kids were traumatized! (I wasn’t: I loved it even then … more like many _parents_ were traumatized). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/132 "2018-01-09T00:59:18Z")
> [@Arizona\_Mike](#): > > **Manhunter** was less true to the source novel “Red Dragon” than the later remake **Red Dragon,** but I like Manhunter much more. Yup. I think _Red Dragon_ retained more plot details, but _Manhunter_ captured the tone better. _Red Dragon_ was edging into _The Abominable Doctor Phibes_ territory. And I still maintain that Brian Cox was the better Lecter. Of my personal picks, _Andromeda Strain_, _To Kill A Mockingbird_ and _Catch 22_ have already been mentioned, but I’d like to add _Where Eagles Dare,_ which – while not one of the highest achievements as either a novel or film – is certainly entertaining in both forms, and a first-class adaptation. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/133 "2018-01-09T04:11:47Z")
I liked the book “Shoeless Joe” by W.P Kinsella, but I think the movie version (Field of Dreams) was even better. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/134 "2018-01-09T15:34:15Z")
_The Milagro Beanfield War_ is the only book that I’ve read multiple times, and find it delightfully hilarious each time. When Redford decided to make a movie of it, I was apprehensive about how he could translate such sublime humor to the screen. He managed to make a decent job of it, although much was unsurprisingly lost in transition. I agree with the above comment about _The Body/Stand By Me_. The novella thoroughly evoked my childhood, including hiking on the railroad tracks and crossing a tall trestle bridge. It really took me back; I could almost smell the summer air. Reiner did an astounding job of recreating that feeling on screen. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/135 "2018-01-09T17:42:27Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > There are dozens of great films from books. Stories that I have read and loved and loved as movies: > > The Maltese Falcon > The Godfather > Fight Club > Shawshank Redemption > The Silence of The Lambs > No Country For Old Men > To Kill A Mockingbird > Wise Guy which ended up as Goodfellas > Fight Club Fight Club - so good you named it twice! 🙂 I agree with most of these. Cormac McCarthy’s books, with their spare dialog, seem to be very susceptible to faithful movie adaptation, at least if you have a thoughtful director. The Coens did a great job with _No Country for Old Men_, and i also thought that Joe Penhall (script) and John Hillcoat (director) did an amazing job with _The Road_. Although i think “enjoy” is probably the wrong word to describe how i felt about that story; there are very few books or movies that are so unremittingly bleak. > [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I think the following all surpassed the book, which I had read long ago, by a fair margin: > > Jurassic Park > The recent Bond movies > The Bourne movies I like the Bourne movies a lot, but i have to disagree about them surpassing the books. In fact, i tend to think of them more as inspired by the books, rather than being based on them. The first movie follows some elements of the book, but completely changes the whole purpose of Bourne’s work for the government. And the second and third movies literally take nothing except their titles and the character’s name from the books. > [@madsircool](#): > > LA Confidential Absolutely. > [@mbh](#): > > _John Carter_ too liberties with the letter, but was relatively faithful to the spirit, of the Edgar Rice Burroughs books. Here’s another one where i have to disagree. I grew up on John Carter novels, and i was incredibly excited when i heard that they were making a movie, but i thought it was terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/136 "2018-01-09T18:16:57Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I gave such a sigh of relief… it was hard to believe they hadn’t irrevocably screwed up three great literary worlds. Ms. Rowling does indeed find herself in some pretty heavy company. Advances in special effects really was necessary for these stories to be effectively adapted to film. I found the Narnia movies to be…as good as they could be given the source material. I don’t mean to slam Lewis that hard–he was a pioneer of the genre as was Tolkien, and his tales are captivating–but I find him a bit “fluffy” compared to Tolkien. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/137 "2018-01-09T18:26:52Z")
> [@B-Rad](#): > > Ms. Rowling does indeed find herself in some pretty heavy company. Advances in special effects really was necessary for these stories to be effectively adapted to film. > > I found the Narnia movies to be…as good as they could be given the source material. I don’t mean to slam Lewis that hard–he was a pioneer of the genre as was Tolkien, and his tales are captivating–but I find him a bit “fluffy” compared to Tolkien. It isn’t really fair to compare Narnia with LoTR though - the former was much more self-consciously a series for children. The better comparison is with _The Hobbit_, as it was more clearly written for children - though the series of movies based on _The Hobbit_, alas, didn’t turn out so well. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/138 "2018-01-09T19:03:34Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > It isn’t really fair to compare Narnia with LoTR though - the former was much more self-consciously a series for children. The better comparison is with _The Hobbit_, as it was more clearly written for children - though the series of movies based on _The Hobbit_, alas, didn’t turn out so well. Point taken. BTW, I _did_ like the hobbit movies in their own right, but as an adaptation of the book…I struggle. Very much good, lots of embellishment that might have been tolerable but for the icky elf/elf/_hurk_ dwarf love triangle which causes so much distraction as to make one go back and question the necessity of adding the whole Bolg & Radagast lines. Riddles in the Dark almost redeemed it all, however. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/139 "2018-01-09T19:17:07Z")
I think Syfy has done an excellent job with _The Expanse._ Holden doesn’t seem quite right, but otherwise, pretty faithful. Well aside from the physicality of the belters, but that is understandable. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760/140 "2018-01-09T20:08:14Z")
> [@B-Rad](#): > > Point taken. > > BTW, I _did_ like the hobbit movies in their own right, but as an adaptation of the book…I struggle. Very much good, lots of embellishment that might have been tolerable but for the icky elf/elf/_hurk_ dwarf love triangle which causes so much distraction as to make one go back and question the necessity of adding the whole Bolg & Radagast lines. Riddles in the Dark almost redeemed it all, however. I agree they weren’t as horrible as they are sometimes made out to be (though I also agree on the Elf-Dwarf love thing - gads). I do think they are unlikely to make a list of “best adaptations” alongside LoTR, though. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-movie-adaptation-of-a-beloved-book-ever-lived-up-to-your-expectations/805760.md?page=8)