# movie better than book? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005 "2020-05-17T23:09:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/102 "2020-05-21T19:20:27Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I liked the movie _The Mouse that Roared_ better than the book. I think that it’s due to Peter Sellers. > I thought the movie _Dune_ was better than the book because it was easier to understand what was going on. I enjoyed David Lynch’s Dune more than the book as well. The additions were interesting and appropriate, from the Mentat’s recitation before drinking the Juice of Sapho, to Baron Harkonnen’s awful skin disease. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/103 "2020-05-21T19:50:03Z")
The kickass sf thriller _Limitless_ is much different from, and IMHO quite a bit better than, the book which inspired it, Alan Glynn’s _The Dark Fields._ Likewise the excellent Boer War adventure and court-martial drama _Breaker Morant_, adapted from a book and play. > [@dalej42](#): > > The Hunt for Red October. The book is very good but the film is better, omitting a couple of subplots. > > It’s too bad The Sum of All Fears was such an awful film, the book is beyond bloated. The movie changed too many things Agreed. I think the movie of _Patriot Games_ is also much better than the book. > [@Dropo](#): > > …_Casino Royale_ – The 1967 movie is both better and worse than Fleming’s novel. And the 2006 film is better than both. ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/104 "2020-05-21T20:08:21Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The Lord of the Rings trilogy > > There, I said it. Well, true if you have a short attention span and no desire to make the effort to at least read the invented languages. The trilogy does not exactly lend itself to dramatization and the result is simply different. Unfortunately, films tend to trivialize, and my feeling is the LOTR is inherently prone to that. I suppose that it wold not have been possible to have made a decent LOTR more than a few years earlier, given that it requires a large amount of good CGI, but to the more jaundiced you could say that it looked far too much like many another fantasy film and it was being copied before it even came out. In other words, a bad case of deja vu. You could say the same about _Dune_, although frankly the film was weird, but then it described a very weird world. Dune is of course full of rather pseudo-Arabic language and references, which the film left out, but I saw the opposite treatment in a made for TV mini-series that covered just the first book in much more detail. After a time, I felt that it was excruciating detail. ---
**Author:** ![Snake\_Plissken\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Snake\_Plissken\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snake_Plissken_1)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/105 "2020-05-21T20:10:43Z")
Elmore Leonard’s ‘Rum Punch’ and Tarantino’s ‘Jackie Brown’. Both sensational. ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/106 "2020-05-21T20:15:52Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I thought the movie _Dune_ was better than the book because it was easier to understand what was going on. The movie took (the better) bits from two books and cut the plot down to a simple defeat and revenge story, while using great visuals. The books are lengthy, and probably too verbose for most tastes. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/107 "2020-05-21T20:16:52Z")
> [@Brayne\_Ded](#): > > Well, true if you have a short attention span and no desire to make the effort to at least read the invented languages. I once read an author (S.M. Stirling perhaps) who said that an author working in a fantasy, science fiction, or alternative history setting should develop all of the details about how his world works - and then put them away in a drawer and write the story. ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/108 "2020-05-21T20:25:47Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And as a kid, I read lots on my own. I tried to read one classic novel in unabridged form. I think it was Robinson Crusoe, but the unabridged version was so long and so dull. We also had to read some Dickens novels in school and it seemed obvious that he was being paid by the word. (Much of his stuff was serialized and he was paid by the word.) Authors from the 18C, such as Defoe, tend to be very verbose. I think most of us have only read RC in abridged editions, and no wonder. As for Dickens, many of the 19C authors were paid by the word, and were also expected to crank out x pages for next week for whichever literary magazine was publishing them. This applies to authors such as Trollope, Bennett and Hardy as well, plus there are doubtless many more. Too bad if they wanted to rewrite anything. ---
**Author:** ![jbaker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/59ef9b/32.png) [@jbaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbaker)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/109 "2020-05-21T20:33:18Z")
I think The Princess Bride is often cited as an example where the movie is better than the book. Goldman was already a successful screenwriter when he wrote the novel, and when he wrote the screenplay he was able to improve upon his earlier work. But I like the novel a lot too. For a more recent example, I would point to Crazy Rich Asians. The characters and the plot are really deepened and enriched in the movie. In particular, the character played by Michelle Yeoh is much more complex, sympathetic, and interesting than in the book, but that is far from the only improvement. When a movie based on a short story, comparing the two is probably not going to be a good comparison. The movie just has to do so much more to flesh out its story. If you think that the movie version of The Lord of the Rings is better than the book, perhaps reading isn’t for you. (I refer to it as one book, because that’s what Tolkien had in mind, although it was published as a trilogy.) LOTR is one of the great books of the 20th century. Its influence is enormous. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/110 "2020-05-21T22:07:11Z")
> [@jbaker](#): > > … > > If you think that the movie version of The Lord of the Rings is better than the book, perhaps reading isn’t for you. (I refer to it as one book, because that’s what Tolkien had in mind, although it was published as a trilogy.) LOTR is one of the great books of the 20th century. Its influence is enormous. True, but the film is also fantastic. Mind you, I think the book is better, but when they are both A++, the edge can be counted as personal preference. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/111 "2020-05-21T22:56:25Z")
> [@jbaker](#): > > If you think that the movie version of The Lord of the Rings is better than the book, perhaps reading isn’t for you. (I refer to it as one book, because that’s what Tolkien had in mind, although it was published as a trilogy.) LOTR is one of the great books of the 20th century. Its influence is enormous. But you must admit that _Troy_ is a lot more exciting than that dull old _Iliad_, and _Man of La Mancha_ improves enormously on _Don Quixote._🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/112 "2020-05-21T23:17:39Z")
> [@jbaker](#): > > If you think that the movie version of The Lord of the Rings is better than the book, perhaps reading isn’t for you. (I refer to it as one book, because that’s what Tolkien had in mind, although it was published as a trilogy.) LOTR is one of the great books of the 20th century. Its influence is enormous. I preferred the movie version of The Lord of the Rings over the books. And I have \*\*read \*\*the books. Or attempted to read them I should say. I don’t doubt they are great or that they have had great literary influence. The books really aren’t an easy read so it’s not hard to see why people would prefer the movies to them. I think the books were written on level above all but the most serious readers could enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/113 "2020-05-22T00:54:39Z")
See, this is why trying to engage Ringheads is a waste of time. If you don’t absolute _adore_ their Precious as much as they do, you are immediately called names and insulted as to your intelligence, attention span and general reading ability. For the record: I hold 4 Secondary Teaching Credentials, _including_ one in English. I also have GATE and CLEP certifications and 33 years experience teaching at the high school level. So any random schmo out there who thinks I don’t have either the attention span, brains or anything else it would take to read LotR can stuff it. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/114 "2020-05-22T00:56:50Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > See, this is why trying to engage Ringheads is a waste of time. If you don’t absolute _adore_ their Precious as much as they do, you are immediately called names and insulted as to your intelligence, attention span and general reading ability. > > For the record: I hold 4 Secondary Teaching Credentials, _including_ one in English. I also have GATE and CLEP certifications and 33 years experience teaching at the high school level. So any random schmo out there who thinks I don’t have either the attention span, brains or anything else it would take to read LotR can stuff it. I still liked the books and found the movies boring. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/115 "2020-05-22T01:03:26Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I still liked the books and found the movies boring. And I respect your opinion. It is one shared by a large number of people. Just not me. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jbaker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/59ef9b/32.png) [@jbaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbaker)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/116 "2020-05-22T01:24:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > See, this is why trying to engage Ringheads is a waste of time. If you don’t absolute _adore_ their Precious as much as they do, you are immediately called names and insulted as to your intelligence, attention span and general reading ability. > > For the record: I hold 4 Secondary Teaching Credentials, _including_ one in English. I also have GATE and CLEP certifications and 33 years experience teaching at the high school level. So any random schmo out there who thinks I don’t have either the attention span, brains or anything else it would take to read LotR can stuff it. Sorry, silenus, I couldn’t resist the cheap shot. Obviously LOTR, like most classics, appeals to some but not others, and there are some very literate people who don’t care for it. In terms of comparing the book to the movies, though, I think they’re like the movie adaptation of Moby-Dick: The movies are excellent, and the source book is one that many people find boring, just as I find Moby-Dick boring. But I have to admit that the book is a classic with enormous richness and that many people have found deeply satisfying, and that it’s unlikely that the movie adaptation has the same stature. I would argue that LOTR is similar. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/117 "2020-05-22T03:37:45Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > I read **As You Wish** by Cary Elwes a few months ago. His first-person story of what it was like to make the film. (No spoiler here) It’s a really good little book. Fun to read. I read _ **As You Wish** _ last year and really enjoyed it; on seeing how much Cary Elwes liked the Goodman novel, decided that it was worth looking at. I didn’t expect to be as disappointed as I was. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > I agree. I read this a couple of months ago, too. > > I wish Elwes had gotten a few better roles. He was good as Dudley in the virtually unknown _Lady Jane Grey_, and he was the perfect tool for sending up Robin Hood in Mel Brook’s film, but everything else he was in – not his performance – was second-rate. Yes, he strikes me as a case of sadly underutilized talent. I’ve heard that he’s good in _Glory_, but it wasn’t that big a role. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/118 "2020-05-22T03:47:40Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > No way! The movie was fabulous, but the book was even better. I’ve read/seen both many, many times. You actually enjoyed the Lucy Mancini subplot? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/119 "2020-05-22T03:49:03Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > You actually enjoyed the Lucy Mancini subplot? I did. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/121 "2020-05-22T18:57:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > See, this is why trying to engage Ringheads is a waste of time. If you don’t absolute _adore_ their Precious as much as they do, you are immediately called names and insulted as to your intelligence, attention span and general reading ability. Oh come now. You started out by saying “There I said it,” indicating that you were fishing for that kind of response. And you never actually engaged, you just kept goading and goading by repeatedly saying they were boring without adding anything of value to your response. And you weren’t “immediately called names,” it took almost 100 posts and five days before someone really did that. > [@](#): > > For the record: I hold 4 Secondary Teaching Credentials, _including_ one in English. I also have GATE and CLEP certifications and 33 years experience teaching at the high school level. So any random schmo out there who thinks I don’t have either the attention span, brains or anything else it would take to read LotR can stuff it. As a teacher, I’m surprise that you’ve done what you’ve done here: denigrate a work merely because you personally find it boring. How much sympathy do you have for students who insist something is “bad” just because they find it boring?:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005/122 "2020-05-22T19:01:49Z")
Where did I ever say the books were “bad?” Please quote me, because I don’t recall ever posting that. I said I found the movies _to be better than the books_. You are the one that immediately jumped to the conclusion that I thought the books were “bad.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-better-than-book/854005.md?page=7)