# Movies better than book? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [April 14, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680 "2023-04-14T17:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/1 "2023-04-14T17:33:16Z")
I searched but didn’t see any previous topic here (surprised), so here goes. I recently finished reading “farewell my lovely” by Raymond Chandler and why the books ending is right, I started remembering the movie. I think their expanding the Mallow shooting was more dramatic, more leadup to scene, and in keeping with leitmotif of book. Not better per se but more enjoyable. What thoughts? Other books improved by movie? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/2 "2023-04-14T17:44:27Z")
I think we just had one of these, but 3 easy ones: The Godfather Gump Jaws ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/3 "2023-04-14T17:48:00Z")
I think “The Expanse” tv series was better than the books. The drama was better. The characters were more fleshed out than the book and production design did a lot better job of fleshing out and giving depth to the setting than the books. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/4 "2023-04-14T17:55:32Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > I searched but didn’t see any previous topic here (surprised), > [@Adaptations Where the Source Material is Ignored....for the Better](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adaptations-where-the-source-material-is-ignored-for-the-better/981097/): > > When written works (novels, comics, etc.,) are adapted to the motion picture there are fans of the original that invariably complain of changes. When Jaws was adapted from the novel to the big screen, they removed the affair between Matt Hooper and Ellen Brody as well as the subplot with the mafia and the mayor. I don’t think these plot elements were necessary and the movie is better off for them being dropped. But these were minor changes, and the story is basically the same even with the ch… > [@Any Movies that were BETTER than the book?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-movies-that-were-better-than-the-book/454394/): > > Back when I was little, after Jurassic Park came out back in the day, I dove into a bunch of Micheal Chrichton books. One of which was [Congo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_(film)) . I LOVED this book, and when I later heard it was going to be a movie, I was super excited to see it. Even at 13 years old, I could tell that movie was horrible, and I swore I’d never see another movie after I had read the book. Fast foward to 2003, I was at Border’s and saw [The Da Vinci Code](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Da_Vinci_Code) on prominent display and gave it a chance. I was hooked and… ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/5 "2023-04-14T18:09:37Z")
my bad, guess my search criterion wasn’t right ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/6 "2023-04-14T18:12:38Z")
**Modhat on** : It is fine, this is innocuous and we can start a fresh one. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/7 "2023-04-14T18:18:47Z")
Going back a bit, I think _Mildred Pierce_ is a better movie than the book. In the book, there’s no murder and Veda just runs off with Monty Berrigan. Shocking, I guess, in the Forties, but not much more than a _Doctor Phil Show_ these days. PS. How do the spoiler tabs work again? I couldn’t spoiler the above reveal, so I’m just relying on the age of the book/movie as an excuse not to spoiler hide. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/8 "2023-04-14T18:29:42Z")
“The Last of the Mohicans”. I remember going to our local Borders to buy a copy of the book after having seen the movie a couple of times. The girl at the register said something like “Oh my god that’s the worst book I’ve ever read in my entire life.” I should have listened to her. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/9 "2023-04-14T18:34:03Z")
Sadly James Fenimore Cooper had even worse books. The Water-Witch comes to mind. I don’t believe that one got a movie though. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/10 "2023-04-14T18:36:28Z")
I haven’t read them but I suspect that Stanley Kubrick raised the bar a bit on The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, and Red Alert (Dr. Strangelove). > [@Shoeless](#): > > “The Last of the Mohicans”. [https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/projects/rissetto/offense.html](https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/projects/rissetto/offense.html) ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/11 "2023-04-14T18:41:25Z")
“Bridges of Madison County”. It’s the book that taught me you don’t have to finish a book you hate. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/12 "2023-04-14T18:43:56Z")
I read the _Shining_, it is different and probably better. But Kubrik took a lot of liberties. To me they’re just barely related. I really like **Hunt for Red October** but the I like the movie even more. So excellent book making a better movie. **Jurassic Park** was a very readable book that was improved to a Great Movie. I did read the book first before someone asks. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/13 "2023-04-14T18:45:22Z")
_Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas_ TV special is better than the book it is based on. And I would add the 1939 film _The Wizard of Oz_ as well. Though I would say in both cases the books were both very good the movie adaptions were just better IMHO ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/14 "2023-04-14T18:48:07Z")
I love the **Princess Bride book** , but I do think the movie(same author) really was the best medium for that story. The cast and director really nailed it. I have always heard that **Silence of the Lambs** is better than its book. Jurassic Park is up there with Jaws in terms of “I don’t even think the book is very good at all”…but the movie is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Remember\_me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/82dd89/32.png) [@Remember\_me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Remember_me)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/15 "2023-04-14T19:10:25Z")
Probably a controversial opinion: To me, the Lord of the rings movies are better than the books. Denser storytelling, less obscure poetry and to leave out Tom Bombadil was good choice. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/16 "2023-04-14T19:18:48Z")
The Books fans almost always prefer the books, I’m one. My kids prefer the movies and in fact my daughter never completed the Lord of the Rings, though my son did. I get it though. Great movies. To me it is between LotR and To Kill a Mockingbird for best choice of where both Book and Movies are damn near perfect. The **Hobbit** however remains far better than those movies. It is not even close. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/17 "2023-04-14T19:24:53Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I love the **Princess Bride book** , but I do think the movie(same author) really was the best medium for that story. The cast and director really nailed it. William Goldman adapted his own book for the screen (same with **Marathon Man** and a couple other of his own books), he adapted **All the President’s Men** , and he wrote the original screenplay for **Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid**. If you’re at all interested in screenwriting (even, like me, as an observer), his books **Adventures in the Screen Trade** and **Which Lie Did I Tell?** are fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/18 "2023-04-14T19:33:22Z")
I’m not sure if this should even count, since the film bears precisely zero resemblance to the original novel, but I nominate _The Spy Who Loved Me_. Fleming’s novel is written from the perspective of a female French Canadian character called Vivienne Michel, with a structure in 3 parts consisting of a biography of her early life, how a couple of thugs turn up at the motel she is housesitting during the off season, and the appearance of a certain James Bond, who deals with said thugs. It is fairly dreary. The film features Roger Moore at his eyebrow-raising peak, an epic ski-off-a-cliff-with-a-parachute stunt, a Lotus that turns into a submarine and a 7 foot tall henchman with metal teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/19 "2023-04-14T19:37:17Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I haven’t read them but I suspect that Stanley Kubrick raised the bar a bit on The Shining, **A Clockwork Orange** , and Red Alert (Dr. Strangelove). (bolding mine) _A Clockwork Orange_ is an extraordinary book – it forces the reader to learn a completely alien English dialect and slang on the fly and builds genuine empathy for an initially loathsome narrator. Kubrick’s movie is awesome in its own right. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > I have always heard that **Silence of the Lambs** is better than its book. You heard wrong. It’s a great movie, no question, but _Silence_ and its predecessor _Red Dragon_ are two of the best horror/thrillers I’ve ever read. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/20 "2023-04-14T19:58:50Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > “Bridges of Madison County”. It’s the book that taught me you don’t have to finish a book you hate. LOL, me, _too._ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680.md?page=2)