# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/21 "2023-04-14T20:29:56Z")
The Godfather and Jaws are my standard answers to this question. I have not read the Book of Gump. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/22 "2023-04-14T21:10:16Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > 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. Agreed on both counts. I’m barely familiar with **JP**. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/23 "2023-04-14T21:12:30Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I have not read the Book of Gump. I read _both_ books, after seeing the movie. Which did a remarkable job of making sense from all that. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/24 "2023-04-14T21:14:56Z")
**The Bourne Identity** : the book was nearly incomprehensible to me. **Game of Thrones** : the series was well-paced, well-acted, etc. The books just droned on and on, and while the last season caught some deserved flak, overall it was very good. I agree with LOTR. It was masterfully done, even if nerds nitpick it to death. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/25 "2023-04-14T21:41:33Z")
The film of To Have and Have Not is far superior to the book. But then, Hemingway didn’t have Bogie and Bacall available for the book. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/26 "2023-04-14T21:43:53Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > 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. There are two tags you can use with spoilers: [spoiler] [/spoiler] gives you blurred out text. Can be used on the same line (unlike the quote tag). However, I like the [details=xxx] tag, which gives you a > **click this here** > > little one line thingy which allows you to hide a lot of text without using a lot of space (unlike the spoiler tag which only blurs text, not hiding it like this one does. In the above, I used [details=click this here] [/details]. It also can be used on the same line. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/27 "2023-04-14T23:24:10Z")
Who Framed Roger Rabbit ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/28 "2023-04-14T23:27:08Z")
My go-to’s are both stories by Stephen King, but Stand by Me exceeded The Body and Shawshank Redemption exceeded Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/29 "2023-04-14T23:29:03Z")
It’s been many years since I read the book or saw the movie, at the time my recollection is that the movie _Christine_ (the car one, by King) was better than the book, but in an odd way. I thought the book would have been greatly improved by some good edits, because much of it is long and boring. The movie, of course, edited the book down to just some of the more important and exciting sequences. However, the movie wasn’t really that great. What I think would have been best would have been a version of the book that mostly used prose from the book to tell just the story that was in the movie. I guess a novelization of a movie based on a book… ---
**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:** [April 14, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/30 "2023-04-14T23:29:24Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > “Bridges of Madison County”. It’s the book that taught me you don’t have to finish a book you hate. Ditto this. Terrible book! But a lovely, sensitive, romantic movie-- go figure. With Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood as the two main characters. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/31 "2023-04-14T23:33:21Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > …the movie _Christine_ (the car one, by King) was better than the book, but in an odd way. I thought the book would have been greatly improved by some good edits, because much of it is long and boring. Isn’t that the one King wrote so blasted on cocaine he doesn’t remember writing it? I can easily imagine long and boring parts that his addled brain thought were soooo important to the story. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/32 "2023-04-15T00:33:38Z")
> [@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. Agreed, I know the movie by heart so reading it I thought the dialogue in the film was sharper as well. I just wished they had added the scene where the six fingered man comes to Buttercup as a tween to check her beauty and falls of his horse. I get why they leave it out, for the story, but it’s a good bit. Also, when coming out of the Fire Swamp they should see the Revenge at port surrounded by Prince Humperdinks ships, I’m guessing the forrested knoll (“We are men of action, lies do not become us.” ) was all they could afford in filming. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/33 "2023-04-15T00:41:44Z")
[The 13th Warrior](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_13th_Warrior) is essentially **Eaters Of The Dead** by Michael Crichton minus the Gor-like rape fetishizing. I would say that is a step in the right direction. It’s a lot. It doesn’t make any sense. It would be like bondage porn coming up continuously in Jurassic Park. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/34 "2023-04-15T00:51:55Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > _Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas_ TV special is better than the book it is based on. The other kids books that I’ve seen mentioned in these threads are **Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs** and **How To Train Your Dragon**. I haven’t read either of them, but I guess they’re more conceptual than plot-heavy. ---
**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 15, 2023, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/35 "2023-04-15T00:56:08Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > The other kids books that I’ve seen mentioned in these threads are **Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs** and **How To Train Your Dragon**. I haven’t read either of them, but I guess they’re more conceptual than plot-heavy. I’ve never read Shrek, either, but that movie is almost certainly better than its source. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/36 "2023-04-15T01:48:11Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > > [@echoreply](#): > > > > …the movie _Christine_ (the car one, by King) was better than the book, but in an odd way. I thought the book would have been greatly improved by some good edits, because much of it is long and boring. > > Isn’t that the one King wrote so blasted on cocaine he doesn’t remember writing it? _[Cujo.](https://www.mamamia.com.au/stephen-king-books/)_ ---
**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 15, 2023, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/37 "2023-04-15T02:03:28Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Isn’t that the one King wrote so blasted on cocaine he doesn’t remember writing it? I can easily imagine long and boring parts that his addled brain thought were soooo important to the story. He directed Maximum Overdrive and I thought he has said he was blasted/wasted most of the time making that movie. ---
**Author:** ![the\_art\_of\_rolling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@the\_art\_of\_rolling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_art_of_rolling)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/38 "2023-04-15T07:51:33Z")
Three immediately come to mind, two geriatric, one merely bewhiskered The 39 steps (1935 version) Brighton Rock (1948) and L.A. Confidential. ---
**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 15, 2023, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/39 "2023-04-15T12:40:45Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > The film of To Have and Have Not is far superior to the book. But then, Hemingway didn’t have Bogie and Bacall available for the book. Supposedly Howard Hawks had a bet with Hemingway that he could make a great movie out of Hemingway’s worst book. I guess he won. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/40 "2023-04-15T14:30:25Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Isn’t that the one King wrote so blasted on cocaine he doesn’t remember writing it? That was _Cujo_, which ISN’T a candidate for this thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680.md?page=3)