# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/41 "2023-04-15T15:11:39Z")
Already mentioned by other posters, but I’ll also throw my hat into the _Lord of the Rings_ … uh, ring. The books are some of the tentpoles upon which the fantasy genre and, in a meta sense, modern English-language literature, are hung. They’re also dense AF, self-indulgent, and a bit Biblical in tone. The movies are three masterpieces of cinema. ---
**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 15, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/42 "2023-04-15T15:19:50Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Stand by Me exceeded The Body Absolutely. I’m a real fan of “The Body”, as King does his usual great job of describing how preteen kids think and act. As soon as I saw that Rob Reiner was directing it, I knew it was going to be good. And then it turned out to be outstanding. ---
**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 15, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/43 "2023-04-15T17:16:24Z")
> [@the\_art\_of\_rolling](#): > > Three immediately come to mind, two geriatric, one merely bewhiskered > The 39 steps (1935 version) Brighton Rock (1948) and L.A. Confidential. I’ve only read the book for _L.A. Confidential_, and I agree whole-heartedly. But _The 39 Steps_ (the Robert Donat version) and _Brighton Rock_ are two of my fav movies, so I’m willing to agree there, too. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/44 "2023-04-15T18:41:36Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > 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 Right Stuff_ is also excellent as a book and movie. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2023, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/45 "2023-04-16T03:22:06Z")
Having just finished reading the two original Winnie the Pooh books, I would say that Disney’s original adaptation is superior. Also, I am Legend, Mary Poppins, and Wizard of Oz ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2023, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/46 "2023-04-16T13:32:30Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > Having just finished reading the two original Winnie the Pooh books, I would say that Disney’s original adaptation is superior. Do you have a reason? It’s been a little while since I’ve read the books _or_ seen the Disney adaptations, but I remember really liking Milne’s writing. I thought Disney did a fine job of adapting them, but I can’t think of any improvements that weren’t a function of translating them to a new medium. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2023, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/47 "2023-04-16T13:49:29Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’ve never read Shrek, either, but that movie is almost certainly better than its source. The book is super goddamned weird. The author, William Steig, wrote a few different kids books with zero redeeming characters, just a phantasmagoria of weird unsettling shit. I don’t know that I _enjoyed_ them, but they’re really compelling in a way that the movie _Shrek_ isn’t. > [@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. Like _Shrek_, the movie of _Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs_ took a very weird premise and changed it into a fairly paint-by-numbers animated flick. I’m not much of a fan. My contribution is so universally acknowledged that I almost shouldn’t say it, but I will anyway. _Starship Troopers_ is far from a perfect movie, but it’s so much better than the absolute dreck of the book. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/48 "2023-04-16T15:18:54Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > Also, I am Legend, I have to disagree with this one. IMHO they have yet to do I AM LEGEND justice on screen. Especially that horrible Will Smith movie. ---
**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 17, 2023, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/49 "2023-04-17T01:48:34Z")
> [@Galactus](#): > > I have to disagree with this one. IMHO they have yet to do I AM LEGEND justice on screen. Especially that horrible Will Smith movie. Then buckle up, he’s making a sequel. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/50 "2023-04-17T03:27:12Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > a sequel No shit? Please be kidding me. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/51 "2023-04-17T03:59:49Z")
> [@Galactus](#): > > IMHO they have yet to do I AM LEGEND justice on screen. Especially that horrible Will Smith movie. I haven’t read the book, but I have watched the little-known 36-minute Spanish-made adaptation. It played a lot like an episode of “The Outer Limits.” Although it doesn’t have any Woodstock footage in it, on the plus side, it also lacks Will Smith. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0149027/?ref\_=hm\_rvi\_tt\_i\_1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0149027/?ref_=hm_rvi_tt_i_1) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/52 "2023-04-17T04:25:19Z")
Unless it ends in the _Friends_ fountain, I”m not interested. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/53 "2023-04-17T08:02:15Z")
> [@Galactus](#): > > > [@tofor](#): > > > > Also, I am Legend, > > I have to disagree with this one. IMHO they have yet to do I AM LEGEND justice on screen. Especially that horrible Will Smith movie. I can’t understand making a movie form a book with a famous premise and just abandoning the premise. The Vincent Price version was extremely low budget but not bad. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/54 "2023-04-17T08:22:51Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I’ve only read the book for _L.A. Confidential_, and I agree whole-heartedly. Ellroy cannot write. I don’t understand how he got published, much less popular. The man cannot write. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/55 "2023-04-17T10:00:06Z")
Disney’s _I Am Legend_? ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/56 "2023-04-17T11:22:56Z")
To be fair, this was a long time ago, so my older self might come to a different conclusion. Also, I saw the Will Smith movie first, and as I recall it was a basic post-apocalyptic action movie. Then I was reading the book and halfway through the story shifted from the first-person experiences of the protagonist to a seemingly unrelated plotline. I thought it was just thread that would all be tied together eventually. After a chapter or two I realized the book had a second unrelated story in it, and when I finished I am Legend and started the next story _I didn’t notice_ because there was very little in the formatting to show that it was a new book. Anyway, whatever value there may be in that story, I did not see it at the time. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/57 "2023-04-17T11:38:25Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Do you have a reason? It’s been a little while since I’ve read the books _or_ seen the Disney adaptations, but I remember really liking Milne’s writing. I thought Disney did a fine job of adapting them, but I can’t think of any improvements that weren’t a function of translating them to a new medium. The whole introduction about the name and visiting the bear in the zoo is weird. Then he’s called Edward Bear out of nowhere, so that’s confusing. Then occasionally Christopher Robin interjects into the story, “And what did I do?” which is sweet but also jarring because there’s no indication that we’re leaving the story itself, not even in the formatting. The stories themselves just feel a little unfinished as though he really did write down the first draft he came up with telling the story by the fire at night. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good. I always cry reading the final chapter when Christopher Robin is going off to school. But I think the original Disney movies (not all the drek they made later) with Pooh in the honey tree and the big flood and all took some pretty good source material and made magic. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/58 "2023-04-17T11:46:32Z")
I don’t accept the adage, “Moves are never as good as the book.” I think a number of variables come into play in making that determination such as, for example, the nature of the book, and the editing that goes into truncating the book into movie form without losing its essence. I have come to really like Limited Series because they give more time for development and detail. When a limited series is release all at once, it gives the viewer the option of watching it slowly or in a binge. ---
**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 17, 2023, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680/59 "2023-04-17T12:43:14Z")
> [@Galactus](#): > > No shit? Please be kidding me. Yes, and incredibly, it will assume the alternative ending to the first movie is the real ending. When the movie was released, they threw the originally intended ending on the DVD and almost everyone thought it was superior. So now, that is the official ending and is where the sequel launches from. Strange, but true. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-better-than-book/982680.md?page=2)