Listopia


The Movie was BETTER than the Book
It may be like pulling teeth to get a reader to admit it, but sometimes the movie actually is better than the book.
Tags: book-to-film, film, movie, and movies

1
The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride
by William Goldman 243 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
2
The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada
by Lauren Weisberger 196 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
3
The Notebook
The Notebook
by Nicholas Sparks 178 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
4
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
by J.R.R. Tolkien 157 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
5
Fight Club: A Novel
Fight Club: A Novel
by Chuck Palahniuk 151 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
6
Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary
by Helen Fielding 138 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
7
Stardust
Stardust
by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads author) 130 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
8
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
by Winston Groom 124 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
9
The Shining
The Shining
by Stephen King 98 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
10
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring
by J.R.R. Tolkien 91 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
11
Chocolat
Chocolat
by Joanne Harris 72 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
12
The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs
by Thomas Harris 71 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
13
A Walk to Remember
A Walk to Remember
by Nicholas Sparks 66 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
14
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain
by Annie Proulx 65 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
15
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans
by James Fenimore Cooper 63 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
16
The Two Towers
The Two Towers
by J.R.R. Tolkien 64 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
17
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C.S. Lewis 61 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
18
The Godfather
The Godfather
by Mario Puzo 59 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
19
The Return of the King
The Return of the King
by J.R.R. Tolkien 60 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
20
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
by Ann Brashares 55 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
21
Big Fish
Big Fish
by Daniel Wallace 54 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
22
Twilight
Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer 53 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
23
Shawshank Redemption
Shawshank Redemption
by Stephen King 52 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
24
Interview With the Vampire
Interview With the Vampire
by Anne Rice 46 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
25
Atonement
Atonement
by Ian McEwan 45 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
26
About a Boy
About a Boy
by Nick Hornby 44 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
27
Into the Wild
Into the Wild
by Jon Krakauer 42 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
28
The Children of Men
The Children of Men
by P.D. James 42 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
29
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Identity
by Robert Ludlum 41 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
30
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
by Jeff Lindsay 40 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
31
High Fidelity
High Fidelity
by Nick Hornby 40 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
32
Jaws
Jaws
by Peter Benchley 38 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
33
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker 37 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
34
Howl's Moving Castle
Howl's Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones 36 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
35
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility
by Jane Austen 36 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
36
Girl, Interrupted
Girl, Interrupted
by Susanna Kaysen 35 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
37
Bridge to Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithia
by Katherine Paterson 33 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
38
Jumanji
Jumanji
by Chris Van Allsburg 33 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
39
The Painted Veil
The Painted Veil
by W. Somerset Maugham 31 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
40
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J.K. Rowling 31 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
41
Practical Magic
Practical Magic
by Alice Hoffman 30 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
42
The Hours
The Hours
by Michael Cunningham 29 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
43
Dracula
Dracula
by Bram Stoker 29 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
44
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
by L. Frank Baum 28 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
45
The Bridges of Madison County
The Bridges of Madison County
by Robert James Waller 26 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
46
The Prestige
The Prestige
by Christopher Priest 26 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
47
American Psycho
American Psycho
by Bret Easton Ellis 25 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
48
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen 25 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
49
The Cider House Rules
The Cider House Rules
by John Irving 25 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
50
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange
by Anthony Burgess 25 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
51
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
by Ken Kesey 25 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
52
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
by Philip K. Dick 22 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
53
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
by Roald Dahl 22 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
54
The Green Mile Book Box Set
The Green Mile Book Box Set
by Stephen King 22 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
55
Emma
Emma
by Jane Austen, Fiona J. Stafford (Editor) 21 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
56
Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers
by Robert A. Heinlein, James Warhola (illustrator) 21 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
57
Gone With The Wind
Gone With The Wind
by Margaret Mitchell 21 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
58
Tuck Everlasting
Tuck Everlasting
by Natalie Babbitt 20 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
59
The Firm
The Firm
by John Grisham 20 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
60
No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men
by Cormac McCarthy 20 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
61
V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta
by Alan Moore, David Lloyd 19 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
62
Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian
by C.S. Lewis 18 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
63
A Little Princess
A Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Nancy Bond (Foreword) 18 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
64
Casino Royale
Casino Royale
by Ian Fleming 18 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
65
Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain
by Charles Frazier 18 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
66
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe: A Novel
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe: ...
by Fannie Flagg 18 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
67
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by J.K. Rowling 17 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
68
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare 17 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
69
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery, Margaret Atwood (Introduction) 17 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
70
Everything Is Illuminated: A Novel
Everything Is Illuminated: A Novel
by Jonathan Safran Foer 16 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
71
I Am Legend
I Am Legend
by Richard Matheson 16 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
72
The Joy Luck Club
The Joy Luck Club
by Amy Tan 15 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
73
2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey
by Arthur C. Clarke 14 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
74
Little Women
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott 14 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
75
Schindler's List
Schindler's List
by Thomas Keneally 14 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
76
Sex and the City
Sex and the City
by Candace Bushnell 13 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
77
Misery
Misery
by Stephen King 13 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
78
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park
by Michael Crichton 13 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
79
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins
by Pamela L. Travers 12 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
80
Trainspotting
Trainspotting
by Irvine Welsh 12 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
81
Shoeless Joe
Shoeless Joe
by W.P. Kinsella 11 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
82
The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day
by Kazuo Ishiguro 11 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
83
Pay It Forward
Pay It Forward
by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Goodreads author) 10 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
84
Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park
by Jane Austen 10 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
85
What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal: A Novel
What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal: A N...
by Zoë Heller 10 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
86
The Namesake
The Namesake
by Jhumpa Lahiri 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
88
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
by Helen Fielding 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
89
In Her Shoes
In Her Shoes
by Jennifer Weiner (Goodreads author) 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
90
The English Patient
The English Patient
by Michael Ondaatje 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
91
Dolores Claiborne
Dolores Claiborne
by Stephen King 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
92
The Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn
by Peter S. Beagle 8 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
93
The Rules of Attraction
The Rules of Attraction
by Bret Easton Ellis 8 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
94
Carrie
Carrie
by Stephen King 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
95
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Talented Mr. Ripley
by Patricia Highsmith 8 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
96
The Motorcycle Diaries (Movie Tie-in Edition) : Notes on a Latin American Journey
The Motorcycle Diaries (Movie Tie-in Edition) :...
by Che Guevara 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
97
The Jane Austen Book Club: A Novel
The Jane Austen Book Club: A Novel
by Karen Joy Fowler 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
98
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by J.K. Rowling 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
99
The Princess Diaries
The Princess Diaries
by Meg Cabot 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
100
Wonder Boys
Wonder Boys
by Michael Chabon 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
List started by: JG (votes)
Lists are re-scored approximately every 500 seconds



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92 books
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348 books
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2465 books
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195 books
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648 books
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Virginia
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439 books
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More voters…


comments (showing 1-31 of 31) (31 new)

dateDown_arrow    newest »

message 1: by Mark (new)
07/29/2008 08:03AM

933307 The book is a very flat polemic about war with extremely dull characters. Thankfully the movie abandons all the self-serious pretension and replaces it with satire and manages to ask some interesting questions about the nature of war. The best parts of it play like Fox News and the DVD commentary where the director admits he never read the book because it depressed him.


message 2: by Andrea (new)
07/30/2008 08:39AM

1306175 We need a way to disagree, I don't feel some of these belong.


message 3: by Kelly (new)
07/30/2008 10:38AM

94602 Mansfield Park needs to be #1 on this list. That director achieved miracles! Miracles, I say, to make me care at all about Fanny Price!


message 4: by Debi (new)
08/28/2008 03:29PM

1377720 I would also advocate adding Mansfield Park. This is the weakest of Austen's books, but the film's screenplay digs deep into the historical framework of the period to hint at possible dark secrets that might have entered into the family's business dealings, as well as exploring the turbulent emotions of characters dealing with intense social mores. A riveting film made of a rather dull book (and I'm a huge fan of the other Austen books).


message 5: by deleted member (new)
09/06/2008 12:47PM

Some of these books are considered masterpieces. Why are they here? I agree with Andrea, we need a way to disagree. This is just ridiculous.


message 6: by Allison (new)
09/16/2008 06:41PM

1534859 Ok, whoever said that The World According to Garp's movie was better than the book is clearly an idiot.

I'm serious, if you thought the movie was better, it was because you get confused easily. And you are a moron.


message 7: by Ubik (new)
10/03/2008 02:38PM

1569308 I cant believe Dune is on here! I for one lOVED the film (most people dont), but the book is still amazingly better (even if I havent read the whole thing yet)


message 8: by Kate (new)
10/21/2008 08:06PM

985817 Please add The Princess Diaries. The movie was charming, the book bitter and depressing.


message 9: by Christopher (new)
11/02/2008 05:47AM

Nophoto-m-25x33 I have to say, I'm really disappointed in this list. There are a very few exceptions to the rule "The Book is Always Better than the Movie" and I was only able to find 5 books on this list of 165 choices that I agreed with.




message 10: by Antoine (new)
11/05/2008 05:35PM

795030 Movies are as different from the books they are based on as a song or a painting based on a book would be. What we are talking about is not a comparison of apples and apples. But, when talking about unlike things, we can still make comparisons of a kind: was the movie (as a movie, by movie standards, compared to other movies), more enjoyable than the book (as a book, by book standards compared to other books). And since the choices are inevitably subjective, and the principle democratic, the only "wrong" books on this list would be ones that have not, in fact, been made into movies.


message 11: by Muzzlehatch (new)
11/10/2008 06:49PM

749155 Some amazing choices here -- Prince Caspian? City of Ember? Two of the worst films I've seen this year, both completely undermining and ruining everything about the novels that made them good. Well, I guess we're all looking for something different....not too many examples that I actually agree with here, it's awfully rare that a film, especially a mainstream, modern big-budget Hollywood film, can approach the complexity or depth of even the average decent novel.


message 12: by Christa (new)
12/11/2008 11:44AM

877943 I can not figure out why you would think the movie for Gone With The Wind was better then the book. There's just no way that it was!


message 13: by Summer (new)
12/17/2008 07:31PM

227351 I protest and am highly disgruntled over Romeo & Juliet and Anne of Green Gables being on this list.


message 14: by Patricia (new)
12/27/2008 11:21AM

664515 Most of the time I see movies adapted from books as a cliff notes version for people who don't really like to read. On rare occasions the movie manages to capture everything the book gives, but most of the time due to time constraints and the way film works there is just no way to include everything. In my world, on even rarer occasions, the movie manages to be better than the book. I agree with four of this list's choices. I wonder if the people who have propelled "The Princess Bride" to the top of this list have actually read the book? It provides the equivalent of a whole DVD extra with of back story on all the main characters. And has the person who made this list actually read all these books? Are they a movie person in Hollywood? What gives? That being said, I like the idea of this list, if not the majority of the content.


message 15: by Alice (new)
01/07/2009 08:07AM

1869622 I can't believe tha Mansfield Park is in the list! I know that people may not think the same I do , but I really hated the movie ...it was like it destroy the book! I think the same oh Twilight , I mean , the book was so much better than the movie ! It's not just my opinion , ask and a lot of people will say the same .And with Dracula and Harry Potter 5 ... I think the movie was nice , but I definitly prefer the book.
There are some books about the movies that I didn't even know they exist.Like V of vendetta , Chocolat , Forrest Gump and Devil wears Prada , so then about those I can't say anithing , because don't know them.


message 16: by DeeLoren (new)
02/16/2009 06:31AM

2004309 Too funny. As if huh?!


message 17: by Angie (new)
03/06/2009 11:31PM

976531 These lists are all really silly, but I think this may be the silliest one :)


message 18: by Holly (new)
03/20/2009 12:43PM

2144477 Cold Mountain - the book was awesome! One of the best I have ever read. The movie couldn't TOUCH it! Not that the movie was bad, it was just a very long and detailed book - no way to convey all that in a movie.


message 19: by I (new)
04/05/2009 09:35PM

1569504 The Last of the Mohicans!?! Whaaaaaat? Seriously, did you actually read the book? CAN you read?

In my opinion, the movie should not even be graced with the title of the book.


message 20: by claire (last edited 04/09/2009 12:27AM) (new)
04/09/2009 12:26AM

16677 This list is certainly ridiculous. I had to stretch to find six. And the Princess Bride at the top? I doubt most of these voters have read the book. It's clever and charming and utterly different from the movie, and it's certainly wonderful in its own right.


message 21: by Bethanne (new)
04/19/2009 09:58AM

649746 To Kill A Mockingbird? Blasphemy!!!


message 22: by arianna (new)
04/24/2009 10:49AM

1461115 Andrea wrote: "We need a way to disagree, I don't feel some of these belong."

there's a list called the book was better than the movie...


message 23: by arianna (new)
04/24/2009 10:53AM

1461115 Patricia wrote: "Most of the time I see movies adapted from books as a cliff notes version for people who don't really like to read. On rare occasions the movie manages to capture everything the book gives, but mo..."

actually anyone who visits the list can add things to it, and the reason we're here on this site is because we like to read so assuming that someone didn't read the book and made that judgement is unfair.


message 24: by arianna (new)
04/24/2009 10:55AM

1461115 Angie wrote: "These lists are all really silly, but I think this may be the silliest one :)"

clearly you've never been to the worst books of all time list, i suggest you avoid it at all costs.


message 25: by Debbie (new)
05/04/2009 05:46PM

377085 I would add Under the Tuscan Sun, one of the few books I have ever abandoned. I simply could not get through it, but the movie was delightful.

I love the movie versions of both The Princess Bride and A Room with a View, but I would not say they are BETTER than the books.


message 26: by Chelsea (new)
05/19/2009 01:31PM

2316585 Cannot believe someone voted that the Watchmen movie was better than the graphic novel. I want some of the drugs they're on!!


message 27: by Carolyn (last edited 05/20/2009 03:45PM) (new)
05/20/2009 03:44PM

Nophoto-f-25x33 I did not see "Awakenings" by Oliver Sacks on here. I like Sacks, but the movie was so much more inspiring - the music and the happy Leonard during his remission make it much more enjoyable.

I'd most definitely agree also with "A Beautiful Mind", which comes off much more of a love story in the movie and Nash really comes off in the book as he probably truly was - just a jerk.


message 28: by Emily (new)
06/21/2009 05:45PM

1417378 What about Cold Comfort farm???


message 29: by Payton (new)
06/24/2009 03:31PM

2355045 Interview With The Vampire? The book was way better!


message 30: by Mário (new)
06/27/2009 10:35AM

Nophoto-u-25x33 Is this a joke? This must be a joke, otherwise is just sad. Lord of the rings?! that piece of crap movie is better than the books? Because the films really get all the tiny details in plot, and the characters in the movie are so much developed. I am mean "I am Legend", have you read the book? The plot of the movie is a disaster. I really don't like the Harry Potter books and still think the movies are way worse. Whoever wrote this list doesn't get the meaning of the books listed... ridiculous to say the least


message 31: by Kat (new)
06/29/2009 03:04PM

2195472 Besides the Jane Austin books being on here, this list fails life!


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