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
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comments (showing 1-50 of 60) (60 new)
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.
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!
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).
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.
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.
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)
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. 
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.
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.
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!
I protest and am highly disgruntled over Romeo & Juliet and Anne of Green Gables being on this list.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
Cannot believe someone voted that the Watchmen movie was better than the graphic novel. I want some of the drugs they're on!!
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.
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
The Princess Bride?? That's my favorite book AND favorite movie, though I appreciate the book more because it goes more in depth and is just generally more intense. The only one I really agree 100% with is Stardust, but even on it's own it's not like it was a BAD book, in fact it was a VERY good book, it's just that the movie had a more exciting climax.
And Fight Club?? Sure, the movie is intense and amazing, but so is THE BOOK, and it has an ending that actually makes sense. We need a 'disagree' option.
I disagree so much with some of these. Especially with A Clockwork Orange, Fight Club, V for Vendetta...
I find it very rare to happen, but I have to admit I did enjoy Bella Mafia better as a movie than I did when I read it. But I must admit, this was one of the few times where I saw the movie before reading the book and I really don't like to do that because I find it can influence my imagination regarding what I get from the words rather than the screen.
Really? 281 people voted for The Princess Bride? Did they even read it? Did they misread the title of the list? The book is amazing. The movie is a decent book-to-movie translation, but it still can't touch the book. I'm just floored by that. I voted on both this list (I did find about three books on this entire list I agreed with) and the "The Book was BETTER than the Movie" list, but I would agree that there should be a way to vote against the books on the lists. This isn't the first list I've had that thought about either.
There should be a thumbs up or thumbs down for other users to vote for, like youtube, because a lot of these choices are ridiculous.
i think everyone should know the book is for the most part always better than the movie. especially harry potter. how could you even think the movie was better? and the twilight movie was insanely stupid. i love the book but the movie was terrible and anyone who thinks the movie is better obviously didn't read the book before hand or they suck at reading. i haven't read all of these books but i can tell you that nine times out of ten i like the book better than the movie. just sayin.
I doubt any of the people who voted for "The Lord of the Rings" have actually read the books. If they did they sure didn't pay attention. Even though the movies really are amazing, they still can't measure up.
Tiani wrote: "wow finally someone who agrees with me. Stephanie meyers books are fantastic. "
I agree with you also. I have read the first 3 books 3 times and the last one twice. I can't wait for Midnight Sun.
Meghan wrote: "i think everyone should know the book is for the most part always better than the movie. especially harry potter. how could you even think the movie was better? and the twilight movie was insanely ..."
I agree with you for the most part but there is that rare moment when a movie is better. 9 times out of 10. Read Mary Poppins and let me know if you think the movie or the book is better.
It depends which one you saw first, the book or the movie. Whichever one you saw first gives you expectations for the other, and usually those expectations are disappointed. the exception is when the book is exceptionally good that even if you did see the movie first the book is still better (example: Inkheart), or else not alot of effort was put into the movie and it was totally screwed up (example: Ella Enchanted). And sometimes it's the opposite: you may have read the book first and enjoyed it but the movie was just so amazing you have to like it better (example: Coraline)
well if you rely on seeing movies and then the book... oh wait i get what your saying. So if you see the movie and you think its great and then read the book.... took me awhile there. Have any of you read hunger games? i know i sorta changing the subject but i just love the book
i think its reaaaly rare that the movie touches the book - but some cases like godfather, bridges of madison county, emma - they came close... but i am really shocked to see so many brill books on this list. some of the movies liek gone with the wind were crap