Films Better Than Books

[Cast No Shadow]

I know that for a lot of people, it's pretty much law that the book is always better than the film.

I generally subscribe to this too, but there is one particular instance where I believe the film is better than the book.

Wait for it......

Harry Potter.

I know this will be shocking to a lot of people, but I genuinely dislike the Harry Potter books, and love the films.

I study English Lit as part of my degree at uni, so it's not like I'm not a book lover, and I can appreciate that the Harry Potter books are good, but I just dislike the way JK Rowling writes, it's not to my personal taste.

Are there any films for you, that surpass the book version?

 

[xfivebyfive]

The Lovely Bones. Its one of my favorite books but I think there are things that aren't done well in the book that the movie really does much better. The movie is amazing.

 

[Cast No Shadow]

The Lovely Bones. Its one of my favorite books but I think there are things that aren't done well in the book that the movie really does much better. The movie is amazing.

I started reading the book, but I was only 12 and I don't think I could really get my head around all the adult themes it was talking about, so I gave up on it.

I'd love to read it again, but what would you recommend doing first? Reading the book or watching the film?

 

[xfivebyfive]

I started reading the book, but I was only 12 and I don't think I could really get my head around all the adult themes it was talking about, so I gave up on it.

I'd love to read it again, but what would you recommend doing first? Reading the book or watching the film?

I would say read the book first and then watch the movie. I think its easier to compare the two that way. You can spot the differences in the movie and see if you like it better.

 

[Steven123]

Nothing off the top of my mind to be honest. Most of the books i read are Autobiographies so i can't really compare that to it's movie counter part lol.


I suppose one thing i could compare that's vice versa is that a lot of the fanfic i read that can be related to anything, a lot of them would have been good (or atleast good ideas) on the big screen.

But having read The Goblet Of Fire (Harry Potter) i found the movie better, but sometimes i think that a movie has to be along with a book, when you read a book, it's down to your imagination of how it's playing out, when there's a movie with it, that's more often than not how the author wanted you to see it.

 

[Dagenspear]

The Lovely Bones. Its one of my favorite books but I think there are things that aren't done well in the book that the movie really does much better. The movie is amazing.

I love that movie SO MUCH. It's really sad and uplifting and satisfying all at the same time.

 

[Appelsapientje]

I absolutely love the Lord of the Rings movies, and I've tried to read the books as well, but it just didn't work. After trying a few times, I got stuck at book 2. I still really want to read all the books, but it find it to be pretty hard. So I wouldn't say that the movies are better per se, but I just can't really concentrate while reading the books.

 

[white avenger]

From the point of action and excitement, the original James Bond movies written by Ian Fleming were superior, especially "Goldfinger" and beyond. Fleming's books, as good as they were, depicted an extremely capable British agent, but nothing like the superhuman killing machine/super stud that the movies depicted. The Bond in the books was a SECRET agent, which meant that he went in, accomplished his mission, and got back out with as little fanfare as possible. That's why the character is referred to as a SECRET agent. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the books, and still count them among my favorites, there is no way that Fleming or any other writer could have captured all of the action and excitement of the films.

 

[Spikefan31]

I know that for a lot of people, it's pretty much law that the book is always better than the film.

I generally subscribe to this too, but there is one particular instance where I believe the film is better than the book.

Wait for it......

Harry Potter.

I know this will be shocking to a lot of people, but I genuinely dislike the Harry Potter books, and love the films.

I study English Lit as part of my degree at uni, so it's not like I'm not a book lover, and I can appreciate that the Harry Potter books are good, but I just dislike the way JK Rowling writes, it's not to my personal taste.

Are there any films for you, that surpass the book version?

I totally agree with you! I love the plot of Harry Potter, but I dislike Rowling's style of writing. It's too childish for me. And that's perfectly okay, because it was written primarily for children. But my taste in writing style has matured since I read the first Harry Potter book. I like more in-depth description and stuff. And that's why I haven't been able to re-read the series. Not because I don't want to, because I really, really do, but because I've outgrown the language Rowling used. I mean, one sentence goes along the lines of "Ron told Draco he could go and do something that Ron would never say in front if Mrs Weasley." 😀

I just find the movies much easier to watch. Although, I am going to attempt to re-read the books seeing as I have so much free time these holidays. I've forgotten half of what happens in them.

---------- Post added at 06:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:04 AM ----------

I absolutely love the Lord of the Rings movies, and I've tried to read the books as well, but it just didn't work. After trying a few times, I got stuck at book 2. I still really want to read all the books, but it find it to be pretty hard. So I wouldn't say that the movies are better per se, but I just can't really concentrate while reading the books.

Don't worry. I didnt get past the first few pages. It was all too complex and the writing too sophisticated for me. Haha. 😀 I love the films, though.

 

[Lurconis]

Only one that springs to mind is stardust

 

[kittenpoker]

I'd have to say the Jason Bourne movies - especially the first one - surpassed (for me) the books.... Although the books definitely gave more details. I just found the movies more exciting.

 

[Nix]

I prefer Anne Rice's books to the films I have to say. I've tried reading HP but have not gotten along with them and have not seen the films either so I can't comment on those.

 

[JCoatsworth]

Well, as some of you may know after I've said it for the 100th time, my favorite movie is Jurassic Park.
Surprisingly many people don't know that the movie is based on a novel by Michael Crichton. Jurassic Park is also my favorite book, by the way.

I got asked a few times whether I would prefer the movie or the book. I don't know.
I dare to say that the movie would be even more awesome if they had kept some more scenes from the novel, but I won't ever dare to compare those two masterpieces, since they're made in such different styles.

Just wanted to say that.
I haven't read so many books that have been made into movies.
I'm also not a Harry Potter fan and I haven't seen all movies and I haven't read any of the books.

 

[sisterofmercy]

No, film adaptations never match up with my imagination. I adored the Harry Potter series but the films don't even compare imo, it was very diluted and the characterisation wasn't as good.

I did enjoy the newest Alice in Wonderland film but that wasn't really an adaptation of the book as it kind of meshed a couple of them together.

 

[svp]

I definitely preferred the movie versions of Atonement and Never Let me Go to the books, but other than that I almost always like the book better. Oh, and I completely agree with whoever said they prefer the LOTR movies to the books. There's just something about Tolkien's writing style I can't get into.

 

[Taake]

Hm films better than books, tricky... maybe "I know what you did last summer", but it was a while since I read that book, it's fairly short though and though it was entertaining I seem to remember thinking the movie was better 🙂

 

[November]

One of my favourite book series is Tomorrow when the War Began. I dont think the movie is better than the book, I think they are equally good. Of course there were plenty of parts in the books that wernt included in the movie, but I thought the movie was great!

 

[Username]

I watch a lot of movies but I don't read much, I don't see the point of it. If you read to learn something that's great but to read books just for fun, what's up with that?
oh we did read the first Harry Potter book in school, I hated it, but I like the movies!

 

[PassionBecoming]

I have never read or watch Harry Potter. Or Lord of the Rings. Just not my genre!

That said, I read a LOT, and if there is a movie based on the book I usually watch it, but I have yet to see a movie I liked better than the book. I'm into details and movies can never give you what the book does.

 

[Crazy Flakes]

Lord of the Rings. I maintain that the story is meant to be presented in a visual medium - the books are incredibly description-heavy and have to rely too much on expedition while the films can actually show the landscapes and action. I felt the same way about Paul Auster's City of Glass (though the visual medium in this case would be David Mazzuchelli's graphic novel).

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The film wasn't as blatantly misogynistic and I thought McMurphy was much more likable. Also, the performances were stellar and really added a lot to the narrative. The only thinking really lacking in the film was the complete lack of the Chief's perspective.

Fight Club. Maybe this is just because I'm not the biggest Palahniuk fan, but I didn't like the novel all that much. It had its good parts, but I didn't think it was exceptionally well-written or groundbreaking. I preferred the film's take on the material - it's sharper, wittier, and frankly more interesting.

Silence of the Lambs. The novel was good. The film was better.

The Shawshank Redemption, but it almost seems unfair to include this because the film expanded so much on the source material (which, for anyone who didn't know, was a short story by Stephen King).