Six Films Better Than the Books They’re Based On
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I'm going to keep adding:
Stalker by TarkovskyAnd I will say that every work of Tarkovsky that is based on literature with the expiation of Solaris (it's my personal take). I believe that if Tarkovsky had a better budget Solaris would be the best sci fi film of all times. Some production of that film distracts me from the geniality of Tarkovsky.
Stalker has been on my watch list for ages, must find time for this
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We asked The Atlantic’s writers and editors: What’s a film adaptation that’s better than the book?
The article explains why they consider the movies Jurassic Park, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Devil Wears Prada, The Social Network, and Clear and Present Danger each to be better than their source material.
How is Lord of the rings not on this list?
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Ehh I liked the book more.
Book is emensely better. I read it every other year or so. Fucking great book. An okish movie.
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How is Lord of the rings not on this list?
wrote last edited by [email protected]The Peter Jackson films weren't an attempt at a 1:1 recreation of what Tolkien was trying to do with his book trilogy. You could argue that the films are a better representation of the core story, but the books are iconic for a lot more than their core story and that makes this kind of direct comparison more challenging.
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Ehh I liked the book more.
If the movie had power armor it would have been no contest but as it is it's just a monument to Verhoeven being too lazy to read a two hundred page book because there weren't enough Jesus metaphors for his taste.
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We asked The Atlantic’s writers and editors: What’s a film adaptation that’s better than the book?
The article explains why they consider the movies Jurassic Park, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Devil Wears Prada, The Social Network, and Clear and Present Danger each to be better than their source material.
I prefer Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' to the original short story it was based on, 'It Had to Be Murder'. Not that the latter is bad, I just think some of the things the film is able to do like the slower pacing and neighbourhood ambience helps us experience the world from Jeff's (Hal's) perspective and that goes a long way to building suspense later in the film. You feel like you're trapped in there alongside him in the film, whereas the book is recounted in past-tense so it's a lesser secondhand feeling of suspense.
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While not a book, The Boys tv show is vastly better than the original comics it’s based on.
wrote last edited by [email protected]In fact I think you'd be hard pressed to find any film/show or maybe any adaptation in any media that's more Superior to its source material than the boys.
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We asked The Atlantic’s writers and editors: What’s a film adaptation that’s better than the book?
The article explains why they consider the movies Jurassic Park, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Devil Wears Prada, The Social Network, and Clear and Present Danger each to be better than their source material.
wrote last edited by [email protected]The film makes substantial changes to the ending and some of the main plot though. The novel makes no mention of credit card companies, and the film ending is an atrocity.
Edit: this was supposed to be for the comment thread about Fight Club but apparently posted independently. Apologies for the confusion.
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The film makes substantial changes to the ending and some of the main plot though. The novel makes no mention of credit card companies, and the film ending is an atrocity.
Edit: this was supposed to be for the comment thread about Fight Club but apparently posted independently. Apologies for the confusion.
Which one?
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We asked The Atlantic’s writers and editors: What’s a film adaptation that’s better than the book?
The article explains why they consider the movies Jurassic Park, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Devil Wears Prada, The Social Network, and Clear and Present Danger each to be better than their source material.
The screenplay for the Princess Bride was written by the writer of the book iirc and just seems like a later draft of the same story but edited to be much better. And with the added bonus of having absolutely iconic performances.
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Having just rewatched Jurassic Park the other night for the first time since I was about 6 years old, my takeaway was mostly that the park needed a total overhaul of their EH&S department. Probably every single death was avoidable with less than a day's work to prevent it, starting with the very first scene when they release a raptor into the enclosure. That guy's death could have been avoided by simply
- Installing some rings into the posts on either side of the gate, and securing the shipping container to them to prevent unplanned movement of the container.
- Attaching some support posts to the rear of the container that would dig into the ground, rather than letting the container shift backwards.
- Have a pulley rigged up over the gate that could hook into the top of the door on the container, allowing the crew to lift open the container's door from a safe distance.
And that's literally the first scene. The entire main plot could have been avoided by not permitting a design with so many single points of failure, like only one individual being able to shut down critical safety systems without any additional oversight, and seemingly no fallback systems to account for either incompetent or malicious actors on the island.----
wrote last edited by [email protected]Probably every single death was avoidable with less than a day's work to prevent it
This is where I disagree with the idea that Hammond's culpability as a representative of capitalism was downplayed. He keeps saying "We spared no expense" but basically every problem is because they spared many expenses. Sure, they spent money on the little luxury details to make it an attractive park, but they overlooked or cheaped out on everything that wasn't directly part of the value stream.
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Idk I quite liked the book Jurassic Park, moreso than the movie I think but tbf it is a great movie too.
Yeah, I was surprised by this one, the book is great! The movie is great. They're both great for what they are. The movie isn't better.
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The screenplay for the Princess Bride was written by the writer of the book iirc and just seems like a later draft of the same story but edited to be much better. And with the added bonus of having absolutely iconic performances.
I have to disagree on this one. I loved the movie then immediately read the book, whereupon I discovered that as good as I'd found the movie, the book was even better. While I've ended up seeing the movie several times (when it happens to air), I've only reread the book once, but the book was, is, and will always be superior.
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So underrated/underappreciated this film I think! Pacey, funny, smart with an existential threat and Tom Cruise playing humble. Emily Blunt is perfect and Bill Paxton has a great time.
Yeah, it's action packed and with great pacing, really show off the premise well.
There's an anime based on the manga coming soon too!
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This is one of my favorite movies to catch people off guard with. Tom Cruise in a sci-fi blockbuster that actually turns out to have nuance and a brilliant time mechanic. Surface level, the box makes it look like schlock.
Yeah, the trailer and every promotional material really looks like a generic scifi stuff
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Blade Runner. I recently read through Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and really didn't like it much but the movie is phenomenal.
Opposite for me. I despise Blade Runner for all the missed opportunities and themes from Androids that never made it to the screen. I recently rewatched the movie too make sure that my 20-YO self wasn't wrong - he was right...
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Ehh I liked the book more.
Isn't the book super pro-fascism?
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Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk, perhaps? Not that it's a bad book by any means, and the idea is superb, but the execution isn't quite so great - it was his first published novel. The film is exceptional, though.
I read that Palahniuk prefers the ending in the movie.
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Both were entertaining, but the movie was more of a popcorn action flick while the book tried to explore the realities of war and a warrior led culture.
The Heinlein estate holders didn't like the movie so much, they have refused selling movie rights to any other book. So you won't see The Moon is a Harsh Mistress because of Starship Troopers.
Movie was some deep cutting satire.
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Isn't the book super pro-fascism?
That depends a lot on who you ask. All the weird propaganda in the movie is not there, but also the way that the main character explains how his society functions is perhaps incomplete.
We don't see their society being racist (except against aliens) or sexist, we don't see them suppress free speech or labor rights, we don't see them worshipping some kind of Fuhrer either.
Personally, I think that war makes fascists of us all and that's what the book tried to convey.
