Which movies are better than the books they're based on?

The Godfather and Planet of the Apes.
Also, Blade Runner was better than Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

Jurassic Park was a much better book.

The Natural, Field of Dreams (based on Shoeless Joe), Contact, Fight Club (though the book was amazing, but I’m not supposed to talk about it), The Godfather, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Sex (but were afraid to ask), Jaws.

@filmfann- Good call. I preferred Field of Dreams over Shoeless Joe as well.

This Q was asked before. I wish I could find it. I’d link it.

A boy and his dog.

Yeah, Contact was a great movie. I bought the book after watching the movie and never even finished it.

@AstroChuck http://www.fluther.com/disc/31006/what-are-some-of-your-favorite-books-that-were-made-into/

@AstroChuck – Yes, Jurassic Park was a great book indeed. I really liked the character of Dr. Ian Malcolm talking about math and chaos theory. In the movie this part wasn’t very significant. However, overall I feel that Steven Spielberg did a superb job. The dinosaurs were revolutionary considering everything was done with 1993 technology. So in this case I think both the movie and the book were outstanding in their own way.

@YARNLADY- That’s a different thread. This one concerned movies that were superior than the books they were based on.
Thanks, though.

@YARNLADY – Thanks for the link!

I’ve never read or watched the Godfather(and honestly don’t want to, i don’t see how it could possibly live up to it’s reputation). I have seen but not read contact. I’ve seen a few movies that where based off Novels,comics etc. But in my opinion, none of them can capture the full scope of their stories, and it’s easy to say “due to the limited time” but it’s more than that. In order to appeal to a more visual audience, some important parts are left behind or altered, creating plot holes and storyline breaks. You all seem to have had better experiences than myself, and I hope I get the chance to see the mentioned movies

Bridges of Madison County.

@AstroChuck movie better than book

Edited to add: Evidently, if you scroll down on that thread, there is a link to another thread of the same.

I also thought Jurassic Park was better as the book, than the movie. However, I do agree that the dinosaurs were really amazing in the movie. Just one of those really magical movie moments for me, seeing the scenes with the dinosaurs, at the beginning.

@AstroChuck. Here is another question about this same topic.

Batman, Spider-man, X-Men and now, Wolverine.

@Bluefreedom smart man!

@cak. And you’re a smart lady! =)

@mattbrowne Other than Jodi in Contact, I thought the effects, and “drama” at the end with her dad were, er, corny. I loved the book, and Carl Sagan signed it for me when I interviewed him once. Hmmm. Maybe that’s why? No, I really liked the book better.

:-)

@Zen You got to interview Carl Sagan? Very cool.

@augustlan One of the highlights of my career, and life.

@Zen oh wow!

@cak – I just added KalWest to my Fluther. Sorry to have overlooked that question.

I think ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ is one of the best movies ever made. The book called ‘The Hoods’ by Harry Grey reads like it was written by a 14-year high school dropout, but this might be related that the author was a real mafioso with very little education.

@mattbrowne – I had to enter it with fewer words – it didn’t come up with I first looked. Also, keep in mind you are on different hours than a lot of people. No worries, on my part! Just wanted to add the link. :)

@cak Matt and I are on at (almost) the same time – I have that problem with a lot of flutherites too – it makes such a dif. when it’s 12:00 a.m., or p.m.!

@Zen – I normally wouldn’t see either of you, as much, but my husband started new work hours. We’re all messed up, time wise, in this house!

@cak Glad to see you.

BTW, I keep strange hours, especially afternoon hours, which sometimes corresponds to Americans late nights, early mornings. I’ve also been on for 18 hours straight, at times. Hence all my lurve points, in two weeks time.

@Zen – You might need an intervention! Nah…not yet!

@cak – Thanks! The nice thing about living in Europe and visiting American websites in the morning: Gee, do they load fast!

Jesus Christ Superstar

Well, I haven’t yet read Bram Stokers Dracula the novel. However. I don’t think in any shape or form it would suffice for a movie of that caliber.

It was so epic, so well written, so elegant, such classy up scale acting, such lushly dramatic and enticing dialogue. Oh my my it was a movie I’ve had since a young teen.

I found the Lord of the Rings trilogy to be far superior to the books, for the simple reason that I believe the books contained an immense amount of insignificant details that detracted from the primary story line… but that is just me

The Shawshank Redemption was better, but to be fair it was a short story.

Howl’s Moving Castle

@Sloane2024 Cannot agree with you; LoTR books were what got me through high school, and were some of the best written books of all time, imho.

@quantum I don’t know if I’d say BETTER…they were so DIFFERENT.

As for movies that were better than their books—-
Sense and Sensibility – not her best book ANYWAY (in my opinion) and the movie improved on what WAS good in the book
The Horse Whisperer – just for the ending….
Ella Enchanted – this fits into the same category as Howl actually – not better…just very different
The Count of Monte Cristo – not really….but I like my happy endings
Mansfield Park – again…not really BETTER, but VERY different

I don’t know if plays should count since they are MEANT to be seen, but any MOVIE version of a play (one exception being the version of The Tempest that I’ve seen shudder) is better than simply READING the play

The bible was better than the 10 Commandments, and there was this b-movie about Noah’s Ark with really cheesy F/X. Bible was better – hands down.

@Zen – I was thinking earlier of saying that I like The 10 Commandments better

I prefer the Watchmen film to the graphic novel. I think positioning the world to hate Dr. Manhattan instead of a fake giant dead octopus alien makes much more sense. I’ve always thought the black freighter portions of the comic just felt tacked on to add length to the story. I don’t know, I just enjoy the movie more.

@fireside I know. Engaged?

What enchanted me about The Godfather , in its two incarnations, was that the film and the book complemented each other. If you can watch the film, then maybe a few days later, read the book, or vice versa, the differences only accentuate the perfection of Puzo’s creation. Some years ago I was in Brooklyn, and was enchanted to see places that I remembered from the book and from the film. Jurassic Park, on the other hand, was originally written with a film in mind. Fortunately, Crichton is too good a writer to write a bad book. So I enjoyed both the film and the book. But, the winner, for my money, was Absolute Power, the film was riveting (although the end was weaker than the book).

@bea2345 – Crichton already had a film in mind before he wrote the book? Or was it someone who suggested this to him?

@mattbrowne I don’t know. It was in a review of the novel that gave this information, that Crichton was thinking of an eventual film from the book when he wrote it. You have to admit that the story was tailor made for somebody like Spielberg.

The Man in Iron Mask made a better movie than book.

@bea2345 – Yes, indeed. The plot was perfect for Spielberg!

Gone with the Wind. I enjoyed the movie far more. It’s fantastic (and my favorite).

@ubersiren perhaps, you perceived what it took more than one reading for me to note, that even as early as 1939, the overt racism of the book could not be countenanced in a film. I have read the book more than once (and would like to read it again). The film, I saw it in its original format in Jamaica many years ago, and it kept me riveted. Then it was re-issued on DVD. Same fascination. But for me, the book was the thing. Margaret Mitchell’s strength is that she never loses sight of the main topic: the destruction of a civilization. That is what links the two halves of the work: before de wah and after de wah – told from the masters’ point of view, of course.