5 examples of movie adaptations that are better than the books

We’ve all heard the phrase, “the book is better than the movie.” As we all know too that there are usually exceptions to every rule. There are many examples of books being better than their movie adaptations, the Harry Potter series for one. However, there are many examples of movie adaptations being better than the book. While researching this topic, I found many examples of movies that were better than the original book. For this post, I will limit my list to movies that I have both read the book and seen the movies. Here are the 5 movies I believe are better than their literary origins.

First, The Last of the Mohicans (1992) was written and directed by Michael Mann and adapted from James Fenimore Cooper’s American classic, The Last of the Mohicans A Narrative of 1757 (1826). The novel is an 18^th century classic which features the French-Indian War (1754-1763) between England and France. However, it’s also laden down with dense prose and overly detailed descriptions with a plot which moves at a glacial pace. The movie streamlines the action and gets to the heart of the story. Wes Studi brings the sadistic Magua to life that leaps off the screen in a way the character does not in the book. Plus, the musical score helps enhance the drama of this part of American history. The soundtrack with its Gaelic methods and hauntingly beautiful love song, “I Will Find You,” performed by Clannad helps make this movie great.

Second, The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2011-2003) was directed by Peter Jackson and written by Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, and Tim Sanders. It is, of course, adapted by the beloved JRR Tolkien’s beloved trilogy, The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955). While I love the books, and enjoyed for many years before the movies, the movies help streamline the novels into a great cinematic experience and brought me deeper into the characters, their struggles and desperation. I feel in love with the books even more with the imagery of the movies in my head. I could see the horrors of Mordur and the stumbling steps of Frodo as he pushes himself to Mount Doom.  I know many purest fans were furious at the omission and changes made. However, some of the omissions were material that wasn’t necessary to tell the story of the journey to destroy the One Ring. There are whole chapters that a reader could skip and not miss anything related to the main story.

Third, Ready Player One (2018) was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline. It is based on the book Ready Player One (2011) by Ernest Cline. While I enjoyed the book, the movie brought the wonder of the virtual world and the devastation of the physical world that Wade, the main protagonist, lives in. Plus, the book had some video games references that only a gamer would know and, in my opinion, bogged down the main story of the search for Halliday’s Easter Egg. I am a novice gamer and I am not familiar with the detailed history of video games so the long chapters of explanation about these games were great for me as information; however, this information was not needed in the movie and would be hard to transform to the screen. There are also long chapters on the history of the mysterious James Halliday which is great as exposition in the book but would bog down a film.

Fourth, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008-present) is a great adaptation of the beloved comics. I will admit that I have not read all the comics these characters appear in and I am not a big fan of reading the panel format of comics; however, I grew up watching the superhero cartoons. I have always been a fan of superhero stories. These movies are stunning visuals of these beloved characters’ adventures and builds a world in which they are all connected and fighting a main villain as well as their own specific adventures. The MCU has introduced me to characters that I had not been aware of, for example Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy, and other characters that I only knew in passing, like Iron Man and Thor. Also, I believe the actors who portray these superheroes truly bring life to these characters and add more human dimensions that just straight forward superheroes.

Lastly, P.S. I Love You (2007) was directed by Richard LaGravenese and written by LaGravenese and Steven Rogers. It is based on the novel, P.S. I Love You, by Cecelia Ahern. The book was good; however, the movie had more of an emotional impact as the main character, Holly, deals with the aftermath of her husband, Gerry’s, sudden death and her struggle to move on with her life without him. As with any movie adaptation, changes were made, for example, the book is set in Ireland while the movie is set primarily in New York City. However, the essence of the story is there. I found the movie to be more focused on Holly’s grief as she struggles with life that goes on without her. The world doesn’t stop for her broken heart and she must learn to find her place in the world once again. Plus, Gerard Butler as Gerry doesn’t hurt.

In conclusion, most movie adaptations are poor reflections of their books; however, there are examples of movie adaptations that are better or enhance the magic of the book. A movie can make pages of scene description into a stunning visual which helps the audience focus on the story. Yes, there is more imagination involved when reading a book and visualizing the scene, And I think this is where people either hate or love movie adaptations because the directors and writers’ visualizing of a scene is not the one the reader had. There is a saying “Never judge a book by its movie.” Well, I say never judge a movie by its book. Some good books can be made into great movies.