Movies that were BETTER then the Books

[Insomniactk]

I'd have to say LotR, only because reading the books is like a brick wall with the insane detail that the book goes into describing EVERYTHING.

I agree with this gentleman.

The LotR-books are very slow. The movies, however, are masterpieces.

don't know if it counts but the watchmen film was far more enjoyable than the 'book', I watch/read stuff to be entertained and the film did a better job than the 'book' ever did.

same goes for LoTR...

I like watchmen because of the characters, and the moral dilemmas that they face.
The series was longer and more detailed (for obvious reasons), so we got to know every character better. Their backstory and intentions etc.
But the movie is great too.

OT:

Star Wars, but I guess it makes sense as the books came after the movies.

 

[Asymptote Angel]

The Two Towers. The entire second half of the book bored me to tears, but the movie handled it pretty well. Plus Helm's Deep is way more fun to watch than it is to read about.

The other two books are alright. I enjoyed seeing the movies more than reading the books, but I'm not sure if one is better than the other.

 

[sunburst]

A few I don't think have been mentioned are Psycho, The Wizard of Oz and The Bourne Identity. I found those films are much more enjoyable than the books.

I absolutely love the Lord of the Rings books and I only like the movies. The loss of details, especially those pertaining to Saruman, really put me off. Having said that, I'd probably like the movies more if I saw them before reading the books.

 

[Danglybits]

Interview with the Vampire

It made the narrative more interesting and polished. Yes there were things that were left out but those things were not essential to the story and killed the momentum. Yes things were a little clearer in the book, but over explanation isn't always a good thing and I preferred a little bit of mystery. I didn't really enjoy Rice's writing style and the movie allowed me to get all of the good and none of the bad.

 

[SpcyhknBC]

People may disagree with me, but I enjoyed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas more in the movie form than in the book form if just for the fact that it was all there, the scenery, the images were all exactly what I'd thought they be. It was also nice not having to imagine what certain things looked like, so maybe that's just me being lazy.

LOTR is one of my favorite books of all time, I've read it half a dozen times at least but haven't revisited it in awhile, perhaps I should. I don't think the movies are better but because I've read the book so many times that may be the reason the movies don't appeal to me as much.

I notice that people are always clamoring for books and other IPs (Halo Movie anyone?) to be made into movies and then people complain when they don't live up to their expectations. I think there are very few IPs that can cross into various media outlets.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Lord of the Rings just plain makes a better movie series than it does a book series. Tolkien's writing in it is very detailed but very dry and very academic, translation to the screen explodes the great ideas into the more accessible world of film fantastically.

The Bourne Series of films is not distinctly BETTER than the books, but it certainly holds its own by taking some of the core ideas of the books and creating a unique set of films out of them.

 

[Thk13421]

Jaws. The book is just painful to read, but the film is a masterpiece.

 

[natural20]

Hunchback of Notre Dame. Hugo made it depressing. Disney made it better.

 

[Danglybits]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Jaws yet.. Then again, I don't think the book is anywhere near as popular as the movie.

I forgot about it the book was so pathetic. Aside from the fact that the mafia part of it was just boring as hell, the book is just too short to properly fit in all of that and the affair in an interesting way. It was just filler to get to the really interesting parts. Benchley said that he didn't want to write a story where the shark was central and that the real conflict is the loss of money for the town because of the shark. I don't think he understood what was good about the story. When I read the book I was really hoping to get more things from the shark's point of view and see what it was doing while all the human drama was going on.

 

[Always_Remain]

People may disagree with me, but I enjoyed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas more in the movie form than in the book form if just for the fact that it was all there, the scenery, the images were all exactly what I'd thought they be. It was also nice not having to imagine what certain things looked like, so maybe that's just me being lazy.

I actually agree that movie was freaking awesome. I loved how the characters were played and everything. The book wazs fun too but not nearly as fun as the movie.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

1408 (if it counts, was based off a short story)

 

[Elburzito]

The Harry Potter Book "The Prisoner of Azkaban" was definately better than the book.

 

[DragonChi]

Fight Club and Where the Wild Things are.

Fight Club..definitely..Where the wild things are......no fukn way. i was soooo damaged by the extreme butchering of that book by the movie. I grew up with that book, and the movie was ALL wrong...in so many ways.

 

[Jamieson 90]

I'd have to say LotR, only because reading the books is like a brick wall with the insane detail that the book goes into describing EVERYTHING.

too f**king right, the movies are not only amazing, they can be understood

I agree about the LOTR books, I have all 3 and still not managed to read them, You should try the Hobbit, Much smaller and a good story, Pick up the hardback copy like mine and there are some really nice illistrations.

Also agree about Watchmen, was far more enjoyable than the graphic novel.

 

[Phase_9]

21 was better than the book was, in my opinion.

 

[SoulChaserJ]

It's not a movie but I have to say I have enjoyed the Dexter Tv series more than the books.

Dexter isn't even based on the books besides the first season.

Take any 10 page childrens book..say Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, or Where the Wild Things Are, turn it into a movie. And almost instantly it's better than the book. Translating a 100 word book into a 1 1/2 hour movie will instantly make it better unless Gilbert Godfried is in it.

As a REAL case for the OP. Charlie and the Chocolate factory(the original, not Tim Burton's affront to everything good and wholesome) was a case where I enjoyed the movie well beyond the book. The book's narrative was a bit dry and Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka and all of the crazy inventions visualized gave off much more than the small text ever could. Of course that's my .02

 

[Soushi]

We all ***** when our favorite books get massacred by Hollywood, I can think of 10 off the top of my head, we all can. But can anyone think of a movie that you found more enjoyable then the books they originate from?

I know I'm probably gonna get bitched at but in my own personal experience I found the Lord of the Rings movies much more enjoyable then the books. I enjoyed the books especially The Two Towers. But I loved the movies so much more. Does anyone else have an example that is in their own opinion?

Oh and please refrain from calling me names

I agree with you one hundred percent. The books contained a lot of info, a lot of really faffing about, whereas the movies focussed on the more important bits. The books created a massive universe and set out to explore it really deeply, but in the ned it came off as being really kinda long and dull. The movies were an exciteing and cinematic experience, and with a soundtrack like that, who can go wrong.
NOw, upon seeing the Movies, it actually made teh books seem better. But overall, yeah, i tend to think that LOTR was much better in movie form.

 

[ByJingo]

The exorcist

Goodfellas

Blade Runner

Theres quite a few really. I'd say it more that the majority of movies are a bit shite regardless of the source. So naturally the majority of book based movies are going to be piss.

Fear and loathing in las vegas is nearly as great as the book IMO too.