Movies that are better than the book

[HordHolm]

I want the cat's perspective now. You know that cat would tell it like it is.

Edited to add: Stephanie Myers did an Edward perspective. I have no clue how well it did, but maybe EL was trying to get some of that extra coin like her.

If that cat could talk,
What a tale he'd tell,
'Bout Christian and Ana and the whip as well,
But the cat was cool and he never said a mumblin' word...

 

[lovecraft68]

I want the cat's perspective now. You know that cat would tell it like it is.

Edited to add: Stephanie Myers did an Edward perspective. I have no clue how well it did, but maybe EL was trying to get some of that extra coin like her.

The cat would keep trying to kick litter over Gray because he mistook him for a turd...oh, wait, that's not a mistake.

 

[TadOverdon]

Gone With The Wind. It's seen to be problematic as subject matter now, at best, and it's remarkable mainly for its cast and its scope as a production at the time it was made. But the book that it was based upon was a fairly well-written but pedestrian romance that was twice as long as it needed to be. The army of screenwriters who struggled with it were able to strip away a ridiculous amount of unnecessary nonsense to produce a script that worked.

 

[EroticCupcake]

The Hunt for Red October.

The “who-knows” element to the film is fantastic, whereas the book is more like “Yeehaw! Let’s get ourselves a free nuclear submarine”.

It was that bad I couldn’t finish it.

Speaking of that, "Clear and Present Danger" isn't a great book or movie. But the ending of the movie is much better. Harrison Ford bluffs his way to get the drug dealers to turn on each other versus soldier show up and shoot everyone.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Don't get me started on the way Tom Clancy writes. He's the most annoying writer I've ever had the displeasure of reading. Stories with detailed histories of minor characters that's involvement in the main story is minuscule. No, no, no, every movie from Hunt to Clear was better than the books they were based on. I haven't watched any of the later works.

Speaking of that, "Clear and Present Danger" isn't a great book or movie. But the ending of the movie is much better. Harrison Ford bluffs his way to get the drug dealers to turn on each other versus soldier show up and shoot everyone.

 

[HordHolm]

The Three and Four Musketeers (the 1970s Richard Lester directed films, NOT the other adaptations). Which is not to suggest Dumas is bad. Dumas is superb. But seriously, put Oliver Reed and Michael York and Richard Chamberlain and Frank Finlay and Charlton Heston and Raquel Welch and Christopher Lee and Faye Dunaway into a project scripted by George Macdonald fucking Fraser... genius. It also helps that The Three Musketeers was the first film I ever saw, aged 5. I have a suspicion that it is considerably responsible for the person I am today... (not that I go around trying to save the Queen of France's honour, or trying to riposte the Cardinal's Guards).

 

[MillieDynamite]

The sword fight on the ice was wonderful.

The Three and Four Musketeers (the 1970s Richard Lester directed films, NOT the other adaptations). Which is not to suggest Dumas is bad. Dumas is superb. But seriously, put Oliver Reed and Michael York and Richard Chamberlain and Frank Finlay and Charlton Heston and Raquel Welch and Christopher Lee and Faye Dunaway into a project scripted by George Macdonald fucking Fraser... genius. It also helps that The Three Musketeers was the first film I ever saw, aged 5. I have a suspicion that it is considerably responsible for the person I am today... (not that I go around trying to save the Queen of France's honour, or trying to riposte the Cardinal's Guards).

 

[Wifetheif]

"This Island Earth" The movie is often mocked but it is much better than the crappy novel it is based on. The book is based on a really neat premise. Suppose, just like the South Seas islanders during WWII were recruited into building airstrips and outbuildings for two fighting enemies, earthmen were swept up in a galactic conflict? The novel's first half is just like the movie -- the alien IQ test is building an alien gadget. After that the novel sucks. There is a ham-fisted three-sided love story involving a character named Ole and we only meet two literally smelly aliens. The second half of the movie is all original story and miles better than the source material.

 

[purvis2]

Maybe something to think about as writers.

The one that is always cited is Blade Runner and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. But I have two Kubricks.

The Shining. Tried the book like three times. Never could get into it. I know King hates how Jack is a monster from the start, rather than a man struggling with demons (alcohol in King’s autobiographical case). But I find the movie compelling.

2001 - I know it was just inspired by The Sentinel and also that Clarke was involved in the screenplay. But still the director took it in a whole new (and deeply visual) direction.

What about you?

Em

Little Big Man (1970) move was far superior than the book.

 

[EmilyMiller]

The Ten Commandments? lol

And we have a winner

 

[EmilyMiller]

Thank you, thank you, firstly I’d like to thank myself for being so silly, it helps sometimes

The academy recognizes this excellent attribute.

Em

 

[NoTalentHack]

Here's one people will be shocked to hear me say

50 Shades of Gray(first movie)

Better than the book because the director decided to portray Gray not as some romanticized bad boy but an absolute creep which is what he truly was. He was kicked out of the franchise and movies 2/3(direct to net/DVD) went out of their way to try to change that, but both movies were bombs(first one too) and even the book sales took a dive not a spike. Second trilogy came and went with no fan fare (although it sold pretty well to core fans, but no buzz at all)

I'm very thankful someone had the integrity to expose it for what it was.

I’ve neither watched the movies nor read the books, but I’ve heard the movies are one of those rare cases where the two leads despising each other made the film better… because it showed Shades for what it was.

 

[NoTalentHack]

Don't get me started on the way Tom Clancy writes. He's the most annoying writer I've ever had the displeasure of reading. Stories with detailed histories of minor characters that's involvement in the main story is minuscule. No, no, no, every movie from Hunt to Clear was better than the books they were based on. I haven't watched any of the later works.

Absolutely fair. The Rainbow Six book was terrible; great game, though, at least the first one.

 

[NoTalentHack]

The Lord of the rings

 

[SimonDoom]

The Ten Commandments? lol

LOL. You get bonus points for that one. But be on the lookout for lightning bolts.

 

[NoTalentHack]

The Ten Commandments? lol

 

[lovecraft68]

I’ve neither watched the movies nor read the books, but I’ve heard the movies are one of those rare cases where the two leads despising each other made the film better… because it showed Shades for what it was.

Yeah, that was part of what exposed it as not being the 'romance' people were trying to push it as, and more a dysfunctional tale of abusive relationship. You don't hate someone you allegedly care about.

The bad boy is a staple of romance fiction. The hard reality is that in real life most often the bad boy leads to nothing but pain and trouble. But for fiction its he's bad but going to be good just for her at first, then get better, or there was the core of goodness in him only she could reach, fill in the trope.

But in the book-and first movie-there wasn't an attempt at that. Gray was wealthy and an asshole, hit on her, she said no, and he stalked her and made her a disgusting deal. There is no romance there. So again, the movie exposed it. TBH I don't think James was a good enough writer to pull off a real romance, or she's just twisted and thinks it was. Remember, this all started as Twilight fan fic and the abuse elements in that series are disturbing, especially seeing the girl was a minor. BTW, if you ever read the books note how Ana is supposed to be 22 but acts 15 most of the time because its what James really wanted, but of course couldn't get away with.

I'll refrain from lecturing on how poorly the books portrayed the BDSM lifestyle, mental illness and using the excuse of being abused at a younger age to be a raging abuser in the present.

It wouldn't take much at all to spin the premise into a sexualized version of Misery.

 

[NoTalentHack]

It wouldn't take much at all to spin the premise into a sexualized version of Misery.

Someone HAS to have done this on Literotica, right? The closest I can think is a cutified version where the FMC ties him up and has sex with him because she has edits to suggest, but someone has to have made a EH or NC/R version of it, right?

 

[Bramblethorn]

Dark Dungeons.

 

[lovecraft68]

Someone HAS to have done this on Literotica, right? The closest I can think is a cutified version where the FMC ties him up and has sex with him because she has edits to suggest, but someone has to have made a EH or NC/R version of it, right?

I was thinking Misery in the concept of just someone being held captive and toss some sex in like you said, but it wouldn't cute or erotic.

Going by the story ideas forum, people here could make the sweetest most romantic story you could come up with and turn it into a rape fest. I've seen fun ideas there and within three posts someone spins it NC, so I am willing to bet someone has done this.

But thinking on it, what James had was an NC idea that was sold as a romance so....

Not here, but I have some um...interesting sex scenes in a couple of my horror novels. I might have written a few train wreck I/T stories here but I save the dark stuff for other places. Try to keep it mostly sexy here.

 

[lovecraft68]

Dark Dungeons.

What was the one King did...Gerald's Game?

 

[MediocreAuthor]

The Shawshank Redemption is a fine Stephen King novella that was turned into a really great movie, so that's another one. I love that movie.

Forrest Gump. The movie held my attention. The book, not so much.

Both of my list's items have already been listed, no need for me to be here.

Reta Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption was improved when it was adapted into The Shawshank Redemption film, and while I love the novella, the film is even better. I could talk for hours about why, but I'll sum it up with two words. Morgan Freeman.

Forrest Gump was an absolutely bat shit bonkers book, enjoyable, but absolutely insane. The movie was far more grounded, and Tom Hanks did a great job of portraying Forrest. The one thing that I preferred in the book was the character of Jenny. She is very likable in the book, and every time she leaves Forrest, it is for an understandable reason, (generally because of a misunderstanding). She isn't perfect, but she's vastly superior to her film counterpart. Also she lives, although she does not end up with Forrest at the end.

An honorable mention that I always list when talking about films which are superior to their books is Children of the Corn. Why is it only an honorable mention? Is it because it's only a short story? Nope! It's because both the film and the story suck... but the original story sucks more. (imo, it's really close, honestly. They're both lame lol)

 

[Bramblethorn]

What was the one King did...Gerald's Game?

I think that was the BDSM one where the husband has a heart attack after handcuffing the wife to the bed, but I haven't read it or seen it (was there a movie?)

The one I mentioned is a film adaptation of the Jack Chick tract about D&D. The closest it comes to BDSM is the poster:

 

[SimonDoom]

Reta Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption was improved when it was adapted into The Shawshank Redemption film, and while I love the novella, the film is even better. I could talk for hours about why, but I'll sum it up with two words. Morgan Freeman.

A good general principle is that everything's better with Morgan Freeman. That voice. He could recite names from a phone book and make it sound like holy scripture.

 

[NoTalentHack]

What if both sexual participants are captives of someone else ?

Asking for a friend.

Is that friend chained up in your basement right now?