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Cases where the movie was better than the book?

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another vote for Fight Club.

I also gotta agree on Lord of the Rings... the movie really tightened up or just plain got rid of some of the books weakest spots, making for a much better story. the writing in the books is increadible and they're definitely worth reading, but I think the movies tell a much better story than the books.
 
Originally posted by: xEDIT409
The Bourne Identity?
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I agree, the books were corny airport bookstore fodder. Sure, the plot made more sense, but it was so annoying to read that I barely noticed. Tom Clancy's books are much better to read, if a little more formulaic.
 
Only 2 come quickly to mind: The already mentioned Jaws and Silence of the Lambs. Both very good books, but the movies surpassed them.
 
I think Lotr: Fellowship of the Ring was on par with the book (wouldn't say better necessarily), but I can't say the same about the other two. If the movie is better than the book version, it usually means one of two things: It was a really awesome movie, or the book was utter crap.
 
Originally posted by: alrocky
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Princess Bride -- Goldman's version of the book includes a depressing side story of his mserable life that ruins the fairy tale.
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Arrgh. That's good to know... my two copies (one a present) of Princess Bride arrived today and was curious how the the book and the movie compared.

Schindler's List by Steven Spielberg gives Thomas Keneally's novel a good run for the money.

Planet of the Apes (with Charlton Heston.)
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You might be able to salvage the Princess Bride book if you flip past the "my sad life" pages between each chunk of the fairy tale. Using Peter Falk and the kid in the movie instead was a huge improvement.
 
Originally posted by: DrPizza
Apocolypse Now was better than the book on which it was based on.. (I remember the plot, but not the title... I'll look it up in a minute)

Heart of darkness.... that's the book... by Joseph Conrad
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That's hardly a valid comparison.

I'd say Cuckoo's Nest was almost as good as the book. Although Ken Kesey didn't like it.
 
I'd say Cuckoo's Nest was almost as good as the book. Although Ken Kesey didn't like it.
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reminds me of Kubrick's version of The Shining. I'd say it's definitely better than the book, even if Stephen King hated it.
 
Stand by me. mid-80's movie with a young River Phoenix directed by Rob Reiner based on the Stephen king story "The Body"
 
Originally posted by: Vic
Originally posted by: Horus
Starship Troopers. Hands Down.

I mean, the book is all, like, SERIOUS and stuff...the movie is supposed to be a comedy, right?
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What. the. FSCK. :|

Go back to your toys, little boy. Starship Troopers, the book by Robert Heinlein, is a science fiction masterpiece, winner of a Hugo Award, and one of the most influential and best-selling science fiction books of all time.

The movie, in comparison, is a complete disjointed joke. A farce at best.
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What he said! I have not seen a movie yet based on a Heinlein book that came anywhere close to portraying what the book was about accurately.
 
Originally posted by: CaptainKahuna
The Count of Montecristo was an awesome movie and way better than the book.
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I gotta say I was disappointed in the movie. I loved the book and have seen 2 different movies based on it. Neither was all that great.

I generally don't compare books and movies. One is something that takes hours upon hours of reading to get the whole story. The other is a 2 hour story. Why compare the two? Obviously the movie cannot give you all the insight, thoughts, and descriptions that a book can offer. But, a book cannot offer you a story that can start and end in 2 hours. They are completely different.

Shawshank Redemption was a brilliant book (or short story) and the movie was brilliant. Push.

Jaws the book wasn't all that great. The movie is a masterpiece. Winner: movie.

 
Originally posted by: Linflas
Originally posted by: Vic
Originally posted by: Horus
Starship Troopers. Hands Down.

I mean, the book is all, like, SERIOUS and stuff...the movie is supposed to be a comedy, right?
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What. the. FSCK. :|

Go back to your toys, little boy. Starship Troopers, the book by Robert Heinlein, is a science fiction masterpiece, winner of a Hugo Award, and one of the most influential and best-selling science fiction books of all time.

The movie, in comparison, is a complete disjointed joke. A farce at best.
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What he said! I have not seen a movie yet based on a Heinlein book that came anywhere close to portraying what the book was about accurately.
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I think he was somewhat joking. The movie IS awesome, though. One of my favorite satires.
 
Originally posted by: Wuffsunie
Originally posted by: werk
Originally posted by: Wuffsunie
Sphere by Michael Crichton. Of course that's not very hard, considering the quality of the movie.
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WHAT?!
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*Blinks, rereads, goes back to edit. Makes note never to post sh!t like this when dead tired*
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An atrocious book - the "let's all wish it never happened ending" is SUCH a cop-out

An appaling movie - cmon, that was the worst acting any of thopse actors have ever done!
 
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