Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
5Kviews
Hey Pandas! Tell Us A Movie That Is Surprisingly Much Better Than The Book (Closed)
Sometimes Hollywood takes a best-selling book and produces a movie that exceeds expectations
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
It's a TV show, but the series of unfortunate events Netflix series. Don't get me wrong, I love the books, but the miniseries is so much funnier and very accurate to the books, and Neil Patrick Harris is perfectly casted.
Final score:
12points
#2
Practical Magic.
The movie is so much better than the book. They actually use magic in the movie and stuff.
Final score:
8points
#4
Hands down - Shawshank Redemption. It's based on a novella called "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King. Frank Darabont was the screenwriter and director of the movie. He had adapted one of Stephen King's "dollar baby" short stories (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_Baby), and paid King $5,000 for the rights to the Shawshank Redemption story. The original novella is only a part of the movie. The main character's dealings with the warden, my favorite part of the movie, isn't in the story at all, and many great plot points were added as well.. A genius adaptation resulting in an amazing movie!
Final score:
6points
Shyla Clay 2 years ago
I have to agree completely. Morgan Freeman was cast perfectly, especially as his character narrated.
#5
First one off the top of my head, is JAWS. The movie was MUCH better. Peter Benchley's (the author) book was a bit convoluted, especially the mess with Hooper having an affair with Mrs. Brody, ugh.
Final score:
5points
#6
The Princess Bride. The book is very good, but the movie is a classic.
Final score:
5points
#7
Like Water for Chocolate. Not actually movie better than the book, but the BEST book to film adaption ever, in part, I believe, because the author also wrote the screenplay AND her husband directed it.
Final score:
4points
#8
Blade runner. Granted, I saw the movie first, but the book while ok, is bit boring at times. The movie however.... shioot I cried when Rutger Hauer had his moment near the end. Keep in mind I'm not often moved by movies to the point of tears.
Final score:
4points
#9
The Mist…by a mile!
Final score:
4points
Shyla Clay 2 years ago
I love the ending in the movie much better. It also fits in well with the stuff King wrote at the time (he wrote The Mist).
#11
Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I love the language and use of words Tolkien uses in his books, but dang, 100 pages and Frodo still hasn't left the Shire, and is still auctioning the furnitures. And the dwarfs had way more personality in the movies.
I also don't understand how people complain that LotR was too short, but then complain that Hobbit was too long.
Final score:
4points
RazmOnnen 2 years ago
It could be maybe the fact that lotr is 3 entire books of (very) detailed story that couldn't all possibly make it to the screen, while the hobbit is a tiny 300 pages simple kid story that had to be stretched and convoluted to the point of nonsense ? That might be a factor idk
#12
Empire of the Sun. The book is looooong and boring and the movie is breathtaking in performance and photography.
Final score:
4points
#13
"The Green Mile" with Tom Hanks, based on Stephen King's novel. I loved the book and was really enchanted by the movie. First time I wasn't deceived by an adaptation!
Final score:
3points
#14
How to train your dragon. It may not be like the books but that's ok think of it like a glow up in way(for real though Toothless wasn't a night fury in the books)
Final score:
3points
#15
Jurassic Park. A lot more people die and a lot of people are far more dislikeable. For example Malcom dies, John Hammond dies, and they also go into excruciatingly disgusting detail about nedrey's death. Also in the book, John is a grey money horder.,Ellie is a idiot, and Lex is a winey brat. All in all, the movies have far more likeable characters.
Final score:
3points
#16
Like others, this isn't strictly to the question: The Running Man. The book was by some made-up guy that turned out to be Stephen King and the movie is starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, they both sound good, right?
The book and the movie are so vastly different (which is usually a bad thing) that you may not have connected the two together if they didn't have the same name, but they are both *so* good each on their own.
Final score:
3points
#17
Silence of the Lambs... by a lot...it's upsetting how bad the book is compared to the movie...
Final score:
2points
#18
Doctor Sleep
The book was good too but I like the movie better, much better.
Final score:
1point
#19
lovers of the book will hate me for saying this but aussie movie " Bliss"
Final score:
1point
#20
Hands down - Shawshank Redemption. It's based on a novella called "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King. Frank Darabont was the screenwriter and director of the movie. He had adapted one of Stephen King's "dollar baby" short stories (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_Baby), and paid King $5,000 for the rights to the Shawshank Redemption story. The original novella is only a part of the movie. The main character's dealings with the warden, my favorite part of the movie, isn't in the story at all, and many great plot points were added as well.. A genius adaptation resulting in an amazing movie!
Final score:
1point
#21
The Godfather.
The movie is far superior to the book, which is practically subpar.
Final score:
1point
Scott Seeger 2 years ago
Theres a subplat in the book involving a woman with an enlarged vagina that a doctor wants to surgically cure. The woman is that one Sonny is doing at the wedding. You read that right and i kid you not. Its in the book.
#22
Charlie and the chocolate factory, or maybe it was W***y Wonka. At this point I have forgotten.
Final score:
1point
Metallicd3ath 2 years ago
Charlie and the chocolate factory was the original, W***y Wonka was the remake movie with Johnny Depp
#23
Not a movie, but the Netflix show Hemlock Grove. They brought a weird, wordy book to life with an amazing cast.
Final score:
1point
#24
Also not a movie, but the TV series Sherlock. The books are nice but they are all from Watson's perspective so it is great to have something from Sherlock's point of view, it also developes more the characters. Besides it has an amazing cast and the adaptation to modern life is well done.
Final score:
1point
#26
Ella Enchanted!! I love the modern spin on an old story!!
Final score:
1point
#27
Stardust by Neil Gaiman. I love his books, but this movie was just better.
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks. It's the only one of his books I've read, but the movie was better.
Final score:
1point
#28
Not a movie but a TV show: Altered Carbon. The show is a masterpiece and Joel Kinnaman's performance as Takeshi is brilliant (Don't get me started on Anthony Mackie though). The book I found sort of pretentious, like it was trying to be edgy but failed horribly. I hated how one-dimensional the characters were compared to the show.
Final score:
1point
Darian Starfrog 2 years ago
100% agreed.. though it def lost it season 3? Whenever the protag was changed.. it got soooo bad. Couldn't finish.. like Marvel phase 4 jeez
#29
Catch Me If You Can. The book is really good but Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio make the movie even better.
Final score:
1point
#30
Jurassic Park, I haven’t read the books but I’ve heard that some characters I like die so in my opinion, the movie version of Jurassic Park is better than the books.
Final score:
0points
#31
I found Hugo a lot better than the book (the book is big and more boring in my opinion).
Also LOTR, the books are WAY to long.
Final score:
0points
Dia Carmignani 2 years ago
The hobbit too. Peter jackson deserves alot of love for creating so much love for a story that is meh in actuality, but its his 3 movies that made me a fan.
#32
Not a movie but a tv series. “The Old Man” is a dark, exhausting tv series with well known actors but well done. I started the book yesterday and am completely underwhelmed so far.
Final score:
0points
#33
I wouldn't say it was "much better" than the book but the film adaptation of "The Black Phone" was really faithful to the story, with a little enhancement. In my experience, that's a rare thing.
Final score:
0points
#34
Oh, I have another one. Chocolate. I enjoyed the book well enough, but the movie just really hit all my buttons.
Final score:
0points
#35
Bridge to Terabithia. Book was better, but the movie almost had it too.
Final score:
0points
#36
Dance with wolves
The Film was much better than the book.
Final score:
0points
#37
Harry Potter. The movies are so interesting. Some reason I just couldn't read the books.
Final score:
0points
#38
THE NOTEBOOK:. I liked the movie much better than the book. The movie has lots more details, making the book seem like an outline of the movie.
Final score:
0points
#39
"Bridget Jones's Diary". Which, to be honest, wasn't that hard, because the book is awful.
Final score:
0points
#40
I loved the film children of men, so i tried with the book and hated it. I made myself read it, but the writing was boring and aloof somehow in comparison to the film...
Final score:
0points
#41
Not The Fault in Our Stars!! That was probably my least favorite remake.
Final score:
0points
#42
Practical Magic. It's my favorite movie and I was so excited to know that it was based on a book. Unfortunately, I found it to be disappointing. In the movie there's a ton of chemistry and familial love between the cast. On the pages, there's a disconnect and harshness that drives you away from the story. I recommend the movie everyone, and the book to no one.
Final score:
0points
#43
Cloud Atlas. The book was rather painful. And the music was marvelous.
Final score:
0points
#44
Cloud Atlas. The book was rather painful. And the music was marvelous.
Final score:
0points
#45
Simon Birch. The movie us amazing and moving and tracks enough with the book at first you get into the book (I read the book years after seeing the movie.)
Then the book goes on and it just gets stranger. By the end I was pissed and wished I never read it (A Prayer for Owen Meaney.)
Final score:
0points
#46
Alright, there was a post with the opposite question, ‘What movie is awful compared to the book’ or something like that but that post is gone so I will post it here. *Spoilers ahead btw* Wildwitch, based on the danish book ‘Vildheks’ by Lene Kaaberbøl is an AWFUL movie, and I absolutely love the books. They squashed *6* books into 1 movie, and skipped TONS of CRUCIAL details. Like, for instance, in the book the main character has *black* hair, and after the cat scratches her it’s greyish-brownish and becomes black again later. However in the movie it’s ORANGE! THE. WHOLE. WAY. THROUGH. THE. MOVIE. If you watch the movie, and you haven’t read the books, you might like it. Then you will read the books and you will DESPISE the movie. I recommend reading the book, not watching the movie, and continue living a happy life.
Final score:
-4points
Related on Bored Panda
