Movies that don't live up to the book

[Magicalmrmistofeles]

Everyone thinks I'm weird, I don't do movies. The books are so much better...

I'm trying to watch Gone Girl now but god it's shit, the book wasn't great and now I'm bored.

I don't think Atonement movie was better than the book - the movie was good all right, but the book was amazing.

I did like Bram Stoker's Dracula - the movie with (I can't believe I'm going to say this) Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker. In the book Harker was so LAME! They butch-ed him up a bit for modern viewers - which I think was needed. And of course Gary Oldman as Dracula, wow.)

I disagree about The English Patient. The book made me catch my breath so many times. The film made me angry. I hope they do a better job of Anil's Ghost if they ever make a film of that.

Hang on ...Brokeback Mountain!

Also, Stand by Me, also great movie.

Actually I think I've cracked the mystery - it's about the book being FAR TOO LONG. If you start from a tiny little short story or novella (like the above) you've got a chance at a decent film. Apparently it takes about a minute per page. Nintey pages would be nothing.

Oh God, Eragon. I'd blocked it from my memory.
"It's p-preposterous! They've left out the most important part!"
They left out about 90% of the book. Including most of the plot, iirc.
Not even Jeremy Irons could salvage it.

I agree, TheEponymousGrub Brokeback Mountain was a fantastic adaptation.

Another movie that was better than the book was Master and Commander, I think because the book was a great story surrounded by far too much unnecessary detail - the writing got in the way of its own narrative.

I agree with so many of these, especially captain corelli's mandolin and water for elephants.

For those struggling with the book of captain Corelli - that chaper you can't get past, skip it, it's awful, you will not miss anything by skipping it and believe me the rest of the book is just incredible!

I have just finished reading the longest ride by Nicholas sparks, it's the first book of his that I've read, so I had a little google to see what I should consider next and came across a YouTube clip of the upcoming film - I cannot believe how much they've changed it, will not even bother watching it now, so disappointing!

I have to agree with the comment about Pride & Prejudice. The TV adaptation really is the best (the 1995 one and and also a more studio based earlier version in 1980) I absolutely hated the most recent film with Keira Knightley and although I like Matthew MacFadayen generally I didn't like his version of Mr Darcy. I also dislike the 1940 P&P film with Laurence Olivier even though it's considered a classic. The basic problem is as stated - too much detail to be reflected in a film.

Just remembered Cloud Atlas. I loved the book but was scratching my head watching the film thinking wtf? I got about half way and gave up.

'Latest Thomas hardy adaptation. Far from the Madding Crowd. Great book truly awful film with ? muligan'

Agree great book but film did have the redeeming feature of the lovely Matthias watsit. Carrie Mulligan wasn't too bad and the photography was stunning.
But the final scene, where the touching words of Oak are repeated as in the earlier proposal, was a travesty - the words of one of the finest writers of the English language (okay, he was maudlin and did have a dodgy attitude towards women, but still. . .) - dropped in favour of < spoiler alert > a Hollywood snog.

I agree with the person who said books work much better when they're adapted for TV rather than a two hour film.

A few years ago they made a film version of Brideshead Revisited. Not sure why they bothered, there was no way it would stand up to comparison with the 1980's TV version.

I agree that many film adaptations don't live up to the book. I try not to let my kids watch a film if they haven't read the book yet as it totally spoils the book.

A few exceptions I would say are: Shawshank Redemption, fab short story, fab book, Charlotte's Web, fab book, and the film we watched of it the other day was quite close, with even some lines the same, though a few changes.

I haven't seen the film We need to talk about Kevin, I think I'm glad as I loved the book.

The Picture of Dorian Grey is a fabulous book, but every film version of it has been a load of cack.

The lovely Bones: I adore this book, the film was meh.

However, one instance of a film being as good as the book, IMHO, is The Hours (Michael Cunningham). The film really is very good indeed. Ditto The English Patient (Ondaatje)

DD (nearly 11) has been reading Northern Lights to me for the last few weeks. I've been gagging to see the Golden Compass but she isn't remotely interested (which sounds like no bad thing). DH remembers putting it on for her about 18 months ago and she didn't like it then either, but she's absolutely obsessed with the books and all things Phillip Pullman at the moment. I can't imagine how such a complex book could be turned into a film tbh - as a fairly intelligent adult I am having to Google stuff in it to understand what the heck it's all about!

The Hobbit - as much as I fancy admire Richard Armitage (Thorin), that was without a doubt at least one film too long.

Totally agree re Birdsong too. Enjoyed the book but the adaptation was appalling.

On the other hand, I watched the recent Great Gatsby film the other week and really enjoyed it. I read the book in the run up to the film coming out last year but didn't get round to seeing it at the cinema. I felt it clarified a lot of things that the book was a bit fuzzy about, and made Gatsby a much more 'real' & sympathetic character. Was very impressed, not least as I am not overly keen on Baz Luhrmann usually.

Salmon fishing in the Yemen

Memoirs of a Geisha. The book is the most beautiful I have ever read. The use of language is breathtaking. The film meh... so disappointing.

Brokeback Mountain is a very good example of a short novella making a beautiful film.

The Notebook, though schmaltzy shite is also an example of a film being better than a book.

KK's version of Elizabeth Bennett was atrocious and I fail to see why they needed to adapt it when the BBC had already nailed it years earlier.

I do like them but the Narnia films seemed pitched slightly oddly. The sheer magic and joy that captures the child and the allegory and depth which appeals to adults are not imagined properly. It tries to hang somewhere in the middle of the both and it appeals to neither group as well as it should. The franchise seems to have run out of steam too.

The beach, pride and prejudice

See. I love the book of Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, particularly as I work for The Environment Agency, and the politics, policy and "memo"ese is so realistic, but I thought the film was pretty good too. Fewer layers, and I imagined the hero to be older and scruffier than Ewan McG.

Good book, terrible film - I Don't Know How She Does It

My personal hate is the film of Madam Doubtfire, the film is so saccharine and misses all of Anne Fine's black humour. Almost walked out I disliked it so much.

dd was very upset by the Percy Jackson 'inspired' movies. But she was quite pleased that he has apparently apologised for them (sold the rights way too early).

We think that the Hunger Games films have been pretty good although part one of the Mockingjay missed out a lot of important details.

I prefer the films of LOTR to the books which are I think a bit turgid with characters who are more memes than people (ie x is a dwarf, therefore he behaves like y etc)

It sounds silly but if you have a bit of distance from the book then Golden Compass isn't all bad - some of the acting is brilliant and they've realised the world beautifully.

I liked Never Let Me Go, it isn't perfect but Carey Mulligan is amazing and the score is so haunting, adds a layer you don't get when reading.

Agree with everyone about Harry Potter - with the exception of Prisoner of Azkaban which I love. The rest of them drive me mad, missing out important detail to save time which they then fill with Hollywood rubbish like dragons breaking free, setting the burrow on fire, meeting girls at railway stations.....

I agree this is true in the main, but there are loads of exceptions.

Blade Runner, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining....

I loved the book "I don't know how she does it". When I went back to work I related to every bit off it.
Bought the film as I love SJP. What a pile of crap. And they changed the ending. Very unimpressed.

The Nanny Diaries is a very funny but heartbreaking book, the film was meh. Scarlett Johanssen as a nanny ? Really?

I loved The Crimson Petal and the White (book) but was disappointed in TV series, mainly as I couldn't see Chris O'Dowd as a Victorian industrialist.

Jonathan Strange currently not living up to the book, despite Eddie Marsden (? that's not the right name)

I second One Day - they didn't capture the dynamic between them by flying through the years and Anne Hathaway couldn't keep her accent together at aaall. Yorkshire, Queen's English, American, American-that's-lived-in-London-years. Bah.

Oh I really loved the film adaption of Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson. The bit at the end where she realises what he's talking about and get's all teary and shaky - perfect.

Oh I so agree superbean the only single aspect of I don't know how she does it that was in any way good or true to the book was Pierce Brosnan, the rest of it was utter trite.

I loved the tv adaptation of "The Crimson Petal and the White" though - perhaps its because I read the book afterwards.