14 movies that were better than their books (and 14 that were just as good)

Unlike traditional lore, the book is not always better than the movie. Search long enough and you will find plenty of movies that captured the essence of the book perfectly and then elevated it a step further.  Here, I submit 14 movies that did justice to the original book and another 14 movies that I feel were better than the original book.

14 Well written books/stories and equally excellent movies.

1. Omen 
2. Bladerunner 
3. A Time to Kill 
4. A Walk to Remember 
5. Atonement 
6. One flew over the Cuckoo's nest 
7. Mystic River 
8. Catch Me if you Can  
9. Fight Club
10. Runaway Jury 
11. To Kill a Mockingbird 
12. Gone with the Wind 
13. L.A. Confidential 
14. The Exorcist

You can actually find most of these movies online and even if they aren't apparently accessible in your area from Netflix, you can actually unlock and access these movies and more than 250 other secret categories with just this simple trick. 

Now that we've seen the runner-ups, let's head onto the main event :

14 movies that were better than the book.

14. Princess Diaries
While the book is a light read, Anne Hatheway (in a star making role), Julie Andrews and the Disney touch ensured this is a wonderfully done feel-good movie.

13. Children of Men
Alfonso Cuaron's movie is very different from the original P.D. James book which is more of a theological discussion as opposed to the thriller feel given to the movie. And it does benefit from that.

12. The Godfather
By retaining some aspects of the main story and leaving others for The Godfather 2, the movie becomes more focused, I feel.

11. Jaws
Yes, the book is good. But you just know the movie is better and a true cult classic at all levels.

10. Stand by Me
One of the best 'coming of age' movies, the Rob Reiner movie based on a Stephen King novella captured that feeling of childhood nostalgia perfectly.  

9. Jurassic Park
I think its the visualization that ensures this makes the list. Actually being able to see very realistic dinosaurs in action as opposed to reading of them was an amazing experience 25 years ago! 

8. A Beautiful Mind

Credit goes to : Ron Howard ( director ) and Akiva Goldsman ( screenplay )

Frankly, the book is annoying and unengaging. It is depressing, it is harrowing and it delves too deep into jargon that isn't frankly relevant. The movie starring Russell Crowe atleast attempts to put on a hint of mystery, intrigue and more importantly hope to the real life story of delusional schizophrenic John Nash, who would eventually beat the odds and get a Nobel Laureate. 

7. Prestige

Credit goes to : director Christopher Nolan

The book about two magicians whose rivalries define not just their career but their lives is no doubt a good read. But the movie is so much more - the direction is spell-binding ( no pun intended ), more emphasis is given to the three stages of an illusion and it's relevance in real-life and the acting is par excellence. For women - well, you have Wolverine vs Batman. What more can you ask for ?

6. Forrest Gump

Credit goes to : Director Robert Zemeckis.

This was, and in my opinion still remains, one of the best example of how simplicity can move your heart. Tom Hanks' role as the perennial do-gooder helping people ( including Elvis ! ) selflessly, while yearning for love is a masterpiece of story-telling and human nature at it's best. So sweet. So innocent. So natural...oh wait. Maybe not. Were you aware that in the Winston Groom novel, he also goes into space and meets an alien monkey ! And a short while later, gets captured by cannibals too ? 

Yeah. That's why the movie's better. Because they knew what to leave out.

5. & 4. Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile

Credit goes to : Stephen King ( novelist ) and Frank Darabont ( director )
No author in history perhaps has as many movie adaptations of his novels as horror writer Stephen King. And yet, it is the tale of friendship between two unlikely people in a prison that till date, adorns so many people's list of "Favourite Movie". There is no violence. No CGI. No women. And yet, this story is so profound and heartwarming that even grown men cry. Stephen King himself was man enough to admit that the movie was better than his book.

For those of you thinking it was a fluke, the two would collaborate 2 more times to further critical acclaim - The Green Mile ( another great human tale of an unusual prisoner awaiting death row... RIP Michael Clarke Duncan ) and The Mist ( a supernatural tale with a very human element to it, which I warn you in advance, has one of the most gut wrenching endings I have ever seen. )

3. Die Hard

Credit goes to : It's the original Die Hard. Just stand up and applaud already. 

New York cop John McClane taking on German terrorists at the Nakatomi Corporation. 'Nuff said. 

Fun Fact : here's what you didn't know. The author of the novel on which the movie was based ( Nothing Lasts Forever ) had a prequel way back in the 60s. That too was made into a movie called The Detective starring none other than Frank Sinatra ! ( In the books, the characters name is Joe Leland though. ) So technically, Bruce Willis isn't the original Die Hard man.

2. The Lord of the Rings series.

Credit goes to : Peter Jackson, the director.
Have you read the novel ? If you have got through the whole thing with it's elves, dwarves, sorcerers and made up languages and then seen the movie(s), then you know that it couldn't possibly have been taken any more beautifully. Peter Jackson, I salute you.

1. The Silence of The Lambs.

Credit goes to : Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.
Frankly, there are better pyschopath based novels, if you care to search ( think John Conolly, Jeffrey Deaver etc ), but what made the movie iconic was not just Hopkins' chilling portrayal as Dr Hannibal Lecter but the interaction between him and Jodie Foster as she tries to hunt down a killer at large. 

Fun fact : The moths used in the movie were celebrities : They were flown in first class, had their own rooms ( a temperature thing ) and even had special costumes for themselves (the design on their back is based on artist Salvador Dali's photograph 'in voluptate mors' symbolising seven nude women ).

So what did you think of the list - Agree ? Disagree ? Got another movie in mind ? Some movie from the first list that deserved to make the final 7 instead? Do comment with your opinions.

I'm all ears.

Authors note:

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