Films that are better

[Thrilla]

The only one I can think of in particular was Fight Club. Admittedly I saw the film before reading the book, but to me the book offered absolutely nothing the film didn't, and took longer to get there.

The only thing the book does better IMO is the ending, I love the open endedness of it, it was actually where I was going to go to some degree with the failed Fight Club diary I did a couple of years back and the whole 'return of Tyler' thing.

I always thought the lead character getting arrested following the happenings in the film and Tyler slowly creeping back into his life as he goes crazy in prison would have made a great follow-up to the original.

[Thatz]

If you think that the Lord of the Rings films are better than the books, then you probably aren't a huge fan of the fantasy genre. You really have to appreciate the level of detail that Tolkien puts into his world in order to enjoy the books. If you just like the story and the action, then the movies do a fair job. But the books have so much more...

[Fanku Kaibutsu]

I thought Starship Troopers was better than the book. The movie was a cheesy but entertaining sci-fi action thing, but the book was just bad. I dunno, maybe I was missing something, but between the teacher's "We have no crime in our society because we publicly beat criminals and everyone is too ashamed to be beaten in public so no one ever commits a crime, despite the fact that public punishment has never been a deterrent for crime in any other period of human history." and the main characters "Gee golly I sure do love women. I've never kissed one or even had sexual thoughts about one, but they sure are the best thing ever. Yep, the most important thing for a man going into combat is hearing a woman's voice before he's dropped from a space ship." and then his dad being all "Y'see son, when I was a wealthy self-made business man, I pansy faggot with a tiny dick. Now that I've joined the military, I'm a Real Man." I didn't even want to finish it.

Yeah, fuck that book.

Um. No.

The movie was good, but the book was better. They changed things and left things out, such as Dizzy being a guy and no freakin' powered battlesuits. And if you ask me, the way it was done in the movie Rico's thing for Denise Richards' character was total bull. She was a hot piece of ass, but that was about it. Without Michael Ironside as Razchek and Neil Patrick Harris as the psychic and the propaganda bits the movie would have been lame.

Incidentally, the military uniforms and helmets (and I think maybe the guns, too) were re-used in the first few episodes of one of the Power Rangers series. Lost Galaxy, I think.

Yeah, they changed things and left things out, and thank God they did because most of what they cut out was the heaping mounds of asinine pro-military, pro-corporal punishment rhetoric and "Rawr! I like girls and killin' shit! I'm a Real man!" bullshit that populated about 75% the book.

I agree, though, they shoulda kept the power armor in.

[Gongsun Zan]

If you think that the Lord of the Rings films are better than the books, then you probably aren't a huge fan of the fantasy genre. You really have to appreciate the level of detail that Tolkien puts into his world in order to enjoy the books. If you just like the story and the action, then the movies do a fair job. But the books have so much more...

I like the fantasy genre, but LOTR is just...encyclopedic.

[GhostMachine]

If you think that the Lord of the Rings films are better than the books, then you probably aren't a huge fan of the fantasy genre. You really have to appreciate the level of detail that Tolkien puts into his world in order to enjoy the books. If you just like the story and the action, then the movies do a fair job. But the books have so much more...

I like the fantasy genre, but LOTR is just...encyclopedic.

The LOTR trilogy is the friggin' foundation of the fantasy genre to begin with, so OF COURSE its going to be encyclopedic!

Yeesh!

[Thatz]

If you think that the Lord of the Rings films are better than the books, then you probably aren't a huge fan of the fantasy genre. You really have to appreciate the level of detail that Tolkien puts into his world in order to enjoy the books. If you just like the story and the action, then the movies do a fair job. But the books have so much more...

I like the fantasy genre, but LOTR is just...encyclopedic.

That's part of the book, though. That's what it's all about. It's supposed to be incredibly detailed because Tolkien created an entire world complete with a rich history, languages, and hundreds of characters. It's supposed to be like that, which is why I don't think that you can really say it takes away from the book. Besides, a lot of the visuals of the films wouldn't have been nearly as good without the descriptions in the book. It's easier to see them in the movie because you can just look at them instead of reading a page, but they're only there because Tolkien took the time to write about everything.

[Skummy]

Personally, though, I don't find Lord Of The Rings interesting. While I can see how its fascinating, and it's obviously an incredible undertaking and very impressive that he succeeded in creating an entire fantasy world, but it's too alienating. I don't want to read anything I can't relate to on at least some level, and I feel that a true fantasy novel should provide a mirror of our own world, and reflect our shortcomings or what have you, not create a situation that no one can relate to in the slightest. I can see the appeal, but its not for me...but then, I enjoy the films even less.

[Guest Ant]

Skummy have you read any of the Golden Compass novels?

[Gazz]

I have.

And the film was cock compared to the book, missing huge sections of plot and failing to explain certain things properly.

I'm not sure a film can top a book, because, as your reading a book, its like a movie playing in your head, except for, to your tastes, it has the perfect cast, acting, setting, cinematography etc. etc.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Fight Club is probably the only movie I've seen that is anywhere near the book. I still prefer the book though but the movie was so faithful to the FEEL of the book. A lot of movies concentrate on the plot and miss the feel but Fight Club nailed it.

Also, while I love the Battle Royale movie it's gotta be said, that even in it's relatively simple language (maybe due to the translation) the novel is better....The movie changes characters and misses things out...Boo.

Another movie that was NEARLY there was One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest but it couldn't capture the fact that the novel was special cos of who's point of view it was written in. Of course the movie couldn't capture that but it still made a very good attempt.

Oh, I prefer the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie to the book - well the Gene Wilder one at least. Wilder's Wonka was perfect. The Johnny Depp/Tim Burton one was poop.

[GRIFT]

The 39th Step is another one that Hitchcock made from a mediocre book or short story and made into a masterpiece.

[Guest Ant]

Yeah Depp couldnt work the Willy Wonka. Would have preferred Jim Carrey

Depp looked like Michael Jackson addicted to Snickers

[brenchill]

Yeah Depp couldnt work the Willy Wonka. Would have preferred Jim Carrey

Depp looked like Michael Jackson addicted to Snickers

Jim Carey as Willy Wonka? I think that claim is atleast ten years too late. Depp wasn't that bad anyway, the only problem I had with his version of the character was that he tried to be too like Wilder. He had very similiar mannerisms and especially the voice, too. And if by saying he reminded you of Michael Jackson means you think he was weird, well, I'm sure that was intended.

[JStarr]

Not based on a "book" per se, but Shawshank Redemption, I think, distilled the story a lot better than King's novella did. The novella sort of rambled at times. One of the only novellas/short stories of King's that I just went "meh" over.

And speaking of King, the "Nightmares and Dreamscapes" mini-series was great, as well. Eight great short stories that made for eight really tight half-hour short films. I wouldn't say better than the book, but still pretty damn good. Especially William Hurt going to war against about 8000 plastic army men. (Y)