40 Film Adaptations That Turned Out To Be Way Better Than The Books

Alfred Hitchcock didn’t wait long to transfer Robert Bloch’s Psycho to celluloid. His often-imitated chiller arrived in cinemas just a year after the original novel hit the shelves. And by initially focusing on Janet Leigh’s Marion Crane rather than Anthony Perkins’ crazed killer Norman Bates, it made that iconic shower scene all the more shocking.

First published as a short story in The New Yorker, Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain was deservedly showered with praise. But Ang Lee’s adaptation was able to fully flesh out the tale of forbidden love between two male sheepherders. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal gave career-best performances as the lovestruck leads. An Oscar-winning score and sumptuous shots of the Wyoming landscape also helped to heighten the emotion!

Despite the fact that Ryan Gosling’s lead barely utters more than a few words throughout the entire film, Drive is actually based on a book. Director Nicolas Winding Refn took some creative license with James Sallis’ 2005 novel, though. He saves the life of Irene, while Shannon is an amalgamation of three separate characters. Refn also used striking neon-lit visuals and a gorgeous synthwave score to make the source material truly his own.

James Bond fans had to wait more than half a century for Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale to make it to the big screen. Yet the anticipation proved to be worth it thanks to the casting of Daniel Craig. His brooding interpretation of the secret agent helped to reinvent the franchise. And his response to duplicitous Bond girl Eva Green’s demise packed far more of a punch than in the original, too.

Released in 1964, Dr. Strangelove was based on Peter George’s novel Red Alert – a relatively conventional nuclear war thriller. But by imbuing its story with an inspired mix of social commentary and satirical humor, the late great Stanley Kubrick made something far more distinctive.

Cormac McCarthy’s work isn’t always the easiest to adapt. But Joel and Ethan Coen made such a task look simple with their 2007 take on No Country for Old Men. The siblings bagged Best Director, Screenplay and Picture at the Academy Awards for their deliciously dark cat and mouse tale. Though it was Javier Bardem’s chilling hitman and his demented hairstyle, in particular, that left the biggest impression.

Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch holds quite the honor. It’s the only book that hugely influential director Quentin Tarantino has felt worthy of adapting. The 1992 novel was transferred to the screen five years later by the fast-talking auteur under the title of Jackie Brown. Tarantino not only made its fairly complex narrative palatable for the mainstream, he also revived the career of Blaxploitation star Pam Grier.

You might not know that Leonardo DiCaprio once tried to distance himself from his Titanic past by competing for American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman. Instead, it was Christian Bale who was given the task of inhabiting the central character from Bret Easton Ellis’ hugely provocative novel. It’s now hard to imagine anyone else playing the deranged fantasist with such wild abandon.

Just four years after Charles Webb’s The Graduate made it to bookstores, Mike Nichols decided to bring its charms to the big screen. Casting Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson – the older seductress – proved to be a masterstroke. Equally smart was choosing Dustin Hoffman to be the young man she sets her sights on. Of course, The Graduate probably wouldn’t have made half the impact without Simon and Garfunkel’s harmony laden soundtrack.

Peter Benchley’s Jaws – the tale of a killer shark terrorizing a small town – was an entertaining read. But Steven Spielberg realized that the teeth-sinking fish was the main attraction – not the relationship between a marine biologist and police chief’s wife. And accompanied by John Williams’ terrifying score, he subsequently made everyone afraid to go to the beach.

Many readers could relate to the unlucky in love, calorie-counting character at the center of Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’ Diary. So, eyebrows were raised when glamorous Hollywood star Renée Zellweger was chosen to portray her on screen. The actress soon won over skeptics with a committed Oscar-nominated turn. And she was ably supported by Hugh Grant’s cad and Colin Firth’s second time playing a Mr. Darcy.

What better way to ensure that your pride and joy novel doesn’t get tarnished than by writing its movie screenplay, too? That’s what William Goldman did with his charming 1973 fantasy The Princess Bride. And by casting everyone from funnyman Billy Crystal to super-sized wrestler Andre the Giant, the 1987 Hollywood version proved to be even more endearing than the source material.

We’re talking the 1968 version here, obviously, and not Tim Burton’s much-maligned remake from the turn of the century. Just five years after Pierre Boulle’s Planet of the Apes made it to the shelves, it was given the Hollywood treatment. And thanks to Charlton Heston’s towering performance, a hugely memorable soundtrack and one of the all-time great twist endings, it became a masterclass in how to adapt a novel.

You’re probably thinking of that wince-inducing moment when Malcolm McDowell’s eyes are clamped open right now. But Stanley Kubrick’s take on Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange has more to offer than its iconic nightmarish scene. The auteur wisely chose to focus on the U.S. edition of the 1962 novel – meaning that the ending is more in keeping with the film’s dark dystopian themes.

Many of Philip K. Dick’s sci-fi novels have been adapted for the big screen. Though it’s Blade Runner – Ridley Scott’s take on his 1969 book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – that remains the finest. In fact, after watching a rough cut of the 1982 film shortly before he passed away, even Dick himself acknowledged that his work had been surpassed.

Paul Thomas Anderson gave Upton Sinclair’s 1927 book Oil! a new lease of life 80 years on when he transferred it to the big screen. But good luck finding many similarities between the pair! Apart from the central themes and names, Anderson crafted an entirely new gripping story to give Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis something far meatier to chew on.

This particular entry is a no-brainer. After all, The Godfather is widely regarded as one of the best movies ever to come out of Hollywood. Francis Ford Coppola did have a great novel to work from – Mario Puzo’s same-named 1969 effort. Yet aided by an iconic performance from Marlon Brando as head honcho Don Corleone, he undoubtedly took its epic gangster saga to new heights.

Kim Basinger won an Academy Award for her performance in Curtis Hanson’s take on neo-noir novel L.A. Confidential. And the man who wrote the original appeared to be even more enamored than Oscar voters with the adaptation. According to Collider, James Ellroy said, “The book is black type on white paper and the film is visual. It’s a brilliantly compatible visual form of the novel.”

It’s fair to say that Stephen King isn’t the biggest fan of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. “A fancy car without an engine” was how the horror novelist once described the 1980 adaptation of his classic chiller. Though pretty much everyone else agrees that Kubrick’s visual trickery and Jack Nicholson’s mesmerizing lead performance make the big screen version even more terrifying.

Miloš Forman’s adaptation of Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest made a significant change. Instead of Chief serving as narrator, the director decided to tell the story from McMurphy’s point of view. This allowed Jack Nicholson to give a dynamic performance as the mental institute patient and amped up the tension between him and the passive-aggressive Nurse Ratched.

The Shawshank Redemption famously flopped at the box office on its 1994 release. But it has rightfully since been re-evaluated as an all-time classic. Frank Darabont’s effort fully fleshes out Stephen King’s Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption – a novella published 12 years earlier. And the relationship between Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman’s inmates was able to reduce even the most stoic of viewers to tears.

Thomas Harris’ novel The Silence of the Lambs became a best-seller on its 1988 release. But Jonathan Demme’s take three years later still managed to improve on its chilling story. That’s largely due to Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster’s compelling turns as serial killer Hannibal Lecter and FBI agent Clarice Starling respectively. The movie is still the only Best Picture Oscar winner that can be described as a horror.

Loosely based on her days serving as Vogue editor Anna Wintour’s assistant, Lauren Wesiberger’s 2003 book The Devil Wears Prada made for a juicy read. But its movie adaptation three years later was even more entertaining. Meryl Streep delivered one of her most memorable latter-day performances as boss from hell Miranda Priestly. The hit comedy also turned Emily Blunt into a bona fide star.

Michael Crichton’s 1990 book Jurassic Park was an entertaining read. But it was never going to be able to compete with Steven Spielberg’s breath-taking adaptation three years later. For one thing, we could actually see the likes of the Tyrannosaurus rex come back to life. Even though it tones down the original’s violence, the blockbuster hit is undoubtedly far more terrifying.

James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 would finally get the movie treatment nearly two centuries after its publication. Michael Mann’s version quickened the pace, simplified the rather laborious dialog and cast one of the greatest modern-day actors – Daniel Day-Lewis – as the lead. It’s little wonder, then, that the 1992 hit is considered far superior.

You know what you’re getting with a Nicholas Sparks novel. Lovestruck young adults, picturesque locations and lashings of full-blown melodrama are normally on the menu! Yet 2004’s The Notebook managed to elevate the corny source material into something genuinely emotional. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling’s charming performances certainly helped sell the decade-spanning romance. Their chemistry was so undeniable that it didn’t surprise when they started seeing each other off camera a year later, too.

David Fincher nailed the nihilistic tone of Chuck Palahniuk’s 1996 cult novel Fight Club but was still able to make several changes for the better. The pre-millennial film adaptation is far more scathing of antihero Tyler Durden, for one thing. And unlike the book, the plan to bring down numerous skyscrapers with explosives actually works.

Would Forrest Gump have become such an Oscar-winning phenomenon had it stuck closer to the source material? After all, Winston Groom’s 1986 novel saw its central character swearing like a trooper and featured far more of his sexual exploits. The movie undoubtedly sanitized its hero – played to perfection by Tom Hanks – but it also made him far more endearing as well.

Some fans may consider it sacrilege to put Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy ahead of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original books. Though you can’t deny that the director truly made its Middle Earth setting come to life. Every single one of the early ’00s blockbusters looked spectacular. Performances from veteran thespians such as Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee also ensured that there was also a lot of substance to its precious style.

Dennis Lehane’s noir-ish novels have sparked the interest of several directors over the years. But Clint Eastwood is considered to have made the most gripping adaptation with his 2003 take on Mystic River. Sean Penn won an Academy Award for his performance in the story of three old friends whose lives become interlinked once again by an unspeakable tragedy.

Stieg Larsson worked as a journalist before pivoting into espionage novels, which perhaps explains why The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is so wordy. Nels Arden Oplev was able to remove all the exposition from the source material in his 2009 adaptation. This also allowed Noomi Rapace’s much-loved heroine Lisbeth Salamander to take center stage more often.

Considered the ultimate coming-of-age movie by many, Stand By Me showed that Stephen King does have a softer side, too. Based on the horror maestro’s novella from 1982 called The Body, Rob Reiner’s version boasts a star-making performance from a young River Phoenix. Unlike the source material, though, it decides to spare the lives of Vern and Teddy – meaning that Gordie is the only character to die in both.

You probably didn’t even realize that Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was based on a book. Yes, the ground-breaking mix of live action and animation was adapted from Gary K. Wolf’s mystery Who Censored Roger Rabbit? As you’d expect, the film was able to capitalize on the zany premise much more. It was even able to bring together Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Warner Bros.’ Bugs Bunny!

As he proved in The Lord of the Rings, Ian McKellen’s voice of authority instantly gives any film a touch of class. The British legend’s narration ensured that the 2007 adaptation of Stardust still stayed true to the roots of Neil Gaiman’s fantasy. But director Matthew Vaughn was also able to add to the magic with several inspired action sequences.

Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women has been adapted on several occasions for the big screen. But only Greta Gerwig’s 2019 version can arguably lay claim to improving it. The acclaimed director put her own spin on things by playing around with the narrative – using several flashbacks and flash-forwards. And she was also able to honor the more ambiguous ending Alcott initially wanted but was denied by her publishers.

Who knew that perhaps the ultimate ’80s action movie was based on a book? Yes, Die Hard was adapted from the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. But it was Bruce Willis in that famous white vest that turned Detective John McClane into the hero that every guy wanted to be and every girl wanted to be with.

Critics were all ready to pounce on Sam Taylor-Johnson’s take on fan fiction phenomenon Fifty Shades of Grey in 2015. It’s why so many were surprised when the Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson vehicle proved to be relatively half-decent. Sure, it could never be considered a masterpiece. Though for an erotic drama based on some Twilight saga fan fiction, it could have been a lot worse.

Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón received rave reviews in 2006 with this bold take on P.D. James’ The Children of Men. Set in a near future where infertility is threatening the survival of mankind, the thriller often raised the tension to unbearable levels. The Mexican also produced some of the most jaw-dropping long shot sequences in modern cinema.

Stephen Chbosky made sure that his coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower was given a worthy big screen treatment by taking the director’s chair himself. As you’d expect, the differences between the two stories are relatively subtle. But thanks to an impressive lead performance from Logan Lerman and an inspired switch from Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” to David Bowie’s “Heroes” as the life-changing song, the film just about edges it.

Following the harrowing stories of four drug-addicted Coney Island natives, Hubert Selby Jr.’s 1978 novel Requiem for a Dream was already an unsettling read. But 22 years later Darren Aronofsky pushed the boundaries even further. His same-named movie adaptation undoubtedly showed the damaging effects of substance abuse more effectively than any words could possibly convey.