Not every story is suited for the screen, making the printed version a much more authentic representation of the characters and plots contained between the punctuation. For others, however, the opposite applies, where the visual medium of movies or television creates an immersive experience that isn't available in novel form. From page to screen, movies that are better than their literature counterparts take narratives and expand them while creating a world that exists outside the reader's imagination.
Just because these adaptations are a better method of storytelling doesn't mean the source material was bad to begin with. Filmmakers may tweak endings or remove material that hasn't aged well and won't work on the screen. The movies that are better than the book pay their dues to the authors and the pages they recreate but convey the themes, character development, and pacing in a manner that resonates more concretely with audiences.
10
'Forrest Gump' (1994)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Image via Paramount Pictures
One of the most defining changes of the page-to-screen translation of the titular Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) skyrocketed the movie into critical acclaim and landed it as one of the most legendary movies in cinematic history. Forrest Gump is the story of a kind-hearted Alabama man who recounts his life from the 1950s to the 1970s as he experienced some of America's most historic events, always with the hope of reuniting with his childhood best friend and sweetheart. The novel, written by Winston Groom, depicted Forrest as simple-minded but prone to swearing, gruffness, and sometimes violence.
The Forrest Gump character delivered by Hanks is one of the most beloved in all of cinema. Director Robert Zemeckis gave audiences a more easily digestible narrative despite its moments of loss and brutal reality shown through the eyes of Forrest's naivety. The novel is written directly from Forrest's perspective and filled with intentional grammatical and spelling errors, adding an uncomfortable layer to the already questionable depiction of Forrest's mental condition. The journey through time is much more easily navigable on screen, making the Oscar-winning feature a much better story than the source novel.
Forrest Gump
Release Date
July 6, 1994
Runtime
142 minutes
Writers
Winston Groom
, Eric Roth
9
'Jaws' (1975)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Image via Universal Pictures
The major liberties Steven Spielberg took with Jaws is why the Best Picture-winning creature feature is better than the book. Transporting audiences to the idyllic beaches of Amity Island, where a great white shark has established its new feeding ground, three men set out on a charter to kill the beast. One of the best horror movies of all time, Jaws is an adaptation of Peter Benchly's novel of the same name.
From making the characters more likable to removing offensive elements that would have inhibited the movie's timeless status, Spielberg's cinematic expertise allowed Jaws to succeed better on the screen than it did on the page. The director's refusal to show the shark until at least an hour built up a visual tension that can't exist in the book, with the shark's only presence signaled by that terrifyingly iconic John Williams score.
Release Date
June 18, 1975
Runtime
124 minutes
Writers
Peter Benchley
, Carl Gottlieb
, John Milius
, Howard Sackler
, Robert Shaw
8
'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994)
Directed by Frank Darabont
Image via Columbia Pictures
One of Rogert Ebert's choices for the greatest movies from the 1990s is an adaptation of a Stephen King novella. The Shawshank Redemption is the story of a former banker, Andy (Tim Robbins), as he serves his prison sentence for allegedly killing his wife and her lover. While maintaining his innocence and contemplating whether there's hope inside the prison, Andy befriends Red (Morgan Freeman), a fellow inmate with a life sentence who also serves as the film's narrator. While the movie's theatrical release left much to be desired, as its home-viewing word-of-mouth spread, the adaptation quickly became one of the best prison dramas.
Shifting from the novella, The Shawshank Redemption is told from multiple viewpoints, making Red the narrator and not the camera's central perspective. Doing so allowed audiences to become further invested in Andy's conflicts and struggles as he looks for a way out. With a medium forgiving of time, The Shawshank Redemptionexpanded upon and added movie moments that created a more cinematic tale than King's Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.
The Shawshank Redemption
Release Date
October 14, 1994
Runtime
142 minutes
7
'The Devil Wears Prada' (2006)
Directed by David Frankel
The Wall Street of fashion, The Devil Wears Pradais the iconic portrayal of the cutthroat world of this glamorous industry. Fresh-faced college grad and aspiring journalist Andy Sacks (Anne Hathaway) quickly learns the gravity of the situation when she's hired at fashion magazine Runway under the sharp, cutting eye of editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). If she can make it through one year as Miranda's assistant, she can write anywhere in New York after.
The Oscar-nominated film is better than the source novel by Lauren Weisberger because of the industry the story revolves around. Fashion is a visual medium, and the written descriptions are unable to do justice to the characters and clothing. On the screen, the colors and vibrancy of Andy's new world in contrast to her old one strengthen the story, as well as aid in the character development of Miranda. Streep's immaculate performance provided cracks in the character's facade, humanizing Miranda Priestly in a way that the book can't.
Based on the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, this genre-defining movie transcends the source material. Blade Runner stars Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, a futuristic police officer tasked with tracking down four outlaw replicants who have returned to Earth in search of their creator. The problem is telling who's human and who's machine. Ridley Scott's sci-fi earned two Oscar nominations, one for Best Visual Effects, which is, perhaps, the main reason fans prefer the cinematic take over the read.
Science fiction is a genre that reads well but looks better on the screen, where the imagination has something concrete to cling to. The visuals also aid in both identifying replicants and making it difficult to distinguish one. Blade Runner outshines Dick's 1968 novel primarily because it leaves the conclusion up for debate. As moviegoers ponder whether Deckard is a replicant or not, it sparks a deeper analysis of the definition of humanity in an artificial intelligence world.
Release Date
June 25, 1982
Runtime
117 minutes
Writers
Hampton Fancher
, David Webb Peoples
, Philip K. Dick
, Roland Kibbee
5
'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' (2007)
Directed by David Yates
Image via Warner Bros
The worldwide phenomenon of the Wizarding World and the Boy Who Lived had a few entries in the series that were better than the book. However, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix might just be the biggest upgrade. The fifth installment sees Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) return to Hogwarts after his graveyard confrontation with Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). The movie contains some of the best fantasy action in the genre via the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and marks David Yates' first turn as a Wizarding World director.
The novel is a hefty read at 870 pages or so, depending on the edition. Where Order of the Phoenix succeeds over the lengthy novel is its careful selection of key points that the strict moviegoers needed to know to establish the series' forward trajectory. From Harry's defense of his integrity against the crumbling bureaucracy of the Ministry to the growing emotional and physical isolation he feels, Order of the Phoenix takes audiences through a much more intimate exploration of Harry's trauma.
With multiple films and dozens of other adaptations spanning television, stage, and animation, Little Women is Louisa May Alcott's enduring coming-of-age tale. Its most recent feature film starred Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen as the March sisters of 19th Century Massachusetts, each sister discovering trials and tribulations on their way to womanhood. The six-time Oscar-nominated film from Greta Gerwig is a unique adaptation that surpasses the novel.
Gerwig's non-linear take on the classic tale allowed the audiences to connect on a deeper level with each character and how the influence of their youth would impact their adult future. The narrative she presents onscreen is thought-provoking to the origins of Alcott's writing bound by an era where women had yet to vote, and a male editor had the final say on Jo's writing. Little Women of 2019 expertly poses freethinking behind closed doors against societal realities and expectations of women. While remaining faithful to the source material and its constraints, Gerwig presented a modernized version of the story that resonated more deeply with audiences.
While there are differences in the perspective focal points and moments of emphasis, The Social Network is an entertainingly superior retelling of the founding of Facebook compared to its source material, The Accidental Billionaires, by Ben Mezrich. The docudrama stars Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg as he sits in a deposition, the story ping-ponging back and forth between past and present as he, the plaintiffs, and lawyers recount the creation of the social media site Facebook. The Social Network is the best screenplay by wordsmith Aaron Sorkin. His signature quick cadence, paired with David Fincher's direction and the top-tier performances, make it a cinematic masterpiece.
While the film takes its noticeable creative liberties from the source novel, which Zuckerberg seemingly refused to participate in, it remains the superior version. The Accidental Billionaires is told primarily from the perspective of those who Zuckerberg allegedly slighted during Facebook's inception and astronomical growth, whereas the film invites a more complex conversation by directly involving Zuckerberg's psyche in the story. When viewers and readers had to choose which version of the story was more captivating and immersing, The Social Network got the like.
Release Date
October 1, 2010
Runtime
120 minutes
Writers
Aaron Sorkin
2
'The Princess Bride' (1987)
Directed by Rob Reiner
Image via 20th Century Studios
Sharing the same author for the book and screenplay, The Princess Bride is a cult classic that translated seamlessly to the screen, making it better than its original form. The fairytale begins with a sick boy (Fred Savage) in bed as his grandfather (Peter Falk) reads him a story about a farm boy-turned-pirate (Cary Elwes) and his true love for a princess (Robin Wright). The beloved fantasy-adventure novel was written by William Goldman.
Where the movie succeeds over the book is its departure from being overly meta and cutting out a 30-page introduction, utilizing interruptions in the fairytale to pull back to the boy and the grandfather. The Princess Bride pulls all the best elements from the book and brings the sword fights, castles, battles of wits, and true love out of the pages' imagination onto the screen, where the actors are forever synonymous with their roles.
Release Date
October 9, 1987
Runtime
98 minutes
Writers
William Goldman
1
'Brokeback Mountain' (2005)
Directed by Ang Lee
Image via Focus Features
With the movie admired as better, that doesn't mean the original novella wasn't an engrossing read. Brokeback Mountain is the dramatic romance of two Wyoming shepherds who fall in love on the titular mountain and spend the next 20 years hiding the affair as they marry their respective girlfriends. The Oscar-winning movie is based on Annie Proulx's 1997 story of the same name.
Ang Lee's feature film expanded upon the groundwork laid by Proulx, developing a more intimate look at Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack's (Jake Gyllenhaal) lives and the conflict that brews before and after their affair begins. The expanded narrative onscreen depicts a much more devastating cost of love than what is available within Proulx's pages, garnering a larger emotional investment from moviegoers. Brokeback Mountain, whether on page or screen, is still a heartbreaking story of love and loss, but the latter makes it more poignant and tragic.
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Image via Paramount Pictures
Image via Universal Pictures
Image via Columbia Pictures
Image via Warner Bros.
Image via Warner Bros
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Image via 20th Century Studios
Image via Focus Features
English (US) ·