Confession: I’m a purist when it comes to books and am very picky when it comes to on-screen adaptations of popular and well-loved works of fiction. I watch these films with the critical eye of a book lover and am constantly comparing details from the book to those on the big screen. And these are 7 books that I feel have not been done justice with. They’re so much better than their movies!
Snapshot Survey
1. Pride & Prejudice
One of my favorite books of all time, the 2005 movie of the same name does NO justice to it at all. None. Sure, it may be a watchable movie and if you’ve not read the book you would even enjoy it. However, if you get a chance, read the original novel by Jane Austen and you’ll find so much more depth to the characters and story.
[Note: I’m not including the 1994 TV mini-series here because that wouldn’t technically qualify as a movie. But that is one awesome adaptation of the book.]
2. Harry Potter (1-7)
Don’t bite my head off here please but I really think the Harry Potter books are way better than their movies. And I’m sure a lot of HP loyalists will think like me. There is just so much more detail, so many more characters and so many little plots in the books that you just don’t see on the big screen. And so whenever I need my magic fix, I’ll head to my bookshelf and not my TV.
3. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
Nobody who has read this Roald Dahl classic will question this. As good an actor as Johnny Depp is, he was woefully disappointing as Willy Wonka. And don’t even get me started on deviations from the original, much loved across the world, story. Stick to the book for this one, I say.
4. Bridget Jones’s Diary
Oh dear, where do I even start here? I love the book. But casting Colin Firth as a main character ruined it for me completely. Why? Because in the book, the character of Bridget Jones is a fan of (wait for it) Colin Firth, the actor! Now you see the ridiculousness of the whole thing? Add to this several plot changes and I’d rather stick with reading the book here.
5. The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy)
As good as the movies are, the books are just so much better. SO MUCH BETTER. And that’s all I have to say about this.
6. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
I don’t think any movie can ever capture the brilliance that this book is. And honestly, to get a lot of the jokes in the movie, you have to have read the book. Otherwise you’re just going to be left wondering what happened there?!
7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Stieg Larsson’s book is so, so good. And the movies (both the US and the Swedish versions) are nowhere close. There is just so much more to the book than what the movies show. The book leaves you totally gripped and I for one couldn’t put it down. I wish I could say the same about the movies though!
There is something about the written word that is difficult to translate into a movie that is as close to the original story as possible. A lot of filmmakers do get it right and some miss the spot when adapting books into movies. These are 7 books that I think are way better than their movies. What books make your list?
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