When the movie/show is better than the book

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fade

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I may have done this one before. Can't remember. If so, I apologize. List examples of times you thought the movie or show was better than the book. We hear plenty of the opposite. I'll throw one of each out there.

TMNT (original series)
I really thought the television show had a better, darker feel overall. The pilot was particularly good. I also preferred the more sophisticated way in which the mutagen worked in the show.

The Princess Bride
Not terribly surprising, given that the author was a screenwriter first. Some of the bigger themes of the book disappear in the movie, but it's overall a better story.
 
Shegokigo

Shegokigo

fade said:
TMNT (original series)
I really thought the television show had a better, darker feel overall. The pilot was particularly good. I also preferred the more sophisticated way in which the mutagen worked in the show.
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You're nucking futs. The original comic series (not the comic that was based on the cartoon) was dark, bloody and freakin great.
 
I

Iaculus

The Bourne trilogy.

Also, Little Mermaid. Because Hans Christian Andersen was fucked in the head.
 
fade

fade

Staff member
Shegokigo said:
fade said:
TMNT (original series)
I really thought the television show had a better, darker feel overall. The pilot was particularly good. I also preferred the more sophisticated way in which the mutagen worked in the show.
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You're nucking futs. The original comic series (not the comic that was based on the cartoon) was dark, bloody and freakin great.
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I know which one is the original. Liked the show better. Not saying the comic was bad, just liked the show better for various reasons.
 
Shegokigo

Shegokigo

fade said:
I know which one is the original. Liked the show better. Not saying the comic was bad, just liked the show better for various reasons.
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Liking it better? Sure. Calling it "darker"? That's what I had issue with.
 
Shannow

Shannow

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League of Extrodinary Gentlemen

Twilight

The Grinch

Wanted

Jumper

Beowulf



All of these are FANTASTIC!!!
 
L

Lally

I have never read it, but I've always heard that The Godfather was better than the Mario Puzo novel it was based on.

Bicentennial Man was based on an Asimov story, and while I love both, I think I liked the movie a little better. I probably sound like a sci-fi heathen, but I think it was because of the plot elements they added. Usually I hate when they add a bunch of stuff to a short story to make it into a long movie, but I really liked what they did to this one.

The Green Mile was another great one. I loved the book (novellas?), but I thought Tom Hanks and especially Michael Clarke Duncan were really good choices for the characters.

Gone With The Wind... I loved both, but it took me like 2 weeks of non-stop reading to read the novel and the movie is only a few hours, and of course features Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. So it wins.
 
Charlie Don't Surf

Charlie Don't Surf

Children of Men is a pretty good example of this.

I didn't think the Silence of the Lambs books were that bad at all. The movie was still better since it was one of the best movies of the 90s by far, but the books were still fine.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
My late sister said that The Great Mouse Detective was much better than Basil of Baker Street. I didn't think it was that clear cut, but I haven't seen/read either in a while.
 
Enresshou

Enresshou

I'm going to catch hell for this, but V for Vendetta. I love everything else Alan Moore has done, but the comic just felt long and drawn-out to me. Yes, I know a lot of stuff was changed/adapted for the movie, but I preferred the movie to the comic.
 
R

rabbitgod

I hate to say it, but I thought LotR was better in movie form.

There are some parts where clearly the book is better, but as a whole I like the movie much better.
 
fade

fade

Staff member
rabbitgod said:
I hate to say it, but I thought LotR was better in movie form.

There are some parts where clearly the book is better, but as a whole I like the movie much better.
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You're fired.

Clean out your desk. Security will escort you out.
 
W

wana10

thank you for smoking. the book was crap and the movie is awesome.
harry potter 6. i hated the last couple harry potter books but the 6th movie was pretty good.
 
fade

fade

Staff member
Gill Kaiser said:
Blade Runner.
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Even Dick praised the movie. He said that Scott reproduced his internal vision frighteningly well, and that even though the book and the movie diverge, he thinks they're complementary.

(Haha, the censor starred out the name Dick.)
 
Shegokigo

Shegokigo

fade said:
rabbitgod said:
I hate to say it, but I thought LotR was better in movie form.

There are some parts where clearly the book is better, but as a whole I like the movie much better.
Click to expand...
You're fired.

Clean out your desk. Security will escort you out.
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*cracks knuckles*
Where should you like I throw the body?
 

I've felt that the Harry Potter movies are better, if only because there's so many needless side-plots in the books. Like basically everything with the house elves (like Hermione setting up some kind of anti-abuse...thing?) or the ridiculously long bits of camping in the last book. The movies take out a lot of the unnecessary side plots and make the plot much more fast paced.

I agree with Fight Club, except the ending. I know that even Paluhniuk prefers the movie ending, but I thought it was a bit too over the top and not as personal as the book's ending was.

Did Gaiman really say the Stardust movie was better than the original graphic novel? I've never read it, but I effing loved the movie, so I'd be curious to hear that confirmed.

Also, Sheg, did you know they just re-released a giant volume of the old TMNT comic? Hopefully, it's only the first of many.
 
Simfers

Simfers

Enresshou said:
I'm going to catch hell for this, but V for Vendetta. I love everything else Alan Moore has done, but the comic just felt long and drawn-out to me. Yes, I know a lot of stuff was changed/adapted for the movie, but I preferred the movie to the comic.
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I'll whole-heartedly agree with this. Also with the bunny who liked the LOTR movies better than the books.
 
R

rabbitgod

Simfers said:
Enresshou said:
I'm going to catch hell for this, but V for Vendetta. I love everything else Alan Moore has done, but the comic just felt long and drawn-out to me. Yes, I know a lot of stuff was changed/adapted for the movie, but I preferred the movie to the comic.
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I'll whole-heartedly agree with this. Also with the bunny who liked the LOTR movies better than the books.
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Thank you.

It's not that LotR isn't a fantastic book. It's great! In between chapters of http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Eating ... 84&sr=8-11 I'm reading Two Towers.

I just think there were whole sections of the book that could have been chopped down. I get that Frodo and Sam walked...a lot. But I don't really want to read it.

I do prefer short stories, so that obviously colors my position.
 
ElJuski

ElJuski

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ThatNickGuy said:
I agree with Fight Club, except the ending. I know that even Paluhniuk prefers the movie ending, but I thought it was a bit too over the top and not as personal as the book's ending was.
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Uhhh...the same overthetop stuff happens. There's just an extra chapter...which, really, isn't all that great in my opinion.
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

I can see some one enjoying LoTR more in movie form. To me, that choice would mostly come down to plowing through all the poetry and songs that support the narrative. He also used some archaic English for some of the descriptive language. I still prefer the books, but those are my 2 gripes about them.
 

ElJuski said:
ThatNickGuy said:
I agree with Fight Club, except the ending. I know that even Paluhniuk prefers the movie ending, but I thought it was a bit too over the top and not as personal as the book's ending was.
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Uhhh...the same overthetop stuff happens. There's just an extra chapter...which, really, isn't all that great in my opinion.
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From what I remember (been about 5 years since I last read it), the buildings and such didn't blow up, he shot himself and put himself in a coma. Then, his little foot soldiers said they'd keep on the fight in his name or something.
 
Rob King

Rob King

I thought the Watchmen movie was a more cohesive whole than the Watchmen graphic novel, what with the different ending and everything.
 
ElJuski

ElJuski

Staff member
Rob King said:
I thought the Watchmen movie was a more cohesive whole than the Watchmen graphic novel, what with the different ending and everything.
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*throws coat over Rob* come on man, we gotta get you out of here before they eat you alive. Let's go go go
 
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