Novels that can't beat their movies.

kal-el · Feb 2, 2010

After reading Jaws, I must say that I thought it was a good book, and it was interesting how Peter Benchley told parts of the story through the eyes of the shark, homing in on people by picking up their signals in the deep and how it detected the vibrations in the water. Impressive.

But it didn't frighten me at all. The film on the other hand terrified me, petrified me in fact, and I'm of the opinion that this classic story is just something that's much better on the big screen.

Naturally, there are great novels that could never be as powerful in the form of a movie, but I think the same rule applies the other way round too in some cases. For example, I can't see a zombie novel ever competing with George Romero's Dawn of the Dead movie, and I don't see a superhero novel ever competing with Christopher Reeve's first two Superman films.

Anyone care to comment?

Kitty Pryde · Feb 2, 2010

The novel World War Z is better by far than any Romero film. And of course they're making it into a movie, which probably won't be as good.

NomAnor · Feb 2, 2010

I just couldn't find any kind of thrill in Jurassic Park when I read the novel. You'd think people being eaten by dinosaurs would be exciting, but it just seemed dry to me. I think the movie is much better.

AryaT92 · Feb 2, 2010

Oops, thought this thread wanted the reverse..

Nateskate · Feb 2, 2010

kal-el said:
After reading Jaws, I must say that I thought it was a good book, and it was interesting how Peter Benchley told parts of the story through the eyes of the shark, homing in on people by picking up their signals in the deep and how it detected the vibrations in the water. Impressive.

But it didn't frighten me at all. The film on the other hand terrified me, petrified me in fact, and I'm of the opinion that this classic story is just something that's much better on the big screen.

Naturally, there are great novels that could never be as powerful in the form of a movie, but I think the same rule applies the other way round too in some cases. For example, I can't see a zombie novel ever competing with George Romero's Dawn of the Dead movie, and I don't see a superhero novel ever competing with Christopher Reeve's first two Superman films.

Anyone care to comment?

Jaws "The movie" was astounding. I couldn't visualize that in the parts of the book I read.

I'm not making a judgment between Lord of the Rings movies and novels, but I loved them both for different reasons. My love of the movies was immediate. My appreciation for the novels grew over time. There are parts of both I wouldn't trade.

But I don't see them as being in competition, rather I see them as two unique and very entertaining gifts to the world.

Phaeal · Feb 2, 2010

Well, off the bat, I can think of Watchmen, the movie, which I prefer to Watchmen, the graphic novel. But since both are visual, that may not count as much.

I love Dexter, the series, much much more than Dexter, the novels.

Usually I prefer novels to their movies, but some movies/series have earned an equal amount of my love:

The Lord of the Rings (Jackson's extended version)
Pride & Prejudice (the A&E miniseries)
Dracula (the old PBS miniseries starring, oddly enough, Louis Jourdan)
The Mayor of Casterbridge (old PBS miniseries with Alan "God" Bates)

Cyia · Feb 2, 2010

The Lord of the Rings -- all 3 of them.

It's much easier keeping track of all those characters and locations when you have a visual to go with them. I know some of it changed from the books, but it was still a great series of films.

ether · Feb 2, 2010

*jumps in*

I might get stared at for this, but... Fight Club. It was such a fantastic movie and the narration lines from the book were perfect for on-screen, but in book-form I just... couldn't get into it. I know that it's his style of writing. It distracts me too much from what's actually happening.

kal-el · Feb 2, 2010

Phaeal said:
Well, off the bat, I can think of Watchmen, the movie, which I prefer to Watchmen, the graphic novel. But since both are visual, that may not count as much.

I love Dexter, the series, much much more than Dexter, the novels.

Usually I prefer novels to their movies, but some movies/series have earned an equal amount of my love:

The Lord of the Rings (Jackson's extended version)
Pride & Prejudice (the A&E miniseries)
Dracula (the old PBS miniseries starring, oddly enough, Louis Jourdan)
The Mayor of Casterbridge (old PBS miniseries with Alan "God" Bates)

The Lord of the Rings movies are untouchable. Especially the extended versions.

PeterL · Feb 2, 2010

NomAnor said:
I just couldn't find any kind of thrill in Jurassic Park when I read the novel. You'd think people being eaten by dinosaurs would be exciting, but it just seemed dry to me. I think the movie is much better.

CCritchon has written a novel in decades; he just writes the movie.

kal-el · Feb 2, 2010

Kitty Pryde said:
The novel World War Z is better by far than any Romero film. And of course they're making it into a movie, which probably won't be as good.

Really? Better than Dawn of the Dead!?

I've heard World War Z is very good, but I'd be very surprised if it has the same kind of impact on me as Romero's 1978 classic. I will have to check this out then and I hope I agree with you after I read it.

Wavy_Blue · Feb 2, 2010

For me, Coraline the movie was much better than Coraline the book. Keep in mind that I did see the movie first, so perhaps if I had read the book first I would feel differently. I also know that there are a lot of Gaiman fans around these parts, but the book just didn't make the story for me like the movie did. The film is so beautiful and ingenious and imaginative that I can hardly think that the very bare novella is better. And to think they didn't use CGI even once in that entire film is amazing. Visuals aside, I liked movie!Coraline much better than book!Coraline and all-around thought the movie's characters were much more interesting than their book counterparts.

That's all from me for now.

LostInReality · Feb 2, 2010

I second LOTR and Fight Club....the books were great, but the movies just kicked ass and took names. Of course, I expect several on here to be like WTF is this girl thinking, but this is my story and I'm sticking to it!

Kitty Pryde · Feb 2, 2010

kal-el said:
Really? Better than Dawn of the Dead!?

I've heard World War Z is very good, but I'd be very surprised if it has the same kind of impact on me as Rmoreo's 1978 classic. I will have to check this out then and I hope I agree with you after I read it.

Really. The thing about WWZ is that I think people tend to have very low expectations of a book about zombies. I know I did. But not only is it entertaining, it's very well written and even a little bit profound. The imagery is more vivid than most zombie movies, and the scenario in the book is way scarier than shambling zombies mocking consumerist culture.

DeleyanLee · Feb 2, 2010

For all that The Princess Bride novel and screenplay was written by the same man (William Goldman), I think the movie was much better. I think the framing story in the movie was a lot less intrusive than the book. But I adore them both.

maestrowork · Feb 2, 2010

JAWS, definitely.

I prefer Children of Man, the movie to the book.

Big Fish -- the book was so "meh" I wondered why anyone would even want to make a movie of it... Tim Burton made magic with the adaptation.

Fight Club -- the book was good; the movie was better.

kal-el · Feb 2, 2010

Kitty Pryde said:
Really. The thing about WWZ is that I think people tend to have very low expectations of a book about zombies. I know I did. But not only is it entertaining, it's very well written and even a little bit profound. The imagery is more vivid than most zombie movies, and the scenario in the book is way scarier than shambling zombies mocking consumerist culture.

You have my attention, and this is a book that I am going to read very soon. I've heard so many good things about it and considering I want to write a zombie novel myself, this should be right up my street.

So are the killings very descriptive and scary? Does it really feel like you need to cringe when people are being eaten alive? I've read so much zombie fiction and IMO, nobody has ever really pulled it off.

I will say though, I think your underestimating Dawn of the Dead. It's still the ultimate zombie film that sets the standards, and in my opnion, it's the best horror film ever made.

Ehab.Ahmed · Feb 2, 2010

Cyia said:
The Lord of the Rings -- all 3 of them.

It's much easier keeping track of all those characters and locations when you have a visual to go with them. I know some of it changed from the books, but it was still a great series of films.

Yeah, I can't see myself enjoying the books as much. I haven't read the books because I've seen the movies first.

TrickyFiction · Feb 2, 2010

Wavy_Blue said:
For me, Coraline the movie was much better than Coraline the book. Keep in mind that I did see the movie first, so perhaps if I had read the book first I would feel differently. I also know that there are a lot of Gaiman fans around these parts, but the book just didn't make the story for me like the movie did. The film is so beautiful and ingenious and imaginative that I can hardly think that the very bare novella is better. And to think they didn't use CGI even once in that entire film is amazing. Visuals aside, I liked movie!Coraline much better than book!Coraline and all-around thought the movie's characters were much more interesting than their book counterparts.

I'm a Gaiman fan and I'm with you on this, actually. While I love his stories, I often struggle with the works themselves. It's no fault of his; it's all me and my sorry excuse for an attention span. I love to listen to his books, though, or watch them. I just can't read them easily for some reason. I've decided he has a very oral/campfire style of storytelling that just works better for me when I can either hear or see it. I also liked the additional character's in the film, and felt they were fleshed out more and made more interesting by the filmmakers.

seun · Feb 2, 2010

Kitty Pryde said:
The novel World War Z is better by far than any Romero film.

Them's fighting words. Outside, now.

TrickyFiction · Feb 2, 2010

Phaeal said:
Well, off the bat, I can think of Watchmen, the movie, which I prefer to Watchmen, the graphic novel. But since both are visual, that may not count as much.

I think it counts because the filmmakers completely reworked the ending, so it was more than just a different kind of storytelling. And while I thought the graphic novel was brilliant, I actually liked the end of the film better and felt it tied everything together in a more satisfying way.

NewKidOldKid · Feb 2, 2010

kal-el said:
So are the killings very descriptive and scary? Does it really feel like you need to cringe when people are being eaten alive? I've read so much zombie fiction and IMO, nobody has ever really pulled it off.

I don't think World War Z is supposed to be scary, at least not in the traditional sense. The book is told after the zombie epidemic is over, so the importance is not placed on the killings. There's no gore or very little of it.

Kitty Pryde · Feb 2, 2010

seun said:
Them's fighting words. Outside, now.

Ahm a lover not a fighter! But come on! When a zombie's shambling slow enough that you can shove it in the chest and THEN lift your shotgun up to blow it away, Scariness Fail.

NewKidOldKid said:
I don't think World War Z is supposed to be scary, at least not in the traditional sense. The book is told after the zombie epidemic is over, so the importance is not placed on the killings. There's no gore or very little of it.

I found a lot of the stories quite gross, and sad too.

NoahS · Feb 2, 2010

How come so many people love Dawn of the dead? I hated it. Not just the Romero version, but the remake as well. I loved Night of the living dead, though. I found it a lot more interesting and intense, and the story and characters a lot better.

When it comes to movies better than books, I usually say there aren't any. The book is always better. Still, I love The Crow. It's technically based on a comic book, but still. The movie is awesome, but the comic? Aweful. I hate it. I did love The Crow: Flesh and Blood, though. It's about a female Crow. But although she's an immortal like Eric Draven, she doesn't regenerate herself. In short, she had to use a stapler to fix a wound.

Freddy vs Jason vs Ash could have been a pretty good movie, too. Too bad it was cancelled and turned into a comic book. It's not bad, but something went missing when we had to read it instead of watch it. Same with Army of Darkness 2. It's not the same to just read it in a comic book. Not bad, but not great either.

TC Beacham · Feb 2, 2010

Can't wait to see the film SHUTTER ISLAND - loved Dennis Lehane's book!

(Release date: Feb. 19th)

Novels that can't beat their movies.

kal-el

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

NomAnor

AryaT92

Nateskate

Phaeal

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

ether

kal-el

PeterL

kal-el

Wavy_Blue

Adventure is out there!

LostInReality

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

kal-el

Ehab.Ahmed

Drifting Silently

TrickyFiction

Who?

seun

Horror Man

TrickyFiction

Who?

NewKidOldKid

diplomat

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

NoahS

TC Beacham

Great Beach Reads!