The film vs the book thread

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#1

A thread for determining if there are any films out there that were better than the book, particularly if you read the book first. Hence the format:

Film name

  • read book first or
  • saw film first

Then

  • book better than film or
  • film better than book or
  • about the same

I’m assuming if anyone thought both the book and the film were shit then they’re some kind of masochist for bothering to consume both, TBH.

You can copy and paste this template if you wish:

# Film name

[poll type=regular public=true]
* Saw the film first
* Read the book first
[/poll]

[poll name=poll2 type=regular public=true]
* Film better than book
* Book better than film
* Rate them about the same
[/poll]

1 Like
#2

Jaws

  • Saw the film first
  • Read the book first

0 voters

  • Film better than book
  • Book better than film
  • Rate them about the same

0 voters

#3

Under the Skin

  • Saw the film first
  • Read the book first

0 voters

  • Film better than book
  • Book better than film
  • Rate them about the same

0 voters

#4

Die Hard

(Book is Nothing Lasts Forever)

  • Saw the film first
  • Read the book first

0 voters

  • Film better than book
  • Book better than film
  • Rate them about the same

0 voters

#5

So far I’m getting the impression @ma0sm doesn’t read, FFS.

#6

The Shining

  • Saw the film first
  • Read the book first

0 voters

  • Film better than book
  • Book better than film
  • Rate them about the same

0 voters

#7

Genuinely didn’t realise that Die Hard was based on a book

4 Likes
#8

The Godfather

  • Saw the film first
  • Read the book first

0 voters

  • Film better than book
  • Book better than film
  • Rate them about the same

0 voters

#9

Die Hard 2 is based on a different book that has no connection to the first but I’ve not read that.

Apparently Die Hard 5 is the only DH film written expressly as a Die Hard film or something.

(The DH book is itself a sequel to a book called ‘The Detective’ that was made into a film. I have read both and The Detective is nice prose but SOOOO SLOOOOW so it’s a bit crazy how fast and good Nothing Lasts Forever is. Loads of the dialogue is directly taken from it.)

1 Like
#10

No country for old men

  • Book 1st
  • Film 1st

0 voters

  • Book better
  • Film better
  • About the same

0 voters

#11

I haven’t read any Cormac McCarthy because NCFOM and The Road were pretty much the exact opposite of what I want from films and books so I reckoned I’d hate the books too and probably everything he’s written.

And then I heard he likes to write in some weird anti-grammatical style and reckon he’d actually give me full rage :smiley:

#12

He’s not for everyone.

NCFOM is actually quite short and a relatively easy read. The film and the book are very close to each other. But if you didn’t like the film dont bother.

#13

DHWAV was also based on a totally unconnected script called “Simon Says”

#14

Yeah, the writer is pretty decent on his commentary on the DVD. Mea culpas the terrible ending bit after they get off the boat but does explain his only other ending options were too dark for DH. One of them is on the disc as a deleted scene.

The one writer who said similar who I’d like to know more from is the guy who wrote Frequency, that time travel film with Dennis Quaid. He mentions that the final resolution doesn’t really make much sense and that he wrote a more logical one but the test audience reacted so positively that they stuck with the goofy one…but he never says what his alternative was! He’s not on Twitter or I’d have badgered him about it.

1 Like
#15

Fight Club

  • Saw the film first
  • Read the book first

0 voters

  • Film better than book
  • Book better than film
  • Rate them about the same

0 voters

#16

Although I guess maybe objectively the book is better than the film now as I don’t think the book really has the stuff to unwittingly supercharge the MRA movement.

4 Likes
#17

The ending for Nothing Lasts Forever would never happen in blockbuster Hollywood movie. Would work in a film if it was a European thriller.

#18

Oh sure, they definitely had to change that. It’s actually more poignant if you bother to read The Detective first too.

I know it’s not the done thing but I am actually a big fan of Hollywood giving us happy endings on silly/action-y films. Fuck the dark shit, just give us some fun to take away the awful hell that is real life.

2 Likes
#19

I can imagine a reading timeline for a certain type of man-child…

Age 14 - The Catcher in the Rye
Age 18 - Ayn Rand
Age 23 - Fight Club (2 years into corporate job)

2 Likes
#20

Oh FFS fucked that right up, the film of Jaws is clearly better than the book. It’s too early on a Monday.

1 Like