17 On-Screen Adaptations That Were Actually Way, Way, Way Better Than The Books They Were Based On, And 8 That Were So Horrible, They Almost Felt Offensive
Movies Different Than Their Books: 17 Hits And 8 Misses
Every time a book is adapted into a movie or a TV show, a predictable debate ensues: one side will tell you the adaptation is terrible if it doesn’t follow the novel word for word, whereas the other will argue that it only needs to capture the “spirit” of the source material.
I remember reading Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief as a class in elementary school. Afterwards, we went on a field trip to the theatre to watch the film. As we were leaving, my teacher remarked that she wasn’t even sure the screenwriters read the book.
I wanted to see how often Hollywood makes adaptations that are entirely different from their source material. As it turns out, they do it quite frequently, but surprisingly, a lot of the time, the adaptations are considered better than their books.
Let’s start with movies and shows that somehow managed to turn out better than the books. (I got most suggestions from this Reddit thread, with a few additional ones from me.)
6.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
7.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
9.
Starship Troopers (1997)
11.
The Magicians (2015-2020)
16.
Children of Men (2006)
Now for the adaptations that should have stuck to their source material.
17.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
19.
Ready Player One (2018)
23.
The Dark Tower (2017)
24.
Wheel of Time (2021-)
25.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Which adaptations have made you want to pull out your hair? Which ones were shockingly great? Please share them in the comments below!
Vancouver based journalist and entrepreneur covering business, innovation, and leadership for Forbes Canada. With a keen eye for emerging trends and transformative strategies.
