5 Movies That Turned Out to Be Better than the Books They Were Based On

Source- Love Reading UK

For book lovers, the very idea of seeing their favourite novel turn into a movie is simply unacceptable. Watching a movie based on a book can be difficult for us, especially when the movie completely changes the relevant characters and plots that were supposed to be present. It’s rare to see someone praising the movie adaption of a book. Most people generally hate that idea, because they like to keep the original story in their heads. But a cinematic adaptation can also bring the story to life for those who struggle to visualize it on paper. It can give a different turn to the story making it more pleasant.

This journey from words to dialogues or ink to films can sometimes prove to be more subtle than the books they were based on. Here’s a list of some of the most popular movie adaptions that turned out to be better than their books.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Based on the book, ‘Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, this book proves to be an iconic story of hope and friendship. By making the viewers experience each scene to the core, this movie has become a classic example of an inked story being transformed into a larger-than-life film.

And when it comes to cinematography, the director has done a splendid job to show what was there in the book, he did not include any drastic changes in the plot of the book to include the richness of the story.

Source- IMDb

Kai Po Che (2013)

A stirring adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s novel, ‘The Three Mistakes of My Life’, this movie completely outshines the book. The movie portrays the journey of three friends as they discover cricket, religion and business in their life. Having a backdrop of sectarian violence and a devastating earthquake, the film manages to capture the unforgettable friendship between the friends and their adventurous yet magical moments. 

Source- New York Times

Fight Club (1999)

Fight Club is one of the most popular movies of all time. It has gained an immense amount of love from people around the world. Even the author, Chuck Palahniuk, loved the movie adaptation of his book. He claimed that he liked the movie much more than his book, saying that the movie brought a lot more to the story than his book did.

Source- Cine Zapping

7 Khoon Maaf (2011)

7 Khoon Maaf is a 2011 film, based on the short story ‘Susanna’s Seven Husbands’ written by one of the most renowned Indian authors, Ruskin Bond. For the film adaptation, the author expanded his 5–6-page short story into a 70–80-page novel. The director, Vishal Bhardwaj has done a great job to transform the book into a haunting, gripping film.

Source- Sacnilk

The Notebook (2004)

Nicholas spark is incredibly talented when it comes to writing sweet and tragic love stories, but the 2004 movie adaptation of his book by the same name, took his story to new heights, becoming a classic hit in no time. 

There’s no denying that the movie proved to be better mainly because of the chemistry between the main leads. Ryan Gosling’s and Rachel McAdam’s chemistry was off the charts, purely reflecting the emotions of young lovers facing the highs and lows that came along with their relationship.

Source- The List

Bottom Line 

What attributes distinguish a superb movie adaptation? I think it's all about the creative licence. The Shining by Stanley Kubrick is a good example of how adaptations are frequently better for not being exact replicas of their source material; I apologise in advance to Stephen King fans who consider me among them! Through reimagining the characters, plot, setting, themes, and motifs of the original story, a film adaptation should be able to capture and celebrate the special "essence" of the work.

Written by Paridhi Aggarwal