this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2023
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I LOVE Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi action movie Children of Men. I’ve watched maybe six times and every time, the ending always almost brings me to tears. So when I learned it was adapted from P.D. James’ book of the same name, it was a no-brainer deciding what my next book would be.

After finishing the book, it wasn’t difficult to reach to the conclusion that I enjoyed the movie better.

While James’ book gives a more in-depth look at how human infertility and humanity’s slow death march towards extinction affects the sexual dynamic between men and women and almost demented ways humans try to cope with a world without children or a race of dead men walking, I feel the book dedicates WAY too much time describing the failing of human civilization and the Regrets and guilt of Theo Faron. It’s not even until after 2/3 through the book where it feels like the plot and story are properly paced and stuff of consequence actually begin to happen.

The film’s adaptation by, comparison, feels consistent in its pacing and the world building and woe-is-mes of Theo feel more compact a take up less of the audience’s time.

What books do you feel were worse than its film adaptation and why?

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[–] palm-tree-queen@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The Notebook + Crazy Rich Asians

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[–] Midnight_Muse@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Chocolat. Whoever read that boring mess of a book and turned it into this charming movie deserves an award!

[–] dirtinmyhead@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Not a movie, but I hated the Haunting of Hill House book with a burning passion

[–] CaptainJackWagons@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

FlashForward was a much better TV series than it was a book. The book felt like it was written by an incel while the show felt like a compelling mystery thriller.

[–] Peemster99@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

I absolutely love the movie The Ice Storm but I thought the novel was completely generic 90s lit fic.

[–] princeofsaiyans89@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Starship Troopers.

[–] No-vem-ber@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Call Me By Your Name.

The film is indescribably atmospheric, erotic, emotional, charming, memorable

The book is just... So... horny... and tbh pretty confronting

[–] Clarkthebarista@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Dawn of the Dead

[–] KernelKrusto@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

The Swedish adaptation of Let the Right One In. The movie was much tighter than the novel to its benefit.

[–] Cabnbeeschurgr@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

The Maze Runner series was alright as a book series, but the last chronological one sucked. Really wrote itself into a corner, the movie handled it much better even if the pacing was a bit ass

[–] Sky_Father_@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Forrest Gump.

[–] kidigus@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

I still say 'Red Dragon' was worse than 'Manhunter'.

[–] PhillipJCoulson@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

I did not care for the ready player one movie. I’m reading the book now and I think I actually dislike it more than the movie.

[–] Larry_The_Red@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

ready player one. I mean, they're both terrible, but the movie wasted less time.

[–] _NotARealMustache_@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

It's not a movie. But the MiniSeries Station Eleven on Max is superior to that book. The book is good, though! The series makes some changes that give the story so much more emotional weight, and it ties alot of threads together in a way that is more forward and coherent. Good book, better show.

[–] buc-eesbeaver@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

No answer to the question but in my experience I find if you see the movie before reading the book, the movie will 99% of the time be better than the book in your mind. Like for me, Ready Player One is such a fantastic book but the movie was terrible but I had a friend who watched the movie before reading the book and he LOVED the movie but thought the book was terrible.

Forrest Gump and I am a legend, those books were so bad ….

[–] Za_Lords_Guard@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

For me, the De Vinci Code. I do not care for Dan Brown's writing, but I enjoyed the film.

[–] alzalamano@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago
[–] jameswesleyisrad@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

The Hannibal books are so badly written oh lawd

[–] -C0rcle-@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

The Road. It insists upon itself

[–] Harriets-Human@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Now, Voyager by Olive Higgins Prouty. The movie with Bette Davis is excellent, but probably 50% (literally) is just scenery descriptions.

[–] juno7032@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Jaws. The wife and the affair and r* fantasy. No thank you

[–] QuinMallery--@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

The Magicians. It was a TV show but still way better than the books.

[–] No-Part8633@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

2001: A Space Odyssey. The book is fantastic but the movie is even better

[–] Pcj16@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Don’t know how bad this is, I’ve only read the first Lord of The Rings book but I kinda prefer the movie version of it.

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Girl interrupted. I liked the movie but couldn't get into the book

[–] CatgutStitches@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not a movie, but the Handmaid's Tale was a decent show and a horrendous book.

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[–] examinedliving@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

I’m sad to hear that about Children of Men. Was looking forward to reading thar

[–] mohabmetwalli@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Fight Club. Albeit misunderstood by many, even Chuck admitted the movie is better than the book.

[–] Dreaming_Void1923@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think Maze Runner and Beautiful Creatures movies were better than the books. I've read only the first of both series.

For The Hunger Games, I liked Catching Fire the least for books but liked it the most for movies. for the prequel, I'm expecting the movie to be better than the book. The book tho got better with each Part division.

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[–] Acceptable-Law-4244@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I personally enjoyed the film adaptation for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest better than the book, but I think it'd be a stretch to say that the film was objectively better.

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Lord of the Rings. (Sorry, friends. They asked the question directly.)

[–] whackadoo13@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

This is funny because I didn’t care for the movie and loved the book. But I read the book first and I do think that matters. Different strokes and all that.

[–] Mehgician@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (5 children)

The Descent

The movie took one small concept from the book and ran with it to great effect. The book was really weird, really gross, and somehow also really boring. The movie is brilliantly scary.

[–] TheLastKirin@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Feel up to spoiling the book for me? It's my favorite horror movie, and a really good film no matter the genre. I am curious how the book is different.

[–] thesoak@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

The world finds out hell is real and sets out to map and colonize it. It has nothing in common with the film except the title. I enjoyed it.

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[–] NoGoodIDNames@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (14 children)

Arrival.
The book goes much more into the concepts but the presentation of the aliens is pretty lackluster. The movie is much better at conveying a sense of awe.

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