Based on a Novel: 10 Best and Worst Film Adaptations - Blu-ray Forum

Nousemercenary · 12-13-2011, 06:37 PM

Based on a Novel: 10 Best and Worst Film Adaptations

Read the full feature here.

Quote:

For as long as cinema has existed, films have been based on successful, popular novels and why wouldn’t they be? An already made story with a built in audience – what movie producer could possibly resist that. The trend has been going strong for the past one hundred years and it shows no signs of stopping. With the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises breaking box office records, Hollywood is always mining the book shelves for the next possible money maker. Sometimes, the film does justice to its source material and sometimes, it leaves one wondering if the screenwriter even read the book. Here are a few choices for best and worst film adaptations of Hollywood’s recent past. What are some of your favorites and least favorites?

The Best: The Silence of the Lambs (dir. Jonathan Demme)

The Worst: Hannibal (dir. Ridley Scott)

kpkelley · 12-13-2011, 06:41 PM

Could someone post the whole list? The site is blocked at my work. TIA.

4fit? · 12-13-2011, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kpkelley

Could someone post the whole list? The site is blocked at my work. TIA.

Top 5 best:
Silence Of The Lambs
Jurassic Park
Let The Right One In
Fight Club
A Clockwork Orange

Top 5 worst:
Hannibal
The Time Machine
The Scarlett Letter
Gulliver's Travels
The Three Musketeers

octagon · 12-13-2011, 07:13 PM

In fairness to Ridley Scott and Julianne Moore, the book Hannibal kind of sucked too.

threefiftyrocket · 12-13-2011, 07:17 PM

I've been told by several that the Battlefield Earth book is pretty good, I dunno I can't answer that I've never read it.

I tried to watch the movie and its one of the only films I have ever turned off. Its bad... bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad...

Oh, and Hannibal Rising was a pretty awful film too.

Pretty surprised Hannibal was mentioned before Hannibal Rising, but again I'm a POS and haven't read either of them so maybe I shouldn't judge... oooops

Nousemercenary · 12-13-2011, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by threefiftyrocket

I've been told by several that the Battlefield Earth book is pretty good, I dunno I can't answer that I've never read it.

I tried to watch the movie and its one of the only films I have ever turned off. Its bad... bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad...

Oh, and Hannibal Rising was a pretty awful film too.

Pretty surprised Hannibal was mentioned before Hannibal Rising, but again I'm a POS and haven't read either of them so maybe I shouldn't judge... oooops

Battlefield Earth was a horrible movie. Lol. Great book though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by octagon

In fairness to Ridley Scott and Julianne Moore, the book Hannibal kind of sucked too.

Agreed. Not much to work with...

Blu Ian · 12-13-2011, 08:15 PM

Best:
Jurassic Park
The Thin Red Line
Apocalypse Now

EricJ · 12-13-2011, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4fit?

Top 5 best:
Silence Of The Lambs
Jurassic Park
Let The Right One In
Fight Club
A Clockwork Orange

Top 5 worst:
Hannibal
The Time Machine
The Scarlett Letter
Gulliver's Travels
The Three Musketeers

So, it's just 5 best and 5 worst, then?

With no room on the Best for
- The World According to Garp
- The Right Stuff
- Sense & Sensibility
- Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix

And no room on the Worst for
- Shrek
- Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland
- The Seeker: The Dark is Rising
- Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

TheWildWhelk · 12-13-2011, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by threefiftyrocket

I've been told by several that the Battlefield Earth book is pretty good, I dunno I can't answer that I've never read it.

I tried to watch the movie and its one of the only films I have ever turned off. Its bad... bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad...

Battlefield Earth is absolutely one of the worst films ever made, bu the book it is based on is meant to be a return to the golden era of science fiction with it being a fast-paced action adventure in the tradition of original sci-fi hero's Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. Blonde haired blue eyed and square jawed hero Johnny Tyler battles the 10 foot tall alien Psycho empire with primitive weapons to free earth from thier tyrannical grasp! It's a great read, but it ain't no classic by a long shot. Once you've read it you will have had a great time, but it will be gathering dust on a shelf after that.

MarkJ801 · 12-13-2011, 11:02 PM

Is it just me, or is Silence of the Lambs very overrated? It's a good movie, but not that great.

Caesar Will Rise · 12-13-2011, 11:05 PM

Best:
The Chronicles of Narnia series
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Harry Potter 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8
Twilight Saga 1, 3, 4 - Yes I am including this for me.

Worst:
Eragon - Nothing to add.
The Seeker: The Dark is Rising - Again, nothing to add.

Narcissus · 12-13-2011, 11:24 PM

My Best:
Apocalypse Now
Carrie
A Clockwork Orange
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
Field Of Dreams
Frankenstein
Full Metal Jacket
The Killing Fields
Paths Of Glory
The Shining

The Theory · 12-13-2011, 11:54 PM

I would have loved to see Adaptation on that list as a best.
But I'm not surprised it isn't.

Can't really disagree with any of their bests or worsts--they may not be my top pick for those designations (gotta agree with the person who said Battlefield Earth), but solid representations, regardless.

EricJ · 12-14-2011, 02:34 AM

So, would it be polite to wait until after "The Lorax" is released before putting it on the Worst Adaptations Ever list, or, y'know...?

(I mean, we could symbolically put the Grinch. or Horton, or the Mike Myers Cat in the Hat up there now, but seems like even those sort of pale in comparison.)

Nousemercenary · 12-14-2011, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aslan1985

Best:
The Chronicles of Narnia series
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Harry Potter 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8
Twilight Saga 1, 3, 4 - Yes I am including this for me.

Worst:
Eragon - Nothing to add.
The Seeker: The Dark is Rising - Again, nothing to add.

Lord of the Rings is a pretty good adaptation, granted they changed a few things. Chronicles of Narnia and Twilight...not so much. Books may have been good, but the films were horrible.

Kevin Holly · 12-16-2011, 02:32 PM

Too many movies are based on books for this to be a terribly accurate or interesting exercise, I think.

I mean, really? Silence of the Lambs is essentially the best film ever? Offhand, The Godfather, Once Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, all of Stanley Kubrick's films from Paths of Glory onwards, Jaws, Ben-Hur, a lot of Scorsese films, A Streetcar Named Desire, and many more films often put on "Best Ever" lists are also based on books. As far as more recent films, as the list specifies, Lord of the Rings, No Country For Old Men, Jurassic Park, There Will Be Blood, and so on, all based on books.

Mahatma · 12-16-2011, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Narcissus

My Best:
Apocalypse Now
Carrie
A Clockwork Orange
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
Field Of Dreams
Frankenstein
Full Metal Jacket
The Killing Fields
Paths Of Glory
The Shining

Agree 100%.Read the book,and it just meh.It is kind of surprising that Kubrick extracted his vision from that mess of a book,but as it turned out it is maybe the best dark comedy of all-time.

Col. Zombie · 12-16-2011, 04:14 PM

How could they list Jurassic Park as one of the best?

That's just nonsense.

Did whoever compiled the list actually read any of the books?

rkolinski · 12-16-2011, 04:46 PM

To Kill A Mocking Bird
The Godfather
All Quiet on the Western Front
Brokeback Mountain
Schindler's List
The Day of the Jackal
Shutter Island
Eye of the Needle
Night of the Hunter
The English Patient

Cat III · 12-19-2011, 12:15 AM

I find people are often too hard on movies based on books. There are plenty of cases I think the movie is better than the book, inasmuch as the two mediums can be compared to one another. Examples would be No Country for Old Men, Hellraiser and A Christmas Story (based on Jean Shepherd's In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash). I also think A Scanner Darkly and Watership Down were great films that stood up well to the source material.

I also liked High and Low, The Woman, Whip It, Perfect Blue and Audition which were all based on books unread by me. I'd venture to say I'm in the majority there, since these movies seem to be more famous than the books they're based on.

As for bad adaptations, I Am Legend, The Lovely Bones, The Midnight Meat Train and Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton's version) are recent examples.

12-14-2011, 02:34 AM	#14
EricJ Banned Member since:Jul 2007 Location:The Paradise of New England Blu-ray collection:6	So, would it be polite to wait until after "The Lorax" is released before putting it on the Worst Adaptations Ever list, or, y'know...? (I mean, we could symbolically put the Grinch. or Horton, or the Mike Myers Cat in the Hat up there now, but seems like even those sort of pale in comparison.) Last edited by EricJ; 12-14-2011 at 02:37 AM.

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12-13-2011, 06:41 PM	#2
kpkelley Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Framingham, MA 4K collection:385 Blu-ray collection:2478 Digital collection:113 Blu-ray reviews: 152	Could someone post the whole list? The site is blocked at my work. TIA.

12-13-2011, 07:13 PM	#4
octagon Blu-ray Prince Member since:Jun 2010 Location:Chicago 4K collection:255 Blu-ray collection:2801	In fairness to Ridley Scott and Julianne Moore, the book Hannibal kind of sucked too.

12-13-2011, 07:17 PM	#5
threefiftyrocket Blu-ray Guru Member since:Apr 2009 Location:Carmel, IN Blu-ray collection:478 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:3	I've been told by several that the Battlefield Earth book is pretty good, I dunno I can't answer that I've never read it. I tried to watch the movie and its one of the only films I have ever turned off. Its bad... bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad... Oh, and Hannibal Rising was a pretty awful film too. Pretty surprised Hannibal was mentioned before Hannibal Rising, but again I'm a POS and haven't read either of them so maybe I shouldn't judge... oooops

12-13-2011, 08:15 PM	#7
Blu Ian Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Apr 2008 Location:Isla Nublar	Best: Jurassic Park The Thin Red Line Apocalypse Now

12-13-2011, 11:02 PM	#10
MarkJ801 Power Member Top contributor Member since:Mar 2008 Location:Salt Lake City Blu-ray collection:273 DVD collection:2	Is it just me, or is Silence of the Lambs very overrated? It's a good movie, but not that great.

12-13-2011, 11:05 PM	#11
Caesar Will Rise Banned Top contributor Member since:Apr 2011 Location:South Carolina Blu-ray collection:191 DVD collection:27 Blu-ray reviews:14 Trading Score:1	Best: The Chronicles of Narnia series The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Harry Potter 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 Twilight Saga 1, 3, 4 - Yes I am including this for me. Worst: Eragon - Nothing to add. The Seeker: The Dark is Rising - Again, nothing to add.

12-13-2011, 11:24 PM	#12
Narcissus Blu-ray Guru Member since:Nov 2011 Location:LV426 aka Seattle Blu-ray collection:257 DVD collection:31	My Best: Apocalypse Now Carrie A Clockwork Orange Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb Field Of Dreams Frankenstein Full Metal Jacket The Killing Fields Paths Of Glory The Shining

12-13-2011, 11:54 PM	#13
The Theory Senior Member Member since:Jun 2010 Location:Lancaster, PA Blu-ray collection:369	I would have loved to see Adaptation on that list as a best. But I'm not surprised it isn't. Can't really disagree with any of their bests or worsts--they may not be my top pick for those designations (gotta agree with the person who said Battlefield Earth), but solid representations, regardless.

12-16-2011, 02:32 PM	#16
Kevin Holly Banned Member since:Nov 2011 Location:Canada	Too many movies are based on books for this to be a terribly accurate or interesting exercise, I think. I mean, really? Silence of the Lambs is essentially the best film ever? Offhand, The Godfather, Once Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, all of Stanley Kubrick's films from Paths of Glory onwards, Jaws, Ben-Hur, a lot of Scorsese films, A Streetcar Named Desire, and many more films often put on "Best Ever" lists are also based on books. As far as more recent films, as the list specifies, Lord of the Rings, No Country For Old Men, Jurassic Park, There Will Be Blood, and so on, all based on books.

12-16-2011, 04:14 PM	#18
Col. Zombie Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Mar 2008 Location:I've gone into outer space to destroy another race. Home Theater Gallery:5 4K collection:51 Blu-ray collection:435	How could they list Jurassic Park as one of the best? That's just nonsense. Did whoever compiled the list actually read any of the books?

12-16-2011, 04:46 PM	#19
rkolinski Blu-ray Baron Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:May 2008 Home Theater Gallery:184 4K collection:76 Blu-ray collection:3078 Blu-ray reviews: 17	To Kill A Mocking Bird The Godfather All Quiet on the Western Front Brokeback Mountain Schindler's List The Day of the Jackal Shutter Island Eye of the Needle Night of the Hunter The English Patient

12-19-2011, 12:15 AM	#20
Cat III Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Aug 2011 Location:USA Home Theater Gallery:3 Blu-ray collection:317 DVD collection:168 Blu-ray reviews: 32 Trading Score:6	I find people are often too hard on movies based on books. There are plenty of cases I think the movie is better than the book, inasmuch as the two mediums can be compared to one another. Examples would be No Country for Old Men, Hellraiser and A Christmas Story (based on Jean Shepherd's In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash). I also think A Scanner Darkly and Watership Down were great films that stood up well to the source material. I also liked High and Low, The Woman, Whip It, Perfect Blue and Audition which were all based on books unread by me. I'd venture to say I'm in the majority there, since these movies seem to be more famous than the books they're based on. As for bad adaptations, I Am Legend, The Lovely Bones, The Midnight Meat Train and Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton's version) are recent examples.

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