Book vs Film, which is better?

Question

Which books, that have been made into films, are still better than the film, and which films have come out better than the book?
(Sorry if that sounds bad, I coudn't think how to word the question)

Answer 1

I think the book is always better, because they can be longer and more detailed and you can imagine how the story looks likes yourself, without the influence of someone else's perspective.

Answer 2

I don't think there have ever been any films that were better than the book. Frequently with a book there are too many elements in it to be included in a movie, so many of them fall short. Usually a screen play will focus on the main plot of a book, as it should, but lots of times for me, the subplots and parallel episodes add so much when I read, that I am usually disappointed in the film. Also, if there is a lot of internal dialog, you lose that in a film. In my humble opinion, the best book to film ever has been The Outsiders: The Complete Novel. It made the movie about 45 minutes longer. I thought it was good in it's original 1983 release as well. However, the DVD is just that much better.

Answer 3

I don't think i've ever seen a film adaptation of a book which is better than actually reading the book. Sometimes the film and the book have so little in common that to saw the film is based on the book. The worst example was the Running man. The only things that were the same were that the main character was called Ben Richards, there was a character called Killian and a game show called the running man.

Answer 4

Writing as someone who can be a real pain to go and watch a book adaptation with:
In most cases the book is better than the film. However, the Lord of the Rings films are fantastic whereas (I'm going to offend sooo many people here, sorry) the books are really mediocre and overrated.
The film and the book of Princess Bride are both brilliant because the original author adapted it for the screen.
The BBC version of Pride and Prej is equally as enjoyable as the original text, the one with Keira Knightley isn't.
I've never seen a bad film version of Jane Eyre.
The Harry Potter films are nowhere near as good as the books.
Jurassic Park and Jaws are both better reading than viewing.
Troy bugs the hell out of me. The part that enjoys a good action movie (and appreciates sexy men), likes it. The part of me that loves Classics wants to hurl things at the screen.

Answer 5

A good book is always better than any movie made from it simply because the book will last longer therefore giving you much more pleasure over a longer period of time and if you obtain the book from the library it will be one heak of a lot cheaper unless you want to wait until it hits TV. In my opinion no film has ever equaled or improved on the book.

Answer 6

I think it depends wether you read the book first .... if you did then most films disappoint to a degree because they don't match the images you had in your head re characters, places etc plus they have to cut out so many details turning a book into a screenplay or else the films would be 10 hours long ....
If you didn't then you can't help visualising the actors & settings used in the films when you do read the book which kind of takes the the fun out of reading ......
Good ? though, will be interested to see what other people think ...

Answer 7

Moby Dick, for (an old, classic) example: the book was magic. The film, directed by John Huston, with Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab, was far from the Herman Melville's lines.
But look to The Da Vince's Code. The book and the film are an intelectual calamity.

Answer 8

In some cases a film made from a book is fantastic and really brings the story to life, unfortunately in most films the plot differs wildly to the plot of the book and is awful.

Answer 9

Well, let's start with... ALL OF THEM!

I think that if you read the book, you put your own imagination into the scenes and characters. When you see it on film, it's someone else's ideas being presented and it's not necessarily a good thing.

Having said that, Gone With The Wind was an awesome film. And Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire was fantastic and bloody scary!

Answer 10

one of my all time fav films is the godfather.....and the book is one of my all time fav books....they are both brilliant but the book probably has the edge as it goes more in to detail about feelings and thoughts.
also same applies to the outsiders...loved the film but liked the book a bit better because of the more in depth information.
i rarely, if ever prefer the film, but i am able to enjoy and appreciate both.....if i have watched a good film i tend to go out and look for the book.
the only time i have prefered the film (the only time i remember anyway) is memoirs of a geisha....i didn't get in to the book at all.

Answer 11

books are always better than the film because you don't have to get the Hollywood version of it or the horribly edited version. Books are also better because you get to use your own imagination to decide what the characters look like, and you are able to draw inferences scenes instead of the film telling you exactly whats going on like your slow or something. just my opinion :)