Good Book/Bad Movie

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Posted: 5/29/2003 8:15:14 PM EDT

I've got two to start:
Joseph Wambaugh The Choir Boys
Clive Clussler Raise the Titanic. The Dirk Pitt series of books would make some great movies. Wonder why Hollywood hasnt made a good one yet?

Rogue Warrior. Demo Dick cant seem to find a writer who passes muster yet. Should be good if it ever gets written.

Posted: 5/29/2003 8:21:10 PM EDT

[#1]

Starship Troopers. They fvcked that one up so bad its unbeleivable.

Posted: 5/29/2003 8:58:30 PM EDT

[#2]

Battlefield Earth

Posted: 5/29/2003 9:18:31 PM EDT

[#3]

Well, battlefield Earth wasn't that great to begin with, so hard to fault them for that one. Besides, making that one into a "faithful" film would have required a 20 hour miniseries.

Currently, "The Two Towers" is still bothering me. And Tolkein's Son as well. [:)]

The one movie/book set I DO like is "The Princess' Bride" (yes it's a book too).

I can't wait to hear the screams if they ever do "Unintended Consquences".

Posted: 5/29/2003 9:25:44 PM EDT

[#4]

Sum of All Fears

Posted: 5/29/2003 9:38:03 PM EDT

[#5]

The Book:The BODY , by Steven King
The Movie: (Stand By Me )

This is one istance that the Movie was better than the book.

Posted: 5/29/2003 9:51:07 PM EDT

[#6]

Probably the biggest disconnect between good book/bad movie I've ever seen was The Dunwich Horror, a short story writeen by H.P. Lovecraft and made into a movie in the early 70's by Curtis Hanson.

Hanson is a very good director, he directed one of my favorite movies and a great book adaptation, 1997's L.A. Confidential. But The Dunwich Horror is the film equivalent of a hate crime.

Posted: 5/29/2003 10:10:24 PM EDT

[#7]

I thought that this was the rule, rather then the exception to the rule. If you want a real short thread, then have everyone list the movies that were better then their respective books.

Mr10anahaf is right. On the other hand, The Stand in print is far better then the movie.

Posted: 5/29/2003 10:13:00 PM EDT

[#8]

Along Came a Spider

Posted: 5/29/2003 10:15:25 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Starship Troopers. They fvcked that one up so bad its unbeleivable.

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Yeah, but Denise Richards was in it. [:D]

TS

Posted: 5/29/2003 10:22:44 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Starship Troopers. They fvcked that one up so bad its unbeleivable.

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Yeah, but Denise Richards was in it. [:D]

TS

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And Dina Meyer.

In a shower scene. [:p]

Posted: 5/29/2003 10:29:30 PM EDT

[#11]

I'd say Johnny Mnemonic.

It was a short story of the same name in William Gibson's book Burning Chrome. Hollywood the took the idea from the short story and ran with it, unfortunately they went the wrong way.

I'd hate to see what they would do with Neuromancer if that ever got made into a movie.

Posted: 5/29/2003 11:00:55 PM EDT

[#12]

One movie that followed the book almost exactly was "The Day of the Jackal"--the one with Edward Fox as the Jackal, not the remake with Bruce Willis.

The movie followed Frederick Forsythe's novel so closely that it was almost embarassing.

Posted: 5/29/2003 11:04:17 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Sum of All Fears

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You are so correct.

Posted: 5/29/2003 11:07:40 PM EDT

[#14]

Any Stephen King book/movie EXCEPT Stand By Me. They just about all sucked.

Posted: 5/29/2003 11:57:40 PM EDT

[#15]

Jurassic Park. Good book, disney turned it into shit. In the book, the old man Hammond(?) was a greedy industrialist and he died in the end. In the movie he was a lovble old romantic and lived. I hate Disney.

Ben, The Emu

Posted: 5/30/2003 12:32:37 AM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
Sum of All Fears

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If they had changed the title it might have been entertaining. Watching that movie made me ill.

Can they ever make another Clancy book into a film? They've totally screwed themselves. The whole storyline of Jack Ryan's career is... well, screwed.

Posted: 5/30/2003 12:54:45 AM EDT

[#17]

One movie I enjoyed better than the book was Steven Kings(Richard Bachman) The Running Man.
The movie was not great but was entertaining. The short story kind of dragged along and tried too hard to make a point.

As far as good book/bad movie you could list almost any book made into a movie.

Posted: 5/30/2003 3:03:10 AM EDT

[#18]

Pet Semetary

Queen of the Damned (the movie was a combination of The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned)

Posted: 5/30/2003 3:20:04 AM EDT

[#19]

Flight of the Intruder....best book I've ever read about attack aircraft. I've always wanted to be an A-6 Jock. Worst movie.

Posted: 5/30/2003 4:19:00 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
The one movie/book set I DO like is "The Princess' Bride" (yes it's a book too).

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Have you read the unabridged version? It's really more of a political satire...

Scott

Posted: 5/30/2003 4:23:09 AM EDT

[#21]

Most books are better than the movies.

I can handle the fact that the screenwriter has to compress hundreds of pages into a 2 hour script.

What bugs me is when the spirit of the book is lost.

Perfect exmple:"The Shining". I thought it was a great flick, until I read the book and realized that Jack Nicholson's movie character was very one-dimensional, unlike the book where he has depth and conscience to the extent that the father kills himself rather than harm his family.

Worse than movies that aren't as good as their books are remakes of movies that aren't anywhere near as good as the original.

"The Getaway", "Rollerball", and "Red Dragon" (original is Michael Mann's "Manhunter" based on Harris' nook, "Red Dragon")are examples that come to mind.

Posted: 5/30/2003 8:00:50 AM EDT

[#22]

I agree with:

Battlefield Earth, Sum of all Fears and Starship Troopers, but don't forget DUNE.

Posted: 5/30/2003 8:14:41 AM EDT

[#23]

Even Shawshank!!??

Quoted:
Any Stephen King book/movie EXCEPT Stand By Me. They just about all sucked.

View Quote

Posted: 5/30/2003 8:40:21 AM EDT

[#24]

Enemy At The Gates, (book was "War Of The Rats")
I still liked the movie, but it wasn't nearly as good.

Posted: 5/30/2003 8:46:13 AM EDT

[#25]

Wildcat78 posted it before I could, so I 2nd the vote on Johnny Mnemonic. William Gibson stories read like a good film, and it's wierd that people can't carry them over correctly.

Posted: 5/30/2003 9:00:21 AM EDT

[#26]

Bad Remakes:

The Bourne Identity
Charlottes Web/Stuart Little
Tuck Everlasting
Sphere/Jurrassic Park/Congo
2001: A Space Odyssey
Contact

Good Remakes:

Where Eagles Dare
LOTR: Fellowship/Towers
The Great Escape

Posted: 5/30/2003 9:41:15 AM EDT

[#27]

Have to agree with Starship Troopers as the worst book-to-movie adaptation.

Posted: 5/30/2003 9:46:18 AM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
Flight of the Intruder....best book I've ever read about attack aircraft. I've always wanted to be an A-6 Jock. Worst movie.

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Isn't that the truth. I thought the same thing.
None of Tom Clancey's books turn into good movies either.

Posted: 5/30/2003 10:49:01 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
None of Tom Clancey's books turn into good movies either.

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That isn't true. The Hunt for Red October was an excellent movie, and Patriot Games was okay...actually, I liked it better than the book, which was pretty cheesy.

Posted: 5/30/2003 10:56:48 AM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:
Flight of the Intruder....best book I've ever read about attack aircraft. I've always wanted to be an A-6 Jock. Worst movie.

View Quote

"Iron Hand is kinda my thing" hahahaha

Posted: 5/30/2003 11:01:07 AM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:
Have you read the unabridged version? It's really more of a political satire...

Scott

View Quote

No, I haven't been able to find a copy yet. I'll have to start calling all the book stores in town.

I did hear they've dropped Goldman in favor of King for the Sequel's abridgement, though. [:D]