"Jaws, in my opinion. The book is not bad, don’t get me wrong, but the characters in it are extremely unlikeable. I think Spielberg was right to eliminate some of the subplots and to buff the characters up to be more likable/relatable. Also, the end of the book kinda sucked. I won’t spoil it, but compared to the movie it’s extremely anti-climatic.
I still like both, the book is still a very good read and I understand why it was such a phenomenon, but I’ll always say the movie was better."
"Fight Club."
"Godfather.
The book was obviously a best seller but it had some really – REALLY — cringey side plots (involving huge dicks and huge vags; Puzo seems to have had a fetish about outsized sex organs) which Coppola wisely dropped in the film."
"I feel like the Princess Bride was better as a movie."
"Shawshank Redemption. Book is excellent. Movie manages to be better."
"Stand By Me (based on Stephen King’s “The Body”.) I loved the book too! But the movie is a classic to me, just a perfect rendition."
"American Psycho.
The book really goes deep into Patrick’s obsession with fashion and dining culture. It gets a little tedious."
"The Last of the Mohicans."
Carrie. It was King’s first book and, although good, there was emotion and depth in Sissy Spacek’s portrayal that "went far beyond the character in the original story."
"Shrek."
"Big Fish."
"Misery. Definitely not one of Stephen King’s better books, but what a great movie!"
"LOTR. It’s fascinating. I strongly agree that the books are important in the genre of Fantasy in a way that absolutely cannot be over stated. But the movies are a much tighter and better experience PLUS they were incredibly foundational for filmmaking, marketing, planning, etc. to this day. I think I lean movies > books but wonderful that both left such huge ripples in their mediums."
"Matilda. Danny DeVito killed it."
"The Green Mile."
"The Mist deserves an honorable mention for having an ending that made Stephen King more or less say “Well f@#k, why didn’t I think of that?”"
"The Prestige. The author said Nolan’s twist was better."
"Gone Girl. The book was made to be a movie and the movie does not disappoint."
"The Neverending Story. It was the epitome of 80s fantasy movies. Weird creatures, too much glitter, wacky sound track, a Princess to save. But before it was a fabulous 80s flick, it was a book. The movie we know is the first half of the book, and the book is WAY more complicated and dark than the movie is.
Then the movie has its nice happy ending…but the book goes on. It takes a complete left turn in the story and goes on even more of an acid trip. It’s worth the read if fantasy lit is your thing, but that second half is a slog."
"Harry Potter 5. I love most of the books, but 5 was just teenaged whining for the whole- very long – book. The movie moved the pace along a lot better."
"Die Hard. Yep it was a book first (different title) and a pretty bad one. The movie is leagues better."
"Jurassic Park. The book was great, but the movie was the first movie where dinosaurs looked fantastic. For the first time, they looked like dynamic creatures with speed and power."
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You like the movie? Read the book too!
...but I shouldn't be talking about it now, should I?