Let me begin by assuring y’all that I am a self-proclaimed, certified book dragon.

I LOVE books.

Ever since I learned to read, I have devoured books at a fairly unhealthy rate. (My daughter, reading over my shoulder, wishes to protest that there is no such thing as “reading at an unhealthy rate”) I maaay be inclined to agree with her.

I’ve gone through all the usual phases: dog stories, horse-crazy stories, a couple of rounds of fascination with vampires, and then I settled happily into fantasy and have dwelt there ever since.

Reading is my super power.

Honestly, there have been moments where I have joked that reading is the only thing I’m actually any good at. (Okay. There have been moments where I believed it, too).

However… my love of books does not preclude my love of movies.

Here’s where I add a disclaimer: in a great and massive percentage, MOST OF THE TIME when a book is adapted into a movie, the BOOK IS BETTER.

Search your heart. You know it to be true.

But still… I do love movies.

Growing up, we had a regular family movie night every week on Friday night. Fridays meant family, pizza, and a movie. These were an absolute highlight of my week all through my childhood. Even into high school, I would often choose Family Night Movie Night over hanging out with my friends. gasp What?!

Watching movies with my family was never a passive event. It was a full-on Olympic Event. And it was a relational event. Because my dad wisely did not wish to always watch cartoons, we often watched movies that were “over our heads.” Fiddler on the Roof, The Longest Day, a passel of John Wayne westerns, The Princess Bride, Star Wars, Gettysburg, Wait Until Dark, Oliver! Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Indiana Jones, Ben Hur, Chariots of Fire… and many others of that ilk. This often meant that he had to pause the movie to explain to us kids what was going on, but he never seemed to mind the interruptions.

After the movie (especially if we’d gone to see something in the theater) we’d get supper and spend a couple of hours talking about what we had just watched: our favorite and least favorite parts, quoting our favorite lines, discussing which characters we liked and why… no… movie night was never passive!

I tell you all of this so that you can understand my own mentality when it comes to movies and why I love them, and why I cannot turn my brain off when watching one, and why… sometimes… in somewhat rare instances… I can honestly say that I thought the movie was better.

le gasp!

I’m actually going to break this post up into a couple of parts. In the first part, I’ll discuss movies that were no-question-about it better than the books (note, this does not always mean that I didn’t enjoy the book, often it means I LOVED the book… but I just… loved the movie more). During the second part, I’ll talk movies that are EQUAL to their books. And in the third part, I’ll discuss a few controversial instances in which the movie and book were quite different, but in which I love them both anyway and why/how I am able to do so.

You ready? This is going to be a MUCH longer post than I’m accustomed to writing…

Disclaimer the first: I can only speak to those books/movies where I have both read the book AND seen the movie. I have it on good authority, for example, that Stardust is a much better movie than it is a book, but I have not read the book.

Disclaimer the second: These are solely my own opinions. Some of these opinions may seem to emanate from a deranged mind… but I make no apologies.

The Movie Was Better

Anything by Charles Dickens

Some of you (especially those of you who’ve followed me any reasonable amount of time) totally saw this coming… but at the tippety top of my list is anything by Charles Dickens. I KNOW it’s practically blasphemy for me to say this (especially as an English major, a teacher, and a writer) but I have NEVER been able to get through a book by Dickens. I made it halfway through Great Expectations before I gave up and watched the movie (the one with John Rhys Davies). Since the statute of limitations is probably expired by now, I can also tell you that this was for a college class, and that I ACED the test on that book. So clearly it’s a well-done adaptation.

A Tale of Two Cities (with Christopher Sarandon aka Prince Humperdinck) is also a favorite movie. I tried. Y’all… I TRIED to read the book, but my eyes kept glazing over. (This was after college, and I had to TEACH this book to my Jr/Sr English class…. what a complete nightmare! I ended up purchasing the audio book and we listened to it together as a class… I still couldn’t tell you much about it).

I just can’t read Dickens. I love his characters, I love his stories. Many of his books in movie format are among my favorites… but I just… can’t… read him.

The notable exception to this rule is A Christmas Carol… but I still think the movies (take your pick) are better.

The Neverending Story

(Yeah, I know this is gonna make DJ cringe… but… I’m… sorry?)

The book just disappointed me. A LOT. I grew up watching this movie over and over again. It was the movie our parents often left for us to watch when they’d go out on date night, and it has a dear and special place in my heart that time cannot chip away at. I’ve watched it recently and it’s still absolutely beautiful, ok? Yes, it’s corny and the special effects are 80s… but it was MADE in the 80s… and it’s just… Bastien is ME. Okay? I’d much rather read a book than take a math test, and I loved going up into that creepy school attic with him over and over and reading a fantastical tale that he then actually got to GO INSIDE!

You see… the movie promised me an ancient tome full of a world that I could escape into and have adventures. And so… the book disappointed me on two levels:

It was a basic paperback.
The story within was extremely dull.

Also, I’m pretty sure that when 12-year old Jenelle checked it out of the library she was expecting an ACTUAL portal to Fantasia…. and this book DID NOT DELIVER.

I’m still bitter about it.

Ahem.

Moving on.

How to Train Your Dragon

After seeing the first movie many, many, many times when it first came out (it was Leiana’s favorite movie between the ages of 2 to 5… then forgotten for a while until the second movie came out, and ever since then, she’s devoured anything HTTYD-related. The movies, the tv shows, we own pretty much all of them… I think we’re missing one season of something… but we will most likely be remedying that shortly).

Anyway, upon realizing at some point that these were based on a book series, I went and got the first one to read. I was so excited!!! Books are always better, right?

Wrong.

There is little-to-no similarity between the movie and book versions that both bear this title. HTTYD the movie is charming and sweet and is a fantastic story about a father and son learning to respect each other for their differences mirrored by two worlds at odds with each other slowly coming into a harmony in which they put their differences aside and find that they are stronger together. The movie has a dry, witty sense of humor underscored by a young man finding his place in a world he has never really fit into and growing up into a man of grace and courage. The book has… none of that.

First of all, the dragons in the books are all shoulder-sized. Like parrots. You can’t ride them. Which is a major bummer.

Secondly, the amount of “potty humor” in the book made it almost unreadable for me, and I certainly wouldn’t want my kids to read it. I am not a fan of that kind of humor. If you think you have to use jokes about snot and poop to keep a young boy’s attention, then you’re just being lazy. (IMHO)

There is nothing sweet or charming about the book. I can’t speak for the rest of the series, because I barely made it through the first book and almost didn’t finish even it. I very much disliked it.

The movies, on the other hand—and the television series— are all quite excellent. In this case, it’s not even a contest. The movies blow the books out of the water.

Pride and Prejudice

Another blasphemous utterance, I’m sure. But here’s the deal, y’all… classic literature just isn’t my thing. (Which you may have begun to notice by now).

I can appreciate it for what it is and this is one of those rare instances in which I actually quite love the actual BOOK Pride and Prejudice. I do. I love it to pieces. But I still think the movie is better. There is a… sharpness… to the characters in the book that doesn’t exist as much in the movie versions (either the BBC or the 2005 versions). I love and own both of these movie adaptations, but I have to confess to loving the 2005 version SLIGHTLY more. Donald Sutherland is the best Mr. Bennet forever. The end.

The Wizard of Oz

This is one of those places where it might just depend on which one you read/saw first. But I never could get into the Oz books. I tried. I even read the sequel… but it just didn’t have the magic of the movie. Maybe it’s something to do with how hugely this movie changed cinema forever… or just the fact that those flying monkeys scared the pfeffernuts out of me as a kid in a way the book just couldn’t reproduce… but I think the movie was better.

Jurassic Park

This is a weird one, because it disproves the theory that whichever one you saw/read first is the one you will prefer. I definitely read Jurassic Park before I saw the movie. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be allowed to see the movie, so I got the book out of the library. (Pretty much my only moments of “teenage rebellion” revolved around books). And while the book is excellent… the movie remains my favorite.

Not gonna lie… this could mostly be because of Sam Neill. But also… nothing can really beat SEEING those dinosaurs on the big screen the first time.

A Little Princess

Man, this post is gonna be hugely controversial. Don’t throw rotten fruit at me, okay? This is another one where I read the book way before I saw the movie… and I even read the book multiple times. I LOVED THE BOOK!

But I was always, ALWAYS dissatisfied with the ending. It annoyed me greatly. And the movie FIXED THE HORRIBLE ENDING!!!! And for that, I am eternally grateful and I prefer the movie.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Many of you have seen the Netflix series and I’ve heard it’s quite good. But I’m talking about the movie version with Jim Carrey. Yep. I’ve read the entire series, and it’s fun. But this is one of those places where I think the movie… even though it doesn’t follow just a single book, nor does it contain the entire story… is just fabulous. I highly prefer it to the books.

Mary Poppins

I did not read Mary Poppins until very recently… a couple of years ago I was inspired to read it after viewing Saving Mr. Banks, which, by the by, I highly recommend. It is a beautiful movie. But I wanted to see for myself how the book differed from the movie… and… yeah… if the story behind Saving Mr. Banks is at all true, then I side with Walt on this one. There is NO WAY he could have figured out from the book that the author meant for Mary Poppins to come save the father. If that was the goal, then Mr. Disney did a much more masterful job with it.

Jumanji (the original)

Seriously, y’all… I love Chris Van Allsburg’s children’s picture book…. but the movie version with Robin Williams? Better.

The Hunt for Red October

Okay, this could definitely be a case of having seen the movie first. It’s one of the first movies I remember seeing in theater (right after Care Bears, the movie, this is the second movie I remember). And again… we’re probably being highly influenced by the fact that Sam Neill is my favorite.

The book is fantastic. But I will defend the movie forever.

Inkheart

I wanted so badly to like this book. I just… couldn’t. It’s…. boring. squeaks and hides I’m sorry. I tried so hard… but the movie is so much better. Vastly better. There is more adventure and excitement and the pacing is better in the movie. The book would probably be better if it were a hundred pages shorter. But it’s not.

Les Miserables (technically, I’m talking about the Broadway musical version NOT the movie…)

I do actually love the book. Not enough to ever read it again. But it is a good book and I’m glad I read it once. But Victor Hugo’s writing cannot compare to the beautiful, sweeping, epic music or Jean Valjean’s voice soaring to the rafters and making you weep for its majesty.

Sarah: Plain and Tall

The book is super sweet and adorable… but it is so short that I felt the movie did the story better justice. This one is a fairly close toss-up, actually… which brings us a nice transition to the next section of this post… which shall discuss:

The Movie Was Equal

The Princess Bride

Let me start by saying that The Princess Bride is my all-time favorite movie of ever. It is the movie I have watched more times than any other movie. For a long period of time in my life I could quote you the entire movie from beginning to end. I don’t pick favorites easily. So when I say that something is my favorite… I mean it.

I did not read the book until I was in… oh… probably 8th grade. I stumbled upon it rather by chance and took it home from the library. I was supremely delighted by what I found inside its pages, which made me laugh and laugh and laugh, and also gave me some really neat back story for my favorite characters. I fell in love with the story all over again, and ever since then, I honestly couldn’t tell you if I think the book or the movie is “better.”

Bridge to Terabithia

This is one of the few times where I read and loved a book to pieces and was terrified the movie would absolutely ruin things. The trailers did NOT look promising. And yet… when I watched the movie it was like the director had peered inside my imagination and recreated everything the way I had envisioned it. Everything about this book-to-movie-adaptation was perfection. A true adaptation in every sense of the word… they are equals.

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

Oh man… hang on… she’s heading into blasphemous territory once again!

But seriously… the Walden Media version of this movie… it captured everything of my childhood and brought it to life. Watching Lucy experience Narnia for the first time… twirling about in the snow, the wonder in her face… it was like the first time my dad read me the book. It summoned the magic of secret doors and the power of Aslan and the beautiful allegory and it got it all so very right.

And while the battle scenes were more intense than anything I imagined as a child… I can forgive that.

(I also love beyond measure the old BBC versions of LWW, Prince Caspian, Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair… and I will forever and ever and ever say that Tom Baker’s masterful, peerless rendition of Puddleglum is absolutely perfect and is how I will ALWAYS imagine Puddleglum forever… but I’m not going to claim that those movies are equal to the books. Tom Baker might be… but the movies must be taken as a whole and thus, alas, as much as I love them to pieces… they don’t quite make this list).

The Polar Express

Geez, Jenelle. Are you trying to alienate all your readers?

Apparently.

But I just really love both of these, and I couldn’t leave it off the list. I’d have to say that I still probably think the book is better… if pushed. But this is a favorite movie to watch every Christmas, as well, and I love how it expands on the story.

Love Comes Softly

The movie is every bit as beautiful as the book. I don’t think I can say the same of all the subsequent sequels (especially when they had to change actors somewhere along the line) but the movie is gorgeous.

Little Women

Another one where there isn’t a lot to say… also, I might be getting tired. But both versions of this movie are quite good. I generally prefer the older version with Christian Bale (because…. Christian Bale!) but the new one is delightful as well. However, the newer movie definitely requires some familiarity with the story, because it time-hops all over the place and does not tell the story in any sort of linear way… and doesn’t do a good job of letting you know when the time-hops are happening (especially since the actors/actresses all play both their older-versions and younger-versions of themselves… and not all of them pull it off well). So if you don’t know the story well already… you will most definitely be lost pretty quickly.

Ramona and Beezus

I mean, I loved the Ramona books growing up. She’s such a rascal. But the movie is just so very sweet. This is one of those cases where I personally think the movie miiiight be slightly better… but it’s close enough to a toss up that I’m putting it here in this category.

Anne of Green Gables

The 1985 version with Megan Follows. Personally… I actually like the movie more. But it’s so very close, I put it here in the “equal” category so as not to start a war. Anne of Avonlea, however, I would put in the category of “the movie was better” because L.M. Montgomery’s Anne series sort of gets depressing and really long in the sequel books, until you get to Rainbow Valley… but the movie maintained that whimsical, undaunted, and creative spirit of Anne from the first movie and book.

Besides… I literally cannot even think of a better ending for any story ever than the way that movie ends. I mean…. seriously. This. Is. Perfection.

The Lord of the Rings

Hooo boy. I’m in trouble now.

But hear me out for a minute.

No, the movies were not better than the books. And they were far from PERFECT. Okay, I get that. There were things that Jackson changed that bothered me, too. (coughFaramircough) (and coughunjusttreatmentofBoromircough) though the extended editions did fix many of the issues I had with the theatrical releases. And I would definitely have preferred that he make the movies exactly as long as they needed to be to include EVERYTHING Tolkien wrote. (Tom Bombadill, anyone?)

BUT

The movies were still phenomenal masterpieces of art that held true to the heart of what Tolkien wrote.

And they allowed me to share my favorite story of all time with people who would never otherwise have understood the story. Who were never going to read the book (and still haven’t).

And I loved them every bit as much as the books.

I fear I will never again experience that much anticipation and excitement for any series of movies in theaters again.

My entire family and I went to see Fellowship of the Ring SEVEN TIMES in theaters!

I remember going the very first time with my entire family, the movie ended. The closing credits began to roll. We sat there in a sort of breathlessly stunned wonder…. and then my dad leaned forward and whispered to us all, “And that was the BORING book!”

The Controversial

This section has two notable titles on it.

Ella Enchanted

and

The Hobbit Trilogy

Now… I’m not saying that either of these are BETTER than their books. Nor am I saying that they are even EQUAL to their books.

But I do want to take a moment to explain why I can love them both as much as their books.

Some movies are book adaptations. These are movies that are meant to be exact representations on-screen of the book on which they are based. As such, these movies should be judged strictly according to their books. A few examples include:

The Lord of the Rings
The Princess Bride
Harry Potter
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Bridge to Terabithia

And quite a few of the others on the lists above.

But sometimes, a movie is simply based on a book. Or even inspired by the book.

Frozen is a good example of a movie that was inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen. The movie is so vastly different from The Snow Queen that it would be laughable to call it a retelling or to say it is an adaptation. It is its own thing. And that’s okay.

Ella Enchanted is based on the book by the same name. But the movie’s resemblance to the book can be summed up in “child cursed with obedience,” “evil stepmother/sisters,” and “fairy tale kingdom.” You cannot argue that Ella Enchanted is an adaptation, because it is so different as to be almost a completely different story with elements clearly inspired by the book. Therefore, I can love it to pieces as its own thing. It’s funny and it’s a run romp, and it’s not even really bothering to try to be similar to the book, so I can forgive it.

I also… just kind of have to love a movie where they decide to cast Cary Elwes as the villain purely BECAUSE he was the hero in The Princess Bride. That’s the sort of decision I think William Goldman would approve of. It’s a little like giving your un-published novel the tagline: A Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure.

The Hobbit on the other hand… well… that’s where we really get into a tricky, sticky spot.

Have you read The Hobbit?

Have you read The Lord of the Rings?

If you have, will you agree with me that the reading level of these two stories is vastly different? That the tone of these two stories is vastly different? Can you imagine Hugo Weaving and his elves from the LOTR movies hanging out of trees singing ridiculous songs about the dwarves and their beards and poking fun at their journey? Can you picture that? Because I certainly can’t.

Can you picture the ridiculous, bumbling dwarves of the BOOK fitting into the scope and solemnity of the world we got to see in the LOTR movies?

No.

And so, The Hobbit for me falls into a category all its own. (And, being that it’s a Tolkien story, I think that is fitting).

You see, while The Lord of the Rings movies are a true book to movie adaptation. The Hobbit trilogy is not.

The Hobbit movie trilogy is meant to be a prequel trilogy to the LOTR MOVIES…. based on the book by the same name.

And as a “based on” movie it actually stays far truer to the original story than most “based on” movies do. And because of that, I can love it and love it wholeheartedly for what it is. A prequel trilogy to the epic LOTR movies. Not a book-to-movie adaptation.

Talk to me, dear Reader! (And please, don’t throw things)!

Have you read or watched any of the books/movies I’ve mentioned above? Do you agree with ANY of my picks? Are there any book-to-movie adaptations I missed? I know there are others out there, for example, I have been told that Stardust the movie is far better than the book, but I didn’t feel I could include it because I haven’t read the book! Do you vehemently disagree with any of my picks? Let’s chat! (Kindly… and with the acknowledgement that if we all liked exactly the same stories, this world would be a boring place… please!)

Movies That Are Better Than Their Books