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[RokofAges75]

I don't think so.  I'll have to look that one up!  I love the story of Frankenstein and the fact that it was written by a woman in that time period, even if I didn't love the actual book as much as I wanted to. 

I'm probably biased by the fact that Boris Karloff's Creature is my favorite of the Universal monsters, and I wanted the book to be more like the movie I had grown up watching... which I know is backwards because the book has more depth, but I just like Karloff's Creature better.  Maybe if I'd read the book without seeing that movie as a kid, I would have liked it more.  I've seen other movie versions of Frankenstein that follow the book and enjoyed those, but the classic 1931 one is still my favorite.

I've found that with a lot of movie adaptations of books.  If I see the movie before reading the book, I often end up like the movie version better.  But if I read the book first and then see the movie, I usually prefer the book.  I guess once I've experienced the story and characters one way, it's hard to adjust to a different interpretation .  Is anyone else like that?

[mare]

For whatever reason, when I see the movie first, I generally never get around to reading the book. When I read a book that turns into a movie though, I usually am really excited about seeing it. That being said, I’m almost always disappointed in the movie. There are some they come very close. The Book Thief comes to mind. Bothers are just awful! *cough*My Sisters’s Keeper*cough*

[nicksgal]

I'm like Mare. If I saw the movie before reading the book, it's near impossible for me to read the book. Like I was so stoked when they made American Gods into a tv show because I kept meaning to read the book. I watched the first season and loved it, finally bought the book, didn't read the book, made it halfway through the second season, still haven't read the book, and for some reason we don't get Starz anymore so I can't catch up then watch the third season, lol.

I think it depends on the book on whether the movie is more or less disappointing? There's a lot of novels that I don't think translate to screen adaptations very well. But the worse ones aren't as easy to adapt probably.

But I do love how so many of the "monster" tropes come from the classic portrayals in film, rather than any source material. Like how a lot of things in the Phantom musical comes from Lon Chaney's film and not the actual book. I think a lot of the Dracula stuff is like that too.

[RokofAges75]

That is interesting that you both don't usually read the book if you watched the movie first. For me, it depends. If I like the movie, I'm more likely to want to read the book. If I don't like the movie, I probably won't read it unless people recommend it and say it's a lot better.

Movie adaptations that I think are at least as good, if not better than the book:  Jurassic Park, The Shining, Misery, The Ruins, Me Before You, Holes

The only movie I can think of offhand that I consider to be significantly better than the book is The Notebook.

Bothers are just awful! *cough*My Sisters’s Keeper*cough*

I agree about My Sister's Keeper.  The movie was okay until it changed the whole ending.

But I do love how so many of the "monster" tropes come from the classic portrayals in film, rather than any source material. Like how a lot of things in the Phantom musical comes from Lon Chaney's film and not the actual book. I think a lot of the Dracula stuff is like that too.

Very true!  I haven't read Dracula, but yeah, the whole Dracula look and accent comes from Bela Lugosi's portrayal of him in the movie.  I guess images just last longer and become more iconic than written descriptions in a book.

[nicksgal]

That's why I try not to watch adaptations of books before I read them. I think it's knowing that the book would take me days or weeks, but I can watch a movie in a couple of hours. I did see the film for Crazy Rich Asians before reading the book, then read the whole series, so maybe there's hope for me yet, lol.

My greatest disappointment was when my Little said "The books are way better than the movie" after I roasted Twilight. I believed her. She was wrong. Maybe this is why I don't read books after watching movies anymore, lol.

I agree with your "as good or better than the book" list. Though I haven't seen The Ruins or Me Before You. Holes is a masterpiece. Remember that performance art piece Shia Lebouf did where he watched all his movies? I think that was one of the only ones he reacted favorably to.

Bela Lugosi, thank you. I couldn't think of the actor's name and didn't want to go through the effort of googling several things about Dracula, lol.

Maybe it depends on how fine-tuned your "picturing things that are written" is (another thing I can't remember the word for). If you have a strong enough image from the book, it will probably stick with you more than a movie. If you don't, a movie probably sticks with you more.

[mare]

I agree about Jurassic Park. I loved The Ruins but I only read the book, never saw the movie and Misery I saw the movie but never read the book. Holes I haven’t read or watched. I’ll just take your word for it on The Notebook lol I tried to get through the movie.

American Gods was such a bizarre book. I love Neil Gaiman. I was curious about the show but I don’t have Starz either. I loved Good Omens, but haven’t watched the series yet. I plan on it though.


I’ve never read any of the classic horror stories.

[RokofAges75]

I'm not sure which is better or worse for Twilight LOL.  I will say I have watched the movies more than I've read the books (only once), except I never made it through the Breaking Dawn Part 2 movie.  Blogging Twilight is better than both LOL.

Me Before You was a decent book and a surprisingly great movie adaptation!  I've only read the book once, but I've watched the movie several times.  The female lead is the best part of both; I liked her character in the book, and Emilia Clarke plays her perfectly in the movie.

You would probably like Holes, Mare, both the book and the movie.  I've only read the book once (after seeing the movie many times), and I enjoyed it too, but the movie adaptation is fantastic.  It's a great, quirky story.  Shia Lebeouf has some issues, but he has always been an amazing actor.

Mare, the author of The Ruins also wrote the screenplay for the movie. It's interesting because the basic plot and characters stayed the same for the most part (although the ending is different, and the Greek guy has a different name in the movie), but the characters' fates are all mixed up, so what happened to one character in the book happens to a different character in the movie.  That threw me off when I read the book after seeing the movie, but I think he did it that way to keep you guessing.  I really like both the book and the movie.

Misery is a great book too.  I found it a little slow and hard to get into the first time I read it because it has a lot of excerpts from the Misery novels the main characters writes, which the movie doesn't delve into as much.  The movie is more concise, and Kathy Bates plays an awesome Annie Wilkes.  That said, the book is worth the read.  It's one of the better King books I've read.

If you couldn't make it through the movie version of The Notebook, don't bother with the book.  I thought it was boring.

I haven't read or seen American Gods or Crazy Rich Asians, so I can't comment on those.

[nicksgal]

The first season was really good. I think I'll still eventually read the book, I just have to find the motivation to start it.

I was really excited for when Leo was going to be in Devil in the White City, but I don't think that ever ended up getting made. Unless I just really haven't been paying attention.

I can't think of any other book to movie adaptations right now. What was wild in the 80s was film to book adaptations. I was reading an article comparing The Labyrinth film to the novelization yesterday and just found the whole thing bizarre.

[RokofAges75]

I was really excited for when Leo was going to be in Devil in the White City, but I don't think that ever ended up getting made. Unless I just really haven't been paying attention.

Ugh, same!!  I still check the IMDB page for that from time to time.  I actually just checked it, and it still doesn't have a release date or anything, but now it says it will be a TV mini series, and there are a couple of articles linked that mention it's being developed for Hulu.  So maybe there's still hope for it!  Leo is still listed as playing H.H. Holmes, too.  Fingers crossed!

I did see they finally announced a release date for the Netflix movie with him and Jennifer Lawrence.  It comes out on Netflix Christmas Eve!  Merry Christmas to me!

[nicksgal]

In some ways, I enjoy a tv miniseries more than a movie, so I'll look forward to it!

I know! You can watch it during your 7am flight!

[RokofAges75]

Totally agree!  If they really do make it as a TV miniseries, that's just more Leo and more murder!  Win win! LOL

I had that thought too, but in reality I'll probably wait to watch it when I get home so I can enjoy the experience more by watching it on a big screen in comfort.

[mare]

Speaking of miniseries. Colton Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad on Amazon Prime is almost identical to the book. Very well done.

[RokofAges75]

I just saw a preview for that; it looks really good!

[mare]

It really is great. Definitely intense, but worth a watch.

[Rose]

Don't bother with American Gods, the first season is solid but then they change producers and some of the actors quit or got fired and it's not the same after. It sadly goes downhill fast. I need to go read the book so I can see what could've been LOL.

A Walk To Remember the movie is better than the book too. Maybe it's a Nicholas Sparks thing?