The world is full of beautiful books that sometimes get turned into magnificent movies, as a new way for people to enjoy interesting plots. But sometimes, the film version is a total letdown! Whether it be bad acting, weird adaptations or the fact that the story was just so much better in our minds, there are many things that can lead to this disappointment.
That being said, this is our official list of 10 books that are definitely still better than the movies that were made, released and based on them. Links to Amazon are even included so that fans can grab their copies - the good copies!
The Giver
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The Giver is a young adult dystopian novel by Lois Lowry. Released in 1993, it tells the story of a boy named Jonas, who is selected to become the Receiver of Memory, meaning he gets a chance to see how the world used to be.
This novel won the 1994 Newbery Medal and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. The film of The Giver came out in 2014, and though it starred big names like Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep, it couldn’t live up to the original story. This is a very complex and unique plotline, so it would have been hard to get it right on the big screen.
Water for Elephants
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Water for Elephants is a 2006 historical novel by Sara Gruen. In it, veterinary student Jacob Jankowski hops on a train that belongs to a traveling circus. He becomes an animal caretaker. He meets a gorgeous circus performer named Marlena.
They have a shared compassion for a special elephant named Rosie, and this mutual interest and this bond leads them to fall in love. Marlena has a cruel husband, though, standing in their way. It is so good! The film adaptation came out in 2011, with Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson in the lead roles… and it wasn’t as good.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming-of-age novel by Stephen Chbosky. Published in 1999, it is about a teenager named Charlie, and it appeals to many real teens, as it deals with everything from introversion to sexuality, drug use and mental health.
In 2012, Chbosky adapted and directed a film version, which ended up landing the book on The New York Times Best Seller list. Well-known people from the acting world like Emma Watson, Mae Whitman, Dylan McDermott, Nina Dobrev, Paul Rudd and Joan Cusack were in this movie, yet it sadly didn’t live up to our expectations.
In Cold Blood
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In Cold Blood is a nonfiction novel by Truman Capote, which was first published in 1966. It is about the real-life murders of the Clutter family in a small farming community in Kansas, and it was an instant success.
In fact, it has become the second-biggest-selling true crime book in publishing history and is considered a pioneering work in the true crime genre. In 1967, Richard Brooks wrote, produced and directed a film adaptation, based on Capote's book. There are some positive aspects seen in it, but in our opinion, once again and as usual, the book is better.
A Wrinkle in Time
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A Wrinkle in Time is a novel by Madeleine L'Engle from 1962. It won the Newbery Medal, Sequoyah Book Award and Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. The young main characters go on a journey through space and time in this iconic tale, as they try to save their father and the world.
In 2018, a movie version came out, and it featured popular stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Michael Peña, Zach Galifianakis and Chris Pine. It was considered a box office bomb, and critics had issues with the film's heavy use of CGI and numerous plot holes.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a contemporary fantasy debut novel by Ransom Riggs. The story is about a boy who follows clues from his grandfather's old photos, stories and final words, which lead him on an adventure to a large abandoned orphanage - a home for peculiar children.
This novel became a New York Times bestseller and reached the top spot on the Children's Chapter Books list. In 2016, Tim Burton’s movie based on this novel came out, and while we are huge fans of his, this fell short for us. This is another complex story, so it didn’t match up with the vision in our heads.
Where the Wild Things Are
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Where the Wild Things Are, from 1963, is a children's book by Maurice Sendak. It has sold over 19 million copies worldwide, won several awards and been called the most distinguished picture book for children.
The 2009 fantasy drama film of this story, directed by Spike Jonze, combined live-action, performers in costumes, animatronics and computer-generated imagery (CGI). Its budget was $100 million, and at the box office, it made $100.1 million. It may have seemed like a good idea to turn this iconic book into a movie, but it just didn’t work out well, which is quite sad.
Rosemary's Baby
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Rosemary's Baby is a horror novel by Ira Levin from 1967, which sold over four million copies, became the top bestselling horror novel of the 1960s and helped launch a horror boom.
In 1968, Roman Polanski’s film featuring Mia Farrow came out, telling this story of a pregnant woman who suspects that a cult wants to take her baby. While this film is considered a classic, the book is one of our favorite scary reads of all time! Plus, it has a sequel, Son of Rosemary, which was dedicated to Mia Farrow and came out in the year of 1997.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian & The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 film - the second in The Chronicles of Narnia film series. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a 2010 film - the third in the film series and the final to be produced by Walden Media.
The book Prince Caspian was the second to be published and was the fourth chronologically in C. S. Lewis's epic fantasy series. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was the third novel in the book series and fifth in chronological order. And the read versions of these two movies pack in so much more!
The Last Song
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The Last Song, a 2010 romantic drama film, was actually developed alongside Nicholas Sparks' 2009 novel of the same name. Sparks finished writing the screenplay in January 2009, before he even finished the novel, and it starred Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth.
While the story of a troubled teen reconnecting with her estranged father and falling reads nicely overall, seeing these two act it all out was not ideal for us. We are glad their love story worked out in real life, as these two celebrities were actually really married recently, but this movie… Not our fave. Sorry, Mr. Sparks!
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