Since the invention of film, adapting books to movies has been a frequent practice. There are dozens of adaptations of famous books and works of literature floating around, both for good and for bad. While some productions have gone on to win major awards, some are actually just plain weird.
Some adaptations of great works of literature try to stick as close to the source material as possible, but a few throw caution and accuracy completely out the window as they try to put their own spin on classic stories. While they might be incredibly bizarre, that doesn't mean they can't be entertaining.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) - Who Censored Roger Rabbit
Stream On Disney+
As surprising as it might sound, this Disney classic actually comes from a very peculiar novel involving toons, comic strips, and murder. Based on the book Who Censored Roger Rabbit by Gary K. Wolf, both versions are particularly strange, but it's debatable which one would qualify as the weirder adaptation.
Both versions have a murder plot involving a mysterious missing will, but only the movie has the appearance of characters like Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny sharing the same screen. In this case, the strangeness might be subjective. Still, it's a literary adaptation that shouldn't go without mentioning.
Murder On The Orient Express (2001) - Murder On The Orient Express
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The 2001 TV version of Agatha Christie's most famous Poirot mystery definitely gets points for casting Alfred Molina as the famous detective, but its use of a "modern" setting will definitely throw some purists for a loop. That's not to say the adaptation isn't interesting, but it will definitely leave a few scratching their heads.
On one hand, it's fascinating to see how a character like Hercule Poirot would work in a modern setting. On the other, it loses a little bit of its classic appeal by casting the 1930s period aside. That being said, it does keep several of the novel's elements surprisingly intact.
Malice In Wonderland (2010) - Alice In Wonderland
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Where the modernization of Murder on the Orient Express at least tries to be a decent adaptation, Malice In Wonderland feels like a disorganized fever dream. This modernized Alice looks and feels like someone spent a little too much time smoking with the caterpillar and this was the end result of that collaboration.
Instead of a little girl lost in an enchanted magical world, Alice is an American law student who gets taken for a wild ride in London's seedy underground. Much like the original novel, however, it's the weirdness that makes it memorable.
Depraved (2019) - Frankenstein
Stream On Hulu & AMC+
The experiments of Dr. Victor Frankenstein are not something anyone should try at home, but this adaptation gives Mary Shelley's classic horror story a more modernized and somewhat-realistic take. There's a great deal of focus on the medical side of things, as well as the implications of bringing a dead man back to life for both the subject and the scientists involved.
While Frankenstein has received modern adaptations before, this one forgoes the stereotypical horror imagery and gives it a more grounded and gritty reimagining. Shelley herself would certainly be impressed.
The Nutty Professor (1996) - The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde
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On the other end of the mad scientist spectrum, this Eddie Murphy mainstay features a different take on the traditional Jekyll and Hyde narrative. While it's actually a remake of the Jerry Lewis film of the same name, The Nutty Professor features the same backbone of Jekyll and Hyde's relationship seen in the original story.
Hyde isn't just the evil version of Jekyll, just as Buddy Love isn't the evil version of Sherman Klump. In reality, the two are just the uninhibited and uncensored sides of the other. With so many versions of the same story, it's amazing to see that detail in a comedic adaptation like this.
O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - The Odyssey
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When someone thinks of The Odyssey, they probably don't picture chain gangs, bluegrass music, and the Ku Klux Klan. That is, of course, if they don't consider this Cohen Brothers adaptation. Trading in ancient Greece for the American south in the 1930s, this version of Homer's epic manages to keep all the highlights of the original story with a surprisingly functioning twist.
On paper, O' Brother, Where Art Thou? shouldn't work, but it's easily one of the most beloved book-to-movie adaptations out there. Although viewers will find no Grecian warriors, no golden cattle, and no sea monsters, at least they have a cyclops.
Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past (2009) - A Christmas Carol
Stream On Netflix
There's no doubt that A Christmas Carol is easily one of the most adapted pieces of literature in existence, and the variations on the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge are as colorful as can be. While this version has no Christmas puddings, no haunted doorknockers, and no "bah-humbugs," it does have a detestable protagonist and a visit from three spirits.
Dickens probably never imagined his work being the backbone for a romantic comedy about Matthew McConaughey's extensive love life, but it works for this twisted tale. Not exactly the most accurate version, but it's easily one of the funniest.
Titus (1999) - Titus Andronicus
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Action figures, Roman Soldiers, and motorcycles might not have the slightest bit in common, but they all come together in grand and glorious eccentric fashion in Julie Taymor's acclaimed version of Titus Andronicus. Shakespeare's writings have been adapted in more ways than many can count, but this is actually one of the tamer adaptations.
Taymor's style is more about visuals than actually making sense. It's not the version the bard probably had in mind when writing his tale of war, blood, and cannibalism, but it's probably the most memorable.
Romeo+Juliet (1996) - Romeo And Juliet
Rent On Vudu
Director Baz Luhrmann already has a reputation for the avant-garde, but his adaptation of Shakespeare's most famous love story is what arguably put him on the map. While the film does almost nothing to the original script and dialogue, the creative choice was made to keep everything else set in '90s California.
On a normal day, speaking Elizabethan English and referring to handguns as swords and blades would give any viewer pause, but Luhrman's vision is arguably one of the most stand-out adaptations of the story since the Oscar-nominated adaptation in the '60s.
Throne Of Blood (1957) - Macbeth
Stream On The Criterion Channel & HBO Max
If anyone other than Akira Kurosawa directed an adaptation of Macbeth with samurai, ancient spirits, and tons of blood, they wouldn't be nearly as successful. While it sounds like the acclaimed director totally missed the plot of Shakespeare's goriest feature, the Eastern flavor truly lends itself over wonderfully to the tale of the ambitious king.
Swapping the castles for imperial palaces, the witches for a mysterious spirit, and kilts for Karuta, it's easily one of the most celebrated adaptations of Shakespeare's work. Come for the samurai, stay for the gruesome drama.