There are numerous examples of movies that couldn’t live up to the books and failed miserably, so let’s credit the movies that managed to capture the audience better than the books
Over the years, there have been plenty of books that are adapted and brought to life by movies. Right from the birth of motion pictures, there have been adaptations after adaptations, from Shakespeare’s Romeo Juliet to modern day George R. R. Martin’s Game of thrones or the upcoming Augusta Christie’s Murder on the Orient express. I have read many novels, which have been later made into films, some of them have been good some not. But very rarely comes there a movie that surpasses expectations of the book.
Jaws
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| Even if fake, the sharks still manage to give audience some chilling moment |
Adapted from Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel of the same name, Jaws (The novel) tells the story of a great white shark that preys upon a people of a small town and the voyage of three men trying to kill it. The novel was massive public hit but was criticized for its poor characterization of protagonists. The movie too like the book, concentrated on Great white Shark's menace yet it had a more deeper impact on the audience. Spielberg brought magic in the movie with his artificial Sharks and chilling music, such that people actually got scared of visiting beaches afterwards, something words in the novel cannot have done. As a result, it was no wonder Spielberg’s Jaws with its heightened action and tense music delivered better than the books.
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| Click on Image to buy the book at just Rs. 110 |
The Jurassic Park
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| During the first visuals of dinosaurs in 'Jurassic Park', it wasn't just Dr. Alan Grant that gasped at what they saw |
Another Spielberg classic that came out better than the books was The Jurassic Park. Michael Crichton’s novel with the same name talks more about dinosaur, genetic engineering and mathematical concept of chaos theory. The movie however while showcasing dinosaurs also had amped up the action, characters, and all around plotlines with some amazing special effects. Although the book was a massive hit, the movie made it even bigger hit thanks to its awesome visual effects that made the extinct species almost real. Without the movie, there wouldn’t have been so much of excitement for Jurassic world that brought the franchise back to life 14 years after its last film.
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| Click on image to buy the book at Rs.259 |
3 Idiots
Even in India there have been some movies that take inspirations from books, like Saif Ali Khan starrer 'Phantom' inspired from Hussian Zaidi’s 'Mumbai Avengers', Sonakshi Sinha’s 'Noor' adapted from 'Karachi you are killing me' and numerous Chetan Bhagat novels. Very few of these films actually manage to find success; one such movie that comes to my mind is '3 Idiots'. Although based on Chetan Bhagat’s Five point someone, the film had lot to offer of its own from social message to inspiring generations. 3 Idiots's Rancho was more inspirational than the book's Ryan. The best part of the film was its connection to this generation and their struggles, one of which is the now classic moment of Farhan confronting his father about his future choice. Both five point someone and 3 Idiots were a huge hit among its audience, but while Bhagat’s novel was termed as the Masala-film version of books, the movie was more on the side of coming of age inspirational film.
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| Click on image to buy at Rs.149 |
While the magic of words, details of life and sometimes the depths of a story can be enjoyed better in the novels, which cannot be replaced by films, there are certain books that deserve a film adaptation so that everyone can at least visualize the story and enjoy it more.
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