I saw someone walking around with a tee shirt that said, "The book was better." Haha! I was just talking to Bee about this though, and we agreed that sometimes the movie can be as good as (or better) than the source material.
She said that Gone Girl was as good as the book, and Chicago the movie was even better than the musical.
My picks are Dr. Zhivago, Fight Club and Shawshank Redemption. Oh and Godfather!
honeydew / 7235 posts
@mrbee: agree with Chicago and Gone Girl.
The Harry Potter movies are really really good, maybe not quite better than the books though.
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
@hellobeeboston: Yah agreed on HP, but it's hard to compete with all the backstory she was able to cram into the books!
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
Harry Potter! Also agree with Gone Girl I think that one was pretty spot on.
pomegranate / 3565 posts
Like Water for Chocolate - both the book and movie were excellent.
I also really liked The Notebook - I think more than the movie.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
I agree with Gone Girl.
I'm really hoping The Martian movie is as good as the book!
grapefruit / 4731 posts
@Mamasig: +1 for like water for chocolate. I love that book... I rarely read a book more than once but I must have read that at least 3 times so far in my life. 
The movie was very good too.
Stardust was way better than the book and How to Train your Dragon was really good - the book was way different though ... basically they just used the concept of vikings and dragons and their names.
nectarine / 2784 posts
I like the movie stardust better than the book. I've heard that the twilight movies are better than the books, though I haven't seen or read either.
pomegranate / 3565 posts
@Raindrop: I've also read it multiple times. I once tried to read the Spanish version but it was too advanced for me. Makes me want to read it again!
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
I love the Harry Potter movies, but still think the books were way better!
I'm sure hard core fans would hate me for saying this, but I think the Game of Thrones shows are better than the books (not a movie but close enough).
The Hunger Games movies are really good, though I'd still give the books the win.
coconut / 8234 posts
The Color Purple movie was better than the book IMHO. I agree on The Notebook and Like Water for Chocolate. Still Alive was as good as the book. Ehh to Gone Girl, the book was way better and the characters more dynamic.
pomegranate / 3791 posts
I think Divergent was really really close. And for the most part I preferred their changes - like, I'll take Theo James as Four over some 18 year old actor 
Then they had to screw it all up by having the plot of Allegiant be totally WTF.
pomegranate / 3791 posts
Oh, and Fault in Our Stars was really close to!
I really like Shailene Woodley, in case you can't tell.
papaya / 10343 posts
Agree with Shawshank Redemption the movie being better. I also thought the book thief was at least almost as good as the book.
nectarine / 2054 posts
American Psycho! Fantastic book and movie, and they nailed the movie.
nectarine / 2173 posts
I actually think the Hunger Games movies are WAY better than the books. The writing style is rather juvenile although it's a good story.
apricot / 294 posts
Dances with Wolves. Both book and movie were fantastic. The movie ending reduces me to tears every time.
Precious. The book is better, but they did a great job with the movie.
pomegranate / 3706 posts
I absolutely disagree that Chicago the movie was better than the live version!
For me, not many things, if any, have been as good as, let alone better than, the book. I have enjoyed many movie versions-- still don't think they're better. 
bananas / 9227 posts
@Mamasig: @Raindrop: You've convinced me to read Like Water for Chocolate. I loved that movie!
I don't agree with Stardust. I think the story (with all the gorgeous pictures) was way better than the movie. I owned the original comic and also have the book. I love how the story is written.
persimmon / 1196 posts
@erinpye: I agree - no way can Chicago the movie hold a candle to the stage show! Cool interpretation, but you need real singers and dancers!
I also disagree about Gone Girl. I thought the movie was thin and dull.
My husband and I have this debate all the time re: The Princess Bride. He thinks the movie is better, I prefer the book (though both are great).
I'm reading Orange is the New Black right now, and so far I think the show is better.
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
@wonderstruck: Ditto on the Allegiant plot. What a total WTF and oh hell to the no!! I did not slave through 3 books for this!!!!! lol
pomegranate / 3791 posts
@Alivoo01: I was so angry. Like, off really, you had to do the dumbass box and make everything way too convenient with Tris being the one and them being able to deactivate the discs at the perfect moment to totally erase the big important battle to cut down on time, but you have time to include a train fight that makes no sense?!
Okay sorry, clearly I'm overly invested. I wish they'd used the same producer and director as they did for the first one.
pear / 1998 posts
I think it is way harder to compare a book versus a movie than most people. I think the biggest thing is that reading is much more personal than watching a movie. You have so much more invested in a book (the time, your personal interpretation of the characters, the visuals that you create that are unique to you.)
I feel like it is comparing biking to swimming and asking which one is better.
I usually like when the movie version is significantly different from the source material.
I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies much more than the books. I couldn't even get through reading them.
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
@wonderstruck: Oh! You're talking about Insurgent! Before the movie even came out, my cousin and I were all like WTF is this when they played the trailers because none of it reflected any scene from the book itself (her chasing after her mom in that moving room in a destroyed city). Either way, I was totally eh about the movie.
clementine / 854 posts
I liked the Notebook novel better than the movie - the end of book was SO much better.
I'm definitely in the minority with not liking the Harry Potter books. I only read up to the middle of book two though. The movies were only okay too - but better than the books as it kept my attention. Although I have thought about giving them another chance. I was only like 13 or so when the books came out.
pomegranate / 3791 posts
@Alivoo01: Ah yes sorry, I don't know why I said Allegiant. I know what you're talking about now but I was thinking about the book vs movie thing. Yeah that trailer way confused all the book fans.
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