Some books nail the film adaptation, others flub it. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the movies that were as good as – or even better than – the books they were based on, and the adaptations that made book lovers walk out of the theater.
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00:00 "You're out of order. Permission to approach the bench."
00:02 "I object!"
00:02 "No, I object."
00:03 "I heard it there. It's coming from the book."
00:06 Welcome to Ms Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the movies that were as good as,
00:12 or even better than, the books they were based on,
00:15 and the adaptations that made book lovers walk out of the theatre.
00:20 We'll only be looking at standalone films, since franchises deserve their own list.
00:26 "This is wonderful."
00:28 "I meant to go back. Wander the paths of Mirkwood."
00:32 Number 5. Nailed it! The Social Network
00:38 "Mr Zuckerberg, do I have your full attention?"
00:40 "No."
00:42 "Do you think I deserve it?"
00:45 "What?"
00:46 "Do you think I deserve your full attention?"
00:49 This Academy Award-winning film from Aaron Sorkin is based on Ben Meserich's book about
00:54 the inception of Facebook, The Accidental Billionaires. Meserich drew his material from
01:01 court documents and conversations with the real people involved to create an entertaining and
01:07 enlightening narrative.
01:08 "I'm not a bad guy."
01:09 "I know that. When there's emotional testimony, I assume 85% of it is exaggeration."
01:15 "And the other 15?"
01:17 "Perjury. Creation missed me to devil."
01:20 The movie adds an extra layer of drama and tension, thanks to Sorkin's writing,
01:26 David Fincher's direction, and standout performances from the actors.
01:30 Jesse Eisenberg is perfectly cast as Mark Zuckerberg. Andrew Garfield also turns in an
01:37 underrated and highly effective portrayal of Eduardo Saverin. Although some people,
01:42 including Zuck himself, have disputed the historical accuracy of the film,
01:47 it remains one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the 2010s.
01:52 "I believe I deserve some recognition from this board."
01:54 "I'm sorry?"
01:57 "Yes."
01:59 Number 5. Flubbed It, The Time Machine.
02:02 "I wonder if we'll ever go too far."
02:04 "With what?"
02:05 "With this. With all of this."
02:08 "No such thing."
02:11 H.G. Wells' 1895 sci-fi novella was years ahead of its time. Wells was one of the first thinkers
02:19 to describe time as a fourth dimension and to imagine traveling through it using some kind
02:24 of vehicle. His book basically invented the time travel genre. Yet until the 2000s,
02:31 only one feature film adaptation existed, a low-budget, somewhat silly 1960 movie starring
02:39 Rod Taylor. So in 2002, when fans learned about a new adaptation with a big budget
02:45 and 21st century special effects, many were thrilled. That is, until they saw it.
02:52 "I don't believe it."
02:53 "Well, if you don't like the answers, you should avoid asking the questions."
03:00 Wells' brilliant social commentary and simple but riveting tale are gone, replaced by a
03:07 shoehorned love story and a bunch of ridiculous plot contrivances. It was a huge letdown for
03:13 sci-fi fans everywhere.
03:15 "You are the inescapable result of your tragedy, just as I am the inescapable result of you."
03:29 Number four, Nailed It, No Country for Old Men.
03:33 "What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss?"
03:36 "Sir?"
03:37 "The most you ever lost on a coin toss."
03:40 Capturing the spare dialogue and primal feel of Cormac McCarthy's novel would be no easy
03:47 task for a filmmaker, but if anyone could do it, it was the Coen brothers. Their screenplay
03:53 is highly faithful to the book, and it's helped along by stunning western vistas and
03:59 pitch-perfect casting.
04:00 "I got a bad feeling, Llewellyn."
04:02 "Well, I got a good one, so that ought to even out."
04:05 "Listen, you gotta quit your worrying so much."
04:08 Tommy Lee Jones portrays Sheriff Ed Tom Bell with such complexity, giving the character
04:14 a visceral wariness underneath his tough Texas exterior. And of course, Javier Bardem's
04:20 psychopathic killer Anton Chigurh has been ranked among the greatest movie villains of
04:26 all time. These performances, combined with the Coens' masterful use of tension, make
04:32 for a brilliant crime drama.
04:34 "What is it Torvart says about truth and justice?"
04:36 "Oh, we dedicate ourselves daily anew. Something like that."
04:42 "I'm gonna commence dedicating myself twice daily. Might come to three times before it's over."
04:47 Number four, Flubbed It, The Scarlet Letter. This one isn't just a bad adaptation, it's
04:54 a bad movie, period.
04:56 "Are you sure God's not punishing me?"
04:58 "To be sure, he's punishing your woman."
05:01 Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel explores complex themes of morality and sin,
05:07 and the dangerous influence of religious puritanism. The 1995 movie completely misses
05:14 the point, turning Hawthorne's dark drama into a dumbed-down, small-paced romance.
05:20 "Your tongue knows no rules, Mistress Flynn."
05:22 "And if it did, Reverend, what purpose would it serve?"
05:30 "And here I thought comprehending God was going to be my greatest challenge."
05:33 Critics, unsurprisingly, hated it. The pretentious dialogue is often inadvertently hilarious,
05:41 and the gratuitous sex scenes are anything but sexy. It's one thing to adapt a Victorian-era
05:47 novel for 20th-century sensibilities, but when you've turned the tormented Reverend Dimmesdale
05:54 into a slick, 17th-century version of a rock star, you've gone too far.
05:59 "We are not succeeding in that test. We are failing in that test, and why?"
06:03 "Because we covet."
06:06 "Nay, we lust after what is not ours."
06:11 Number three nailed it. To Kill a Mockingbird.
06:14 "I will think of these days many times. Of Jim and Dil and Boo Radley and Tom Robinson.
06:22 And Atticus."
06:26 Few stories stand the test of time like Harper Lee's seminal 1960 novel, and few adaptations
06:33 live up to their source material as well as Robert Mulligan's film version. It was widely
06:38 acclaimed at the time of its release and is still considered a must-watch for cinephiles.
06:44 "In the name of God, do your duty."
06:50 Gregory Peck's portrayal of Atticus Finch is a performance for the ages,
06:55 and earned the actor his only Academy Award. Though the movie is set in 1930s Alabama,
07:01 it deals with themes of racism and justice that are as relevant today as ever.
07:06 In the hands of less talented creators, its messaging could have been too heavy-handed,
07:12 but instead, To Kill a Mockingbird is a masterclass in powerful, dramatic filmmaking.
07:18 "Miss Jean Louise? Miss Jean Louise, stand up."
07:23 "Your father's passing."
07:29 Number 3. Flubbed It - A Wrinkle in Time
07:33 "The only thing in the universe that travels faster than light is the darkness."
07:41 If you're going to adapt a beloved, award-winning children's book for a new generation,
07:47 you've got to nail it. Unfortunately, Disney instead gave us a sappy CGI spectacle that is
07:54 far more style than substance. Mrs. Who, What's It, and Witch are done especially dirty. In the
08:02 book, these interdimensional beings are incredibly wise and often quite funny,
08:07 but their movie versions are silly at best and boring at worst.
08:11 "Ow!"
08:12 "Yes, she's fine."
08:14 "What's it?"
08:14 "We don't kick people."
08:17 "Oh, I didn't know."
08:19 Despite its less than two-hour runtime, the film's pacing is all over the place,
08:24 and the ending feels weirdly anticlimactic. Considering how wildly inventive the original
08:30 novel is, it's almost impressive that the movie fell this flat.
08:35 "It hurts."
08:36 "Come here. Over your ears."
08:41 Number 2. Nailed It - The Shawshank Redemption
08:45 "How about expanding the library and get some new books in there?"
08:48 "Gonna ask for something. Ask for a pool table."
08:50 "Right. How do you expect to do that?"
08:54 Adaptations of Stephen King's work tend to be extremely hit-or-miss,
08:59 but this is definitely one of the hits. Based on King's 1982 novella, Frank Darabont's screenplay
09:06 changed very little from the original work beyond the physical appearance of the two leads.
09:11 The theme of holding onto hope in the face of relentless adversity is as powerful today as it
09:18 was 30 years ago. And of course, we can't forget Morgan Freeman's iconic narration.
09:24 "I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged.
09:27 Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away,
09:34 the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice."
09:38 There's a reason this movie is consistently ranked as one of the greatest of all time,
09:44 and we dare you not to tear up at that final scene.
09:48 "I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope."
09:55 Number 2. Flubbed It - Artemis Fowl
10:01 "Well, where should we start?"
10:03 "That's my biography, I presume?"
10:06 "It is."
10:08 Fans were excited to finally see Owen Kelfer's fantasy series come to life after years of
10:15 development delays, and Kenneth Branagh seemed like a perfect fit to direct. However, the movie
10:21 chops so much out of the original novel that the story is barely recognisable, and anyone who
10:27 hasn't read the book will have a hard time following along. "It's too well hidden."
10:32 "And they're books? It's not just a different language. It's encoded."
10:36 Character development is practically non-existent. Replaced by frenetic CGI fight scenes and poor
10:43 attempts at humor, Artemis himself is supposed to be a criminal genius with a complicated character
10:50 arc. But in this version, he's just unlikable. These talented people deserve to be in a better
10:57 movie. "Listen to the two of us grunting at each other like a pair of hippos with a throat infection."
11:05 Number 1 nailed it - The Princess Bride
11:09 One foolproof way to make sure your movie adaptation is faithful to the book
11:14 is to let the author write the screenplay himself.
11:17 "As you wish."
11:23 And that's exactly what happened with William Goldman's The Princess Bride.
11:27 Simultaneously an old-fashioned swashbuckling adventure, a romance, and a comedy, the film
11:33 has charmed viewers of all ages since its release. "What? What?" "Nice kissing again,
11:40 you don't want to hear that." "I don't mind so much." "Okay."
11:47 Though the original novel is lengthy, Goldman's script manages to capture all the best moments
11:54 without sacrificing story structure. Every actor understands their assignment perfectly,
12:00 resulting in some of the most memorable and quotable characters in film history.
12:06 To call this movie a beloved classic would be an understatement. "This is true love.
12:11 You think this happens every day?"
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12:31 Number 1. Flubbed It - The Dark Tower
12:35 Speaking of Stephen King adaptations that missed the mark,
12:39 this movie was doomed before the cameras even started rolling.
12:43 "There's always a battle. Always. Or no more."
12:48 "Isn't that why we're losing? Because everyone stopped believing."
12:54 King's Dark Tower series is eight novels and over 4,000 pages long,
13:00 full of deep, meticulously crafted worldbuilding.
13:04 What were the filmmakers thinking trying to cram it into a single, 95-minute film?
13:11 Even more baffling, how did they manage to make a movie about wizards, cowboys,
13:15 and parallel dimensions so boring? "I hope you don't mind me making myself at home.
13:21 Where I come from, we don't have chicken." An adaptation of this series could have been
13:26 epic and grandiose in the vein of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. Instead, we got a flat,
13:33 lifeless film where everyone on screen just seems like they want to get it over with.
13:39 "I don't want any trouble." "Well, then you're smarter than most. Hurry up."
13:43 Which movie adaptation did you think was better than the book? Let us know in the comments.
13:49 "Hold me tight and close your eyes." "What? Why?" "What do stars do?"
13:54 "Shine." Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo,
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14:12 [Music]