A Film that is as good as the Book it is based on. [Archive]

Spectral Morn

15-05-2010, 17:06

Hi Guys

Just finished reading Jumper by Steven Gould and I enjoyed it a lot. However having seen the movie first and really liking it (though like most things its not perfect imho) I find myself in the odd (rare) situation were usually a movie is poor compared to the book but never the other way round or as good but different.

If you haven't read the book you should and if you have then perhaps you might rate the film as well.

Anyway I was curious to know if any one else had seen a film and enjoyed the book equally as well or vice a versa.

Regards D S D L

The Vinyl Adventure

15-05-2010, 17:13

shawshank redemption film is better than the book
starship troopers book is better than the film
stardust i liked the book as much as the film and the film as much as the book, although for different reasons i think

jumper had a lot of potential as a film, but i don't think it fulfilled it by half... ive not read the book

Spectral Morn

15-05-2010, 17:18

Themis

15-05-2010, 17:36

I find that Blade Runner and The Lord of The Rings trilogy films are better than the respective novels.
The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy, too. :)

The Vinyl Adventure

15-05-2010, 17:55

The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy, too. :)

i think the radio series came first... which is pretty bloody funny!
so radio, tv series, books or film for that one

DanJennings

15-05-2010, 18:23

I don't really like the hitchhikers guide film, but yeah, the radio series came first, then the books, then the TV series (which is great) then the film

I think the film 'The Andromeda strain' is as good as the book. I'll try and think of more....
I agree on Blade Runner and Shawshank, I haven't read Starship troopers, and haven't read or seen Jumper, so can't comment.

John

15-05-2010, 18:27

Oh yes I like the film Dune as much as the Book :sofa:

Regards D S D L

:)

The Vinyl Adventure

15-05-2010, 18:29

Hi dan
hope you don't mind, but I lent your copy of dirk gently's holistic detective agancy to Dave Cawley

Spectral Morn

15-05-2010, 19:01

I find that Blade Runner and The Lord of The Rings trilogy films are better than the respective novels.
The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy, too. :)

I agree re The Lord Of the Rings as a film. Good story but poorly written book (:sofa:). The economy of words and narrative flow is very poor imho. However the films are very good.

I have not Read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner) so can offer no comment about the book but the film is very good.

I am not a fan of The Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy :sofa:

Regards D S D L

The Vinyl Adventure

15-05-2010, 19:11

Neil, I think you are te first person who I have ever come across who doesn't like hitchhikers guide ... What's with that? It's really funny!
I do prefer dirk gently's holistic detective agency!

John

15-05-2010, 19:12

Neil living dangerously:lolsign:

Themis

15-05-2010, 19:14

I have not Read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner) so can offer no comment about the book but the film is very good.

It's a short novel, not bad, but very inferior of the best of P.K.Dick's books. The film is vaguely inspired from it.
P.K.Dick is one of my favorite sci-fi writers, I have all his books. Best books imho (for the ones who are interested) are :
- The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
- Ubik

I can give further good titles, if interested. :)

Rare Bird

15-05-2010, 19:25

I can't read books for the life of me ..I can read reference books, but not reading (story) books

The Vinyl Adventure

15-05-2010, 19:30

Why not Andre... Hannah is pretty much the same. I can't imagine a world without novels

Spectral Morn

15-05-2010, 19:31

Neil, I think you are te first person who I have ever come across who doesn't like hitchhikers guide ... What's with that? It's really funny!
I do prefer dirk gently's holistic detective agency!

I prefer Sci-Fi and Fantasy to be fairly serious (bit of humour is okay) rather than a comedy (though some are but not intentionally) I don't like Terry Pratchet either (not the man just his books).

I prefer comedy to be based in the real world.

Regards D S D L

Spectral Morn

15-05-2010, 19:34

Why not Andre... Hannah is pretty much the same. I can't imagine a world without novels

Indeed ! a world without books would be my idea of hell :(. I have read two this week and I have started two more.

Read Jumper and Bane (Joe Donnelly) and started a Star Trek book and Steven King's-Dome. I am planning on reading Nick Hornby's Hi Fidelity soon and perhaps All Quiet on The Western Front.

Regards D S D L

Spectral Morn

15-05-2010, 19:38

Neil living dangerously:lolsign:

Indeed ;):eyebrows::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Regards D S D L

Spectral Morn

15-05-2010, 19:39

The Vinyl Adventure

15-05-2010, 19:42

That's good enough for me!
Shame though that rules out quite a lot of other good books

Barry

15-05-2010, 19:48

Read the book Hamish, it is very good.

Oh yes I like the film Dune as much as the Book :sofa:

Regards D S D L

You must be joking!

David Lynch's version was dreadful; he was the worse possible choice as director. How could anybody take Kyle McLachlan seriously as Paul Atreides, the future Mujad'dib.

The only good thing that the film did well was the portrayal of the sandworms and having Sian Phillips play the Reverend Sister Mohiam Of the Sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit. Both Jurgen Prochnow and Max von Sydow were wasted. So was Francesca Annis.

There was a much, much, better three-part version made for American television.

Regards

Spectral Morn

15-05-2010, 19:49

That's good enough for me!
Shame though that rules out quite a lot of other good books

Such as ? Never say Never ;)

One of the most funny book's I have ever read was Hunter S Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I don't approve of nor would I ever indulge in such crazy things but Hunter's descriptions are both amazing, disturbing and hilarious.I laughed so hard at times that I near wet myself.

Regards D S D L

Joe

15-05-2010, 19:52

'The Long Goodbye': film as good as book, but only very loosely based on it.

'The Great Gatsby': great book, so-so film

'Bleak House': excellent TV adaptation of a book that goes on a bit.

Spectral Morn

15-05-2010, 19:52

You must be joking!

David Lynch's version was dreadful; he was the worse possible choice as director. How could anybody take Kyle McLachlan seriously as Paul Atreides, the future Mujad'dib.

The only good thing that the film did well was the portrayal of the sandworms and having Sian Phillips play the Reverend Sister Mohiam Of the Sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit. Both Jurgen Prochnow and Max von Sydow were wasted. So was Francesca Annis.

There was a much, much, better three-part version made for American television.

Regards

Hi Barry

No...serious opinion, not a joke at all.

Saw and own both of the Sci-Fi channels mini series and I felt they lacked the visual majesty of the Dune film. They are more faithful to the books but for me I just love the film....sorry but there you go, all imho of course.

Regards D S D L

Barry

15-05-2010, 19:52

I prefer Sci-Fi and Fantasy to be fairly serious (bit of humour is okay) rather than a comedy (though some are but not intentionally) I don't like Terry Pratchet either (not the man just his books).

I prefer comedy to be based in the real world.

Regards D S D L

Read Toby Frost's trilogy - might change your mind.

'Space Captain Smith',
'God Emperor of Didcot'

and

'Wrath of the Lemming Men'

Regards

Barry

15-05-2010, 19:54

Saw and own both of the Sci-Fi channels mini series and I felt they lacked the visual majesty of the Dune film. They are more faithful to the books but for me I just love the film....sorry but there you go, all imho of course.

Regards D S D L

Yes all style and little substance! I bet Sting would rather forget his part in it!

Regards

Joe

15-05-2010, 19:55

Why not Andre... Hannah is pretty much the same. I can't imagine a world without novels

We've got more novels than you could shake a stick at; three copies of some titles! There's shelves full of 'em; cupboards housing the overflow; tottering stacks of 'em next to our bed.

Barry

15-05-2010, 19:56

Such as ? Never say Never ;)

One of the most funny book's I have ever read was Hunter S Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I don't approve of nor would I ever indulge in such crazy things but Hunter's descriptions are both amazing, disturbing and hilarious.I laughed so hard at times that I near wet myself.

Regards D S D L

Hated the film - one of Terry Gilliam's disasters. It almost made me sick.

Regards

John

15-05-2010, 19:57

with me it tends to be sci fic humour or something like Frankel

Joe

15-05-2010, 19:59

Hated the film - one of Terry Gilliam's disasters. It almost made me sick.

Regards

Not seen the film, but the book is excellent. 'The Great Shark Hunt' is a good collection of HST's writings across the years.

Spectral Morn

15-05-2010, 20:00

We've got more novels than you could shake a stick at; three copies of some titles! There's shelves full of 'em; cupboards housing the overflow; tottering stacks of 'em next to our bed.

I have a real problem at the minute stacks of books to the ceiling at the top of the stairs, a back bedroom full of books, a living room full of books, a bedroom full of books. And plies of audio gear and their boxes :doh::eek: Not be long before we have to move out as there will not be enough room for us :lol::lol::lol:

Regards D S D L

Spectral Morn

15-05-2010, 20:01

Hated the film - one of Terry Gilliam's disasters. It almost made me sick.

Regards

Agreed crap imho. The book's brilliant.

Regards D S D L

Joe

15-05-2010, 20:06

I have a real problem at the minute stacks of books to the ceiling at the top of the stairs, a back bedroom full of books, a living room full of books, a bedroom full of books. And plies of audio gear and their boxes :doh::eek: Not be long before we have to move out as there will not be enough room for us :lol::lol::lol:

Regards D S D L

Ha! We have one daughter doing a BA in English, and another doing a PhD in Victorian fiction, and my wife is doing an MA in history, so the book mountain keeps growing.

I've cut down to 'just' two audio systems, but to compensate my camera collection is increasing.

Barry

15-05-2010, 20:17

It's a short novel, not bad, but very inferior of the best of P.K.Dick's books. The film is vaguely inspired from it.
P.K.Dick is one of my favorite sci-fi writers, I have all his books. Best books imho (for the ones who are interested) are :
- The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
- Ubik

I can give further good titles, if interested. :)

His short stories are very good and usually make good films: 'Minority Report'; 'Paycheck'. There is the exception of course; Total Recall - a total travisty of the short story: 'We Can Remember It for You Wholesale'.

Dick is also one of my favourite Sci-fi authors. The fertility of his imagination was amazing. Three of my favourite Dick novels are 'Time Out of Joint', 'Ubik' and 'Flow My Tears the Policeman Said'.

Regards

Barry

15-05-2010, 20:23

I agree re The Lord Of the Rings as a film. Good story but poorly written book (:sofa:). The economy of words and narrative flow is very poor imho. However the films are very good.

I have not Read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner) so can offer no comment about the book but the film is very good.

I am not a fan of The Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy :sofa:

Regards D S D L

I'm speechless! :eek: Tolkein's 'The Lord of the Rings' is one of the best fantasy books ever written. Get back to New Skaro!

No argument with you over Peter Jackson's film adaptation; a veritable tour de force.

Regards

Joe

15-05-2010, 20:25

His short stories are very good and usually make good films: 'Minority Report'; 'Paycheck'. There is the exception of course; Total Recall - a total travisty of the short story: 'We Can Remember It for You Wholesale'.

Dick is also one of my favourite Sci-fi authors. The fertility of his imagination was amazing. Three of my favourite Dick novels are 'Time Out of Joint', 'Ubik' and 'Flow My Tears the Policeman Said'.

Regards

'The Man in the High Castle' is just stunning. I've owned three copies of the book (two were 'borrowed' and not returned).

The Vinyl Adventure

15-05-2010, 21:12

.... but to compensate my camera collection is increasing.

Good man! Anything interestin?

Joe

15-05-2010, 21:19

The only interesting one is a 1930s Leica. The others are a Pentax MG 35mm film SLR, a Pentax *ist DS, and an Olympus Pen EP1 that's on order. The Pentax MG is knackered, unfortunately, but it did good service for 20-odd years!

The Grand Wazoo

15-05-2010, 23:54

I've never seen a film yet that's better than the book. It's certainly not because I don't read books. Is it because I don't like sci-fi?

Themis

16-05-2010, 07:45

Yes.

I have read some of his short stories I think but not a novel.

Who else do you like to read?

Regards D S D L
I'm a sci-fi lover so... I'm mostly fond of "social" sci-fi, while keeping some "hard" sci-fi masterpieces in my library. I have probably all of Asimov, Dick, Brunner, Huxley, Heinlein, Aldiss, Herbert, Clarke etc.

John Brunner's main books are of my favorites :
- The Shockwave Rider (about computers)
- Ths Sheep Look Up (about pollution)
- Stand on Zanzibar (on eugenics and information overload)

The best "funny" sci-fi book is, imho, All Right, Everybody Off the Planet by Bob Ottum (who is not a sci-fi writer ! :lol:)

Themis

16-05-2010, 07:53

His short stories are very good and usually make good films: 'Minority Report'; 'Paycheck'. There is the exception of course; Total Recall - a total travisty of the short story: 'We Can Remember It for You Wholesale'.
On the other hand, "Total Recall" is the film which is the one that is the closest to some recurrent themes in Dick's bibliography : the scene when the Doctor gets in the hotel room and explains that he's in fact talking to the hero who is sitting in the laboratory, an illusion of reality, is "The" main Dick novel theme. ;)

Joe

16-05-2010, 08:17

I've never seen a film yet that's better than the book. It's certainly not because I don't read books. Is it because I don't like sci-fi?

Maybe you don't like films?

Macca

16-05-2010, 09:28

Can' resist throwing my oar in on this one-

Lord of the Rings - superbly written book you have to bear in mind it is an atempt in English to replicate the style of the Norse Sagas - Tolkein is widely regarded as being one of the greatest descriptive writers. As for the films the first instalment was the best then it goes downhill, changes crucial events from the book (at no point in the book does Frodo decide to send Sam back and stick with Gollum - bollox, frankley - and ultimately misses the whole point of the story which is that even though a great victory has been won you can never go back to how things were (in the book the Shire has been despoiled by Saruman when the Hobbits return).

Hunter S Thompson - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - a work of genius, the film has a stab at but doesn't cut it but one hell of a hard book to film. If you've been to Las Vegas you appreciate it all the more ('This is what the whole, hep world would be doing on a Friday Night if the Nazis had won the war'). As a young man I did indulge in some of the forbidden delights described...:eyebrows: - Never tried 'Ether', though...probably for the best.:)

Philip K Dick - my favourite - Through A Scanner Darkly - there is a film but I have never seen it but stars Keanu Reeve so doesn't sound promising.

Hitch Hikers Guide - funny, clever book - But the film with that bloke from the Office - possibly the worst piece of crap I have seen in 20 years, they managed to cut the funniest material, replace it with unfunny gags they thought up themselves - the old TV series was miles better.

Only film I can think of that is arguably better than the book - 'The Naked Lunch' by William Burrows ('I can think of at least two things wrong with that title' - Nelson Muntz).

goraman

16-05-2010, 18:31

The world according to Garp was an odd novel but the movie some how made it even odder.

Covenant

24-05-2010, 20:11

You must be joking!

David Lynch's version was dreadful; he was the worse possible choice as director. How could anybody take Kyle McLachlan seriously as Paul Atreides, the future Mujad'dib.

The only good thing that the film did well was the portrayal of the sandworms and having Sian Phillips play the Reverend Sister Mohiam Of the Sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit. Both Jurgen Prochnow and Max von Sydow were wasted. So was Francesca Annis.

There was a much, much, better three-part version made for American television.

Regards

May I be a bit of a pain and correct that? Its Muad'Dib-meaning the Kangaroo mouse.
I remember banging on about the film before its release and being hugely disappointed. It was an impossible task I think to translate an epic SF book into film, certainly with the film technology of the time. Some lovely costumes though!

Covenant

24-05-2010, 20:22

A book I love and would love to see fimed is Ringworld by Larry Niven. The concept is staggering-a world built around a dying sun. Imagine an orange with a ribbon about 3 metres from it and a ribbon closer to the orange but perforated to make night and day. Valleys, mountains, rivers etc recreated on the inner surface and people who have no concept of the world they are on.
Ok its stupid and farfetched but I have spent many happy hours imagining it.