Our staff have shared their favorite book to movie adaptations (and some where the book was better!)
This movie can only be described as a campy masterpiece, but cinematography-wise, it is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. If you can get past Keanu Reeves's horrible accent, you might be surprised by this movie!
- Morgan W.
I haven't actually read the book yet (it's on one of many to read stacks right now). But the movie swept me away with how it played with time, how the soundtrack throbbed into the viewer's bones, and how many conversations the film generated.
- Leea S.
As the first film in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I felt that it was the most faithful to the original text and most deeply explored themes that recurred throughout the other books -- namely, leaving the safety of home, corruption, community, and the destructive impact of technology and industry on the Earth.
- Jonathan R.
This adaptation goes crazy! It's high glam, the performances are killer, and the costuming and cinematography are genius. Truly a work of art.
- Clark G.
A. M. Homes captures the frustrations and idiosyncrasies of living in today's complex, alienating, and confusing world in ten unconnected short stories. Director Rose Troche deftly weaves nine of the stories together into a wicked yet moving exploration of four families fumbling toward each other along scary, but sometimes hilarious, paths. (Film available for rent on Amazon Prime Video.)
- Scot C.
Both the book and the film are fantastic! The book has lots of interesting philosophical tangents, and the film leans more into the murder mystery part of the story (and you can hardly go wrong with Sean Connery)
- Elizabeth P.
I saw the film first and couldn't shake Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall's characters (and chemistry!) out of my mind when reading the book. While reading, I kept thinking that I'd rather watch their film adaptation. Perhaps if I'd have read the book first, I would've been more drawn to the writing. Otherwise, this is a vehicle for seeing Humphrey and Lauren together onscreen.
- Erin S.
This is one of the best book to film adaptations, imo. There is such reverence for the original text, narration coming from verbatim from passages in the book. The acting, the design, the direction are all beautiful, gauzy, restrained. It's one of Marty's best!
- Katie K.
Is it the most faithful adaptation of A Christmas Carol? No. Is it the best quality with the highest production value? Also no. But does it capture the frequently goofy, occasionally dire, deeply festive spirit of the original, complete with extremely catchy musical numbers, impressively period-accurate costuming, and Sir Michael Caine acting his heart out? Heck yes it does.
- August G.
Some of my absolute favorite movies (from across the globe!) are adaptions of Macbeth - it's a tragedy rich with Shakespearean hallmarks of power, ambition, wordplay, and miscommunication, but also draws on the universally human existential fascination with fate, prophecy, and the spiritual. Too many adaptions to count - it's my dream to watch them all!
- Georgia M.
Both the book and the 2005 movie adaptation are iconic! It's such a good classic novel and I love everything about the adaptation from the filmography to the soundtrack.
- Hilary C.
While I love the 1995 P&P series, I think that the 2005 film was the best adaptation (emphasis on adaptation) of Pride and Prejudice! The BBC series was a wonderful nearly word-for-word recreation of Austen's book, while the 2005 film really picks out the most potent themes and elements and weaves them together in such a beautiful and visual way! (Also - perfect casting all around)
- Caroline P.
Helms Deep is one of the greatest battle scenes on film and Peter Jackson managed to thread the three plots of this story into a fabulous paced romp! I love Tolkien, but his books are dense and can feel intimidating. The Jackson adaptations - and Two Towers in particular - makes the world of Middle Earth feel welcoming to novices and hard-core Hobbits alike. Plus, Sam's speech at the end feels very appropriate these days.
- Sarah Rebecca G.
This is, hands down, one of the best musical scores of all time and this film is an absolute classic of the movie-musical genre. When I first saw the movie, before I'd read R+J, I would never have guessed that it was an adaptation of anything let alone of Shakespeare (it felt so original, so of itself), but once I read the play and saw the connections, it felt so clear and showed the magic of taking something that is already so good and building on it in a new and exciting way.
- Sarah Rebecca G.
This is such a fun rom-com, I was happy to see it made into a movie! The book is definitely better, but the movie is still worth a watch!
- Hilary C.
Nine times out of ten, I'll choose a stage production of Shakespeare over a film adaptation of Shakespeare, but "Prospero's Books" is that tenth time! Greenaway's adaptation retells the "The Tempest" through the books in Prospero brought with him into exile, bringing the play's questions of knowledge, colonial power, and who's allowed to shape stories to the foreground. It's strange, cerebral, and visually stunning, and John Gielgud anchors it as a pitch-perfect Prospero.
- Nicole K.
I love the narration and the story was a fascinating introduction to a violent world that I do not necessarily relate to, but still makes for an immersive experience. The book even mentions Boston College a bit. The movie is a terrific adaptation that requires not much defending.
- Emmanuel S.
These actors are closely aligned to what I pictured Cathy and Heathcliff to look like.
- Cindy F.
This movie is part of a pantheon of film adaptations of classic literature that moves the setting in high school (see also "Clueless" and "She's the Man"). Kat Stratford's love of "feminist prose and angry girl music of the indie-rock persuasion" really makes her the poster child for a certain sub-set of millennial women (positive) and Heath Ledger singing "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is cinema at its finest.
- Sarah Rebecca G.
This movie adaption is exactly in the true spirit of Nancy Drew, girl detective! I think this movie is so funny, so full of heart, and a genuinely great mystery for a young audience. This is one of the authoritative Nancy Drew adaptations for me :)
- Sabrina F.
The book is wonderful at depicting the lives of these ethereal young women and the how the struggle to be loved and understood can be so acute from an early age. The film adaptation is equally lovely and haunting. Amazing soundtrack. These deeply alive and infinite girls languishly draped against these average one-dimensional boys lets the reader feel how hollow and pre-determined the world can be.
- Melissa W.
I watched the movie as a kid, and read the book a couple decades later. Is it a good adaptation? I don't remember enough to say, but I certainly laughed my ass off both times!
- Emily L.
The film was heralded as being a visually stunning and captivating action movie. But it was preoccupied with Freudian sexual themes and, became in the opinion of Roger Ebert, a satire of the original. Given the classic story, the director, screenwriters (including Neil Gaiman), and star-studded cast, it fell pretty far short of its promise. I recommend reading the translations by Seamus Heaney (traditional but highly readable) or Maria Dahvana Headley (in American urban English), or if you want an interesting re-setting of the tale, read John Gardner's classic, Grendel.
- Steve R.
A thought exercise by a political scientist becomes a really tense and gripping movie about nuclear war. What happens when a machine makes a mistake so subtle no one notices until things are already out of control? Great performances by a great cast.
- Chris S.
This 2003 Russell Crowe vehicle adapts elements from multiple books in Patrick O'Brian's 21-book Aubrey-Maturin series, which follows a dashing naval officer and his ship's surgeon BFF during the time of the Napoleonic wars. Galapagos islands! Ship battles! Old-timey surgery! Sea shanties! This movie has it all.
- Nina W.
I love The Shining because both the book and the movie give you a different kind of creepy experience. King’s novel really digs into the characters' minds and the supernatural horror, while Kubrick’s film creates this chilling vibe of unease and mystery. It’s not a perfect adaptation (even King hated it), but I think Kubrick’s version is still brilliant—it’s a horror classic on its own. It may change a few things, but it still nails the unsettling feeling of the story, showing how adaptations can take some creative risks and still be awesome.
- Angela L.
I loved Like Water for Chocolate because it blends magical realism with food, emotion, and tradition in such a unique and heartfelt way. The film captures the spirit of the book really well—the passion, the cultural richness, and the surreal touches. While the book goes a bit deeper in some areas, the adaptation holds its own and brings the story to life beautifully.
- Angela L.
