I LOVE Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi action movie Children of Men. I’ve watched maybe six times and every time, the ending always almost brings me to tears. So when I learned it was adapted from P.D. James’ book of the same name, it was a no-brainer deciding what my next book would be.

After finishing the book, it wasn’t difficult to reach to the conclusion that I enjoyed the movie better.

While James’ book gives a more in-depth look at how human infertility and humanity’s slow death march towards extinction affects the sexual dynamic between men and women and almost demented ways humans try to cope with a world without children or a race of dead men walking, I feel the book dedicates WAY too much time describing the failing of human civilization and the Regrets and guilt of Theo Faron. It’s not even until after 2/3 through the book where it feels like the plot and story are properly paced and stuff of consequence actually begin to happen.

The film’s adaptation by, comparison, feels consistent in its pacing and the world building and woe-is-mes of Theo feel more compact a take up less of the audience’s time.

What books do you feel were worse than its film adaptation and why?

  • zls0709@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    No Country for Old Men. The book is good but was obviously written to be adapted to a movie, and the bits the Coen brothers tweaked or cut really streamlined the story.

    As beautiful as McCarthy’s language is in general, it’s not so much at the forefront in this novel, and the cinematography in the movie is breathtaking. Javier Bardem is just so menacing, and reducing the exposition on his character really elevates him to an unfathomable, almost supernatural evil. The movie version of the ending scene with Carla Jean is also way better than the book’s version.

    Overall they took a solid if middling entry in mccarthys bibliography and made a truly incredible film out of it.

  • angelfaye22@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Shutter Island was a rare case where I watched the movie before reading the book and I’m glad I did, because if I’d read the book first I wouldn’t have given the movie a chance Great movie! Absolutely horrible book

  • so_what_youre_saying@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    The Neverending Story - Michael Ende.

    The movie is a fraction of what the book has but contains the best parts. While the book just does not end and becomes a chore to finish.

  • Dreilala@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    This might be a controversial opinion, but Lord of the rings.

    The worldbuilding and the little details in the book are outstanding, but the language and the pace of the book made it a real effort to get through it.

    The movies, on the other hand, were great from the beginning to the end and never felt cumbersome.

  • throwawaylewdi@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Maybe this doesn’t count here, but I have to toss out Holes by Louis Sachar. Not because the book was bad, quite the opposite really, but the few things the movie add that differ from the book are so good that they push it to be just a hair better

  • ellieofus@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Shadow and Bone.

    I hated the second season and didn’t even finish it, but I remember enjoying the first season and the concept of the Grisha and how magic works. I enjoyed it so much that I bought the trilogy- and hated it.

    I hated everything about the book. The writing style, the romance, the characters, but I especially hated Mal, which made me hate Alina. I forced myself to finish it because I was hoping it would redeem itself at some point but no, Mal kept getting worse, their relationship kept getting worse, and I kept hating everyone.

  • IndependenceMean8774@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I like The Godfather book, but the movie was far superior. Some of the background information about characters was more interesting in the book, like Luca Brasi being a total monster and Al Neri’s former life as a cop. But other parts like Lucy’s mega-vagina problem, Sonny’s big schlong and Johnny Fontaine’s problems with his love life struck me as prurient and pointless.

    The movie made the smart move by jettisoning these subplots.

  • FireNationNazi@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Not movie but game. I absolutely love both the games and books of Metro series but the games are much more better than the books.

  • vividObscurity@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    The Martian. I thought the ending was more well done while the book tried a little too hard with it’s goofy zingers.