The Film Was Better Volume 1

This is always a touchy subject, but a trending hashtag on Twitter inspired this post. A lot of movies were adaptions of popular books. Some are faithful, some play fast and loose with the plot, and others only utilize the title or the main character. Often, the book is the best. For instance, no filmmaker has successfully topped Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. That being said, sometimes a movie comes out a winner. Check out “The Film Was Better” Volume 1:

Tales of Earthsea – This anime epic by Studio Ghibli takes inspiration from the “The Earthsea Cycle” fantasy novels by Ursula K. Le Guin. She did not like the adaption, as it only took elements from her books, but the movie clearly has a better plot and creepier antagonist than most of the novels.

Jurassic Park – Michael Crichton is a brilliant writer, but he spends way too much time on the science that brought the dinosaurs to life instead of the plot. Steven Spielberg brought out the best of the plot, eliminating the dross and more focus.

The Firm – Now the John Grisham novel is well-written. No question. However, Tom Cruise’s performance in the 1993 film adaption directed by Syndey Pollack turned legal dramas on its head.

Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame – The 1996 Disney film lightens the dark mood of Victor Hugo’s novel and gives it a more satisfying ending that fits a tad more.

Captain America: Civil War – The comic book is well-written, but it turns Iron Man into a villain who is willing to hurt his friends just to prove he is right. The Russo Brothers directed the film and gave the characters more nuanced motivations, showing how the characters changed from the events of the MCU.

The Prestige – Written in the form of a diary, the 1995 novel by Christopher Priest is about two rival stage magicians. However, it has a boring subplot that takes place in the nineties. Christopher Nolan eliminated that portion of the story in film adaption and focused on the growing rivalry between the two showmen played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park – Not to pick on Michael Crichton, but you can tell this novel is completely rushed and a blatant rip-off of a novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Spielberg again worked his magic and brought an excellent sequel to his original dinosaur masterpiece.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs – The movie is a very loose adaption of the children’s book of the same name by Judi and Ron Barrett. The movie takes the coincidences of the story and puts a hilarious play on science for the animated feature.

Casino Royale – While the novella by Ian Fleming launched James Bond into popularity, Daniel Craig first movie playing 007 brought the British superspy into the modern world in an epic way.

Black Beauty – The 1994 movie adaption of Anna Sewell’s novel of the same has veteran actor Alan Cumming voicing the inner voice of the protagonist horse as he goes from owner and owner. It gave a better perspective to the story. The finale is a much more well-rounded ending than the book as well.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my review of Madame Mirage Volume 1 and Rosemary Dewar’s review of Dark Phoenix. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

Did you know my new fantasy novel “The Seven Royals: All Good Things” is now available on Barnes and Noble and Amazon? You can get your e-book copy at BookLocker.

You can find me on everywhere on social media! Facebook: Author Jacob Airey | Instagram: realjacobairey| Twitter: @realJacobAirey | YouTube: StudioJake

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