Many movies, especially movies that are considered classics, are adaptations of books. A lot of people, both in reader communities and movie-lover communities, argue over which version was better: the book or the movie. This article goes over a selection of movies that were adapted from books, and the different opinions on which is better. Please be warned about any spoilers that may arise in this article. 

Jurassic Park

“Jurassic Park.” the classic dinosaur movie, was originally published in book form in 1990, three years before the movie was released. Written by Michael Crichton, it brings readers to an island that is populated by dinosaurs brought back to life by scientists. According to Haley Cronin, who wrote an article in Amlit (a literary blog and magazine) on this very book/movie duo, both forms of media can be loved. She writes that both have varying aspects and plot lines, some contrasting each other, and voiced her inability to choose between the two. 

A writer for Raymondusrex gives their opinion on the topic, also deciding on a tie between the book and the movie. They analyzed three different aspects of both (plot, characters, dinosaurs), comparing and contrasting each media form’s take. However, they do acknowledge the fact that the movie had both time and budget constraints while the book did not. 

Fight Club

“Fight Club,” another movie often deemed a classic, was first published in 1996 by Chuck Palahniuk. Along with its social criticism, the book delves into the life of an unnamed protagonist suffering from insomnia and his coping mechanisms, and the creation of a fight club. When it comes to debating which media form was better, Chuck Palahniuk has publicly approved of the movie, explaining that it did a wonderful job of showcasing the original plot of his book. 

Alan Devey, who wrote about this very topic in the Lucy V Hay blog, claims that Fight Club” had a very successful book-to-film transition. He also writes that his preference for the book version may only be because of a more sentimental connection to the book and he praises the movie for its success. 

Psycho

“Psycho” was originally written by Robert Bloch, and published in 1959 and tells the story of Norman Bates, who is the caretaker of a lonely and isolated motel, while also struggling with the dynamic he and his mother have. According to Google, ninety-four percent of users liked the book, and eighty-five percent liked the movie. 

Chris Conlon contributes to the movie versus book debate in his essay (published on LiveJournal), which, at first, seems to be against the book. Conlon explains that he first read “Psycho” as a teenager, after a long search for the book, while obsessed with Alfred Hitchcock’s movie version. His obsession and long search lead to him overhyping the book and then experiencing utter disappointment after reading it. He goes into detail about the contrast between the two versions of Psycho, analyzing the two different narratives. He then says that, years later when he began to teach the book, he started to appreciate it much more. His essay outlines positives for both versions, though it still seems that he prefers the movie. 

The Notebook

The popular romance movie from 2004 was originally a book published in 1996 and written by Nicholas Sparks. According to Abby Olaleye, a student writing for HerCampus, “The book is just as amazing as the movie.” She continued her article with an outline of the differences between the book and the movie, occasionally sprinkling in which version she preferred. Throughout the article, she makes it clear that the book was better than the movie in terms of its thoroughness and attention to detail. 

The Princess Bride

“The Princess Bride,” written by William Goldman in 1973, was made into a movie in 1987. The movie has become a cult classic, while the book is easily forgotten. The book, however, has a high rating on Goodreads (4.26/5), and the movie has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 94/100. 

Andrew Stillman wrote in his blog saying that he prefers the movie over the book. This, according to Stillman, is a surprising and weird fact, considering that the author (William Goldman) wrote both the movie and book. Stillman claims that the book was “too meta.” In his article, Stillman says that the movie “had all the best parts of the book.” One of his complaints about the book, however, is that the author would continuously “pop in” (as Stillman called it), talking about the things he changed from the “real” book written by “S. Morgenstern” (note: S. Morgenstern is not a real person and he definitely did not write an “original” “The Princess Bride.” The book did not exist until Goldman wrote it). 

This article only outlines a few of the tons of books adapted into movies. Every reader/watcher has their own opinion, with their own reasons, and even their own analysis. Some readers/watchers are more biased than others, like when their preference is changed due to nostalgia. It’s always good to look at multiple opinions, especially because of biases. 

Theo Picard, Staff Writer

Senior Theo Picard is a staff writer for the 2023-2024 Colonel Newsmagazine. He enjoys reading, hanging out with animals, and all things horror.