Just for fun, here are my hot takes on different books versus the movies based on them. I was surprised at how many movies I actually preferred (how every slightly) to their source materials (sorry, Jane Austen!) Anyway, here we go!

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Holes the book vs. Holes the movie:

The book is a fun read with interesting characters and a solid plot. The movie is the same, but takes it up a notch with the storytelling (imo.) The MOVIE wins round I.

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Pride and Prejudice the book vs. Pride and Prejudice the movie:

The characters created by Jane Austen are so vivid, they leap right off the page and inhabit your brain. The movie is clever and fun and does the book justice in its five+ hour run. Close call. It’s a TIE for round II.

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Persuasion the book vs. Persuasion the movie (the Amanda Root version):

The book starts out a little dry, but once it picks up, the characters are endearing and interesting and sympathetic. The movie does it justice, and Root’s subtle acting is superb. The MOVIE wins round III. Sorry, Jane 😦

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Sense and Sensibility the book vs. Sense and Sensibility the movie:

To be fair, I didn’t really like the book. I thought that Elinor forgave Willoughby far too easily. I didn’t care much for the movie with Emma Thompson, either. The mini-series with Dan Stevens, which I couldn’t find on IMDb, is far superior, imo. The MOVIE wins round IV.

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Emma the book vs. Emma the movie:

The book was a bit dry, but more enjoyable than Sense…. Juliet Stevenson was amazing as Mrs. Elton and makes the movie a must-see! The MOVIE wins round V.

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The Hobbit the book vs. The Hobbit the movies:

There should have only been ONE movie, imo. I did not care for any of them at all. No contest. The BOOK wins round VI.

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The Hunger Games the book vs. The Hunger Games the movie:

While the book and movie were both entertaining and a bit thought-provoking, iffy CGI ruined parts of the movie for me. The BOOK wins round VII.

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Catching Fire the book vs. Catching Fire the movie:

Both were interesting. It’s been a while since I’ve read or watched either, but if memory serves, they were about equal in my book. It’s a TIE for round VIII.

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Mockingjay the book vs. Mockingjay the movies:

While the ending to the book and movie were a bit of a bummer to a lot of readers, it thought it was fitting. The book gives Effie a redemptive arc, whereas the book leaves her a coward of the Capitol. Still, the BOOK wins round IX for me.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring the book vs. LOTR: FOTR the movie:

The movie was a fairly faithful adaptation, but there’s something about the written words that move me way more than the movie did. The BOOK wins round X.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers the book vs. LOTR: The Two Towers the movie:

I hated the movie, so no contest for me. The BOOK wins round XI.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King the book vs. LOTR: ROTK the movie:

The movie was okay, but the book–*FAINTS*. Again, no contest for me. The BOOK wins round XII.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone the book vs. HP & the Sorcerer’s Stone the movie:

This movie was the closest adaptation out of all the adaptations of the other six books, but still it falls short. The BOOK wins round XIII.

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets the book vs. HP & the COS the movie:

Another great adaptation, but again it just wasn’t the same. The BOOK wins round XIV.

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban the book vs. HP & the POA the movie:

This is the third-best of the HP adaptations (imo), and again the BOOK wins round XV.

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the book vs. HP and the GOF the movie:

I have serious problems with the movie. Michael Gambon didn’t read the books, and it shows. The BOOK wins round XVI.

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the book vs. HP and the OOTP the movie:

The movie was okay, but the book is among my favorites. The BOOK wins round XVII.

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the book vs. HP and the HBP the movie:

I wasn’t as big a fan of this book as I was of the others, and while the movie was decent, the BOOK wins round XVIII.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the book vs. HP and the DH the movies:

The book was awesome and the movie severely let it down, I felt. The BOOK wins round XIX. And excuse me. I need to reread all the Potter books now….

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief the book vs. PJ&TO:TLT the movie:

I loved the book and had a lot of problems with the movie. Percy gets turned into a whiner/downer, and so much of the humor from the book is missing in the movie. The BOOK wins round XX.

Let’s look at our stats, then, shall we?

Rounds: 20
Ties: 2
Book wins: 14
Movie wins: 4

BOOKS WIN!

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Question: Are there any adaptations that are better than the books in your opinion?