Well, well, well. If it isn't me, back again with yet another list of user-submitted, commenter-vetted book adaptations that met (and, in some cases, exceeded) the standards set by their source material. From YA romances to classic blockbusters to button-eyed (and terrifying) animated tales, here are 15 adaptations that are good enough to put smiles on the faces of the audience members most primed to be disappointed: people who read the book first.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
1. "Coraline! One of the few instances I've ever seen where an adaptation is so loyal that they only added, not took away. It matched the spirit of the novella perfectly and gave it life with the amazing animation."
2. "I always thought The Outsiders was a pretty great book adaptation; they stuck to the storyline and even kept a lot of the original dialogue."
3. "Jurassic Park. The book is good, but no movie has ever brought pages to life like Jurassic Park. The movie also made the kids much better characters, in my opinion."
4. "The Color Purple. I read the book years ago and was so moved by it, then I watched the movie and loved it just as much."
5. "Never Let Me Go is actually better for me as a film because of the world building (background posters, for example) that really set up Hailsham and its purpose early on."
6. "The Bridges of Madison County was a great movie. I remember how upset I was when I heard that Clint Eastwood was going to be the romantic lead because he was Dirty Harry. I was blown away by how great he was. Meryl Streep playing Francesca was amazing as well."
7. "I think The Baby-Sitters Club show on Netflix did a pretty good job of bringing the books to life."
8. "Practical Magic. The movie is a thousand times better than the book."
9. "I loved Sense and Sensibility. I was hoping to see it mentioned. It is such a good movie, with a very young Kate Winslet. It's one of my favorites."
10. "Heartstopper should be on here! The casting was perfect, and the whole show captures the vibe of the comic so well."
11. "Wonder is an excellent adaptation! I read it to my students every year and always recommend the movie."
12. "Brokeback Mountain was a 30-page short story adapted into a full-length movie. It was amazing how they expanded that story so beautifully."
13. "Love, Simon is an insanely good film! It’s an adaptation of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, and it just captures all the little details perfectly, like how Simon has 'hour to hour, note to note' written on his blackboard wall, for example. Not to mention, he and Bram are the cutest couple ever, exactly how I pictured them. Love it."
14. "Both Legally Blonde and The Devil Wears Prada were meh books that were adapted into iconic movies."
15. And finally: "Women Talking. The recent Sarah Polley movie is adapted from Miriam Toews's book of the same name. Having experienced both, I thought it was a very positive adaptation of the original novel, and maybe even more meaningful. Check it out if you have not read it or seen the movie."
