17 On-Screen Adaptations That Were Actually Way, Way, Way Better Than The Books They Were Based On, And 8 That Were So Horrible, They Almost Felt Offensive

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07-05-2025

Every time a book is adapted into a movie or a TV show, a predictable debate ensues: one side will tell you the adaptation is terrible if it doesn't follow the novel word for word, whereas the other will argue that it only needs to capture the "spirit" of the source material.
I remember reading Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief as a class in elementary school. Afterwards, we went on a field trip to the theatre to watch the film. As we were leaving, my teacher remarked that she wasn't even sure the screenwriters read the book.
I wanted to see how often Hollywood makes adaptations that are entirely different from their source material. As it turns out, they do it quite frequently, but surprisingly, a lot of the time, the adaptations are considered better than their books.
Let's start with movies and shows that somehow managed to turn out better than the books. (I got most suggestions from this Reddit thread, with a few additional ones from me.)
1. The Shining (1980)
Who suggested it: tragicsandwichblogs
Key differences: Probably the most well-known example of an adaptation that the author hates. The movie actually sticks to generally the same plot as the book. The primary change is the source of evil in the story; in the book, the hotel is evil, whereas in the movie, it's the characters themselves.
Whether you prefer the novel or the movie likely comes down to how you like your horror — spiritual or grounded.
2. Jaws (1975)
3. Fight Club (1999)
Who suggested it: Daken-dono
Key differences: The most significant change is in how the adaptation handles the ending. I won't spoil it here, but they are wildly different. While the book and movie follow similar plots, the movie is much more focused on the characters, whereas the book is focused on the philosophy behind Fight Club.
4. Mary Poppins (1964)
Walt Disney Co / Courtesy Everett Collection
5. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Who suggested it: mkh5015
Key differences: The novel and movie are more similar than other titles on this list, but the subtle differences are what land them a spot.
These differences, including the protagonist's personality, cut storylines, and tone, all paint what happens in the story in a very different light.
(Not to mention that the ending of the book is a lot darker than the optimistic ending of the film.)
6. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: Brackets9
Key differences: The most significant difference between the novella and the movie stems from their endings. (Don't worry, I won't divulge the specifics here.)
The other main difference is the general tone of both works. The book delves deeper into the protagonist, Holly's, personal life and past, revealing a darker side to the whimsical, romantic version of Holly portrayed in the movie.
7. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: Me!
Key differences: The film and novel are so incredibly different that it's hard to believe one is based on the other.
The movie is about Vikings learning that it's better to befriend the dragons rather than kill them. In the book, the dragons are all far too small to be ridden, so instead, the Vikings train dragons to be their companions.
8. Jurassic Park (1993)
Who suggested it: Also me!
Key differences: The main difference between the book and the movie is the focus on actual science; the book includes detailed information on the genetic engineering involved in bringing the dinosaurs to life, whereas the movie covers the science aspects pretty quickly to make room for the horror and survival elements.
Also, in the books, John Hammond is much more sinister and self-interested than the bumbling grandfatherly version of him we get in the movie.
9. Starship Troopers (1997)
TriStar Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
10. The Mist (2007)
Weinstein Company / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: waitingfordeathhbu
Key differences: The Mist would have been a difficult novella to adapt because it constrained the reader to the protagonist's point of view. As the story progressed and the main character gradually got scared, so too did the reader. However, in the movie, the audience can see the world, so the filmmakers needed to figure out how to make the creatures and situation scary.
Also, where the novella had an ambiguous message and ending, the movie opted to explain everything, especially the resolution.
11. The Magicians (2015-2020)
Who suggested it: dmtr1
Key differences: The tone is the most jarring difference between the book series and the TV show. The books are dark and introspective, whereas the TV series caters to a different audience by relying on humour and modern pop culture references.
The show also develops characters and their relationships differently from the novel series. For example, the show introduces Julia earlier, whereas the books focus more on Quentin.
12. I Am Legend (2007)
Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: theimpspeaks
Key differences: The major change in I Am Legend comes down to the ending. I won't spoil it here, but the book's ending retroactively paints the whole story in a different light, where the movie has a much more predictable Hollywood ending. I recommend reading the book if you're a fan of the movie, if only to compare the two of them.
13. The Prestige (2006)
Touchstone Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: Me!
Key differences: People who watch the film before reading the novel are often taken aback by the novel's epistolary format (written in the form of letters), gothic tone, and selfish characters. While the book is denser, it is equally satisfying, assuming the reader is willing to embark on a journey in which they don't like either character.
"'Well, holy shit.' I was thinking, 'God, I like that,' and 'Oh, I wish I'd thought of that.'"
— Christopher Priest (The novel's author, after watching the movie.)
14. Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Who suggested it: TheSmithySmith
Key differences: There are A LOT of differences between the novel Caging Skies and its adaptation, Jojo Rabbit. Most notably, movie watchers will be disappointed to hear that the main character in the book does not have Hitler as an imaginary friend.
The other primary difference is the tone. The movie, despite its subject matter, is a coming-of-age comedy. On the other hand, the novel is a dark, serious look into the mind of someone enamoured with their country, masculinity, and hatred of people from different backgrounds than themselves.
15. Annihilation (2018)
Paramount / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: TonyDunkelwelt
Key differences: On the surface, Annihilation seems pretty similar to the original novel. In both stories, the main plot follows a group of women who venture into a mysterious quarantine zone where the foliage mutates rapidly.
Once you dig in, it becomes clear that outside of the broad strokes, the movie diverges from the novel every chance it gets to achieve a more linear story with a tidier ending.
16. Children of Men (2006)
Universal / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: dinglepumpkin
Key differences: The film took an element from the book — the road trip portion — and expanded it to cover the film's entire plot. In the novel, the road trip only plays a small part in the expansive political thriller storyline.
The film also omits all the religious elements, which means it ironically loses some of the title's meaning.
Now for the adaptations that should have stuck to their source material.
17. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
Who suggested it: Me again!
Key differences: What a devastating adaptation. There are too many changes between the book and the movie to list, so I'll only name a few of the most egregious examples.
For starters, in the book, the characters are pre-teens, whereas the movie ages them up to 17-year-olds. This aging-up completely changes the dynamic of the characters' relationships and the story's tone. Next, the Greek god of war plot is completely missing from the adaptation, despite being a massive part of the book. Finally, the movie boils down the actual quest to the point where it's incredibly generic.
18. Blade Runner (1982)
Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: DrunkWeebMarine
Key differences: The classic sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is like a fraternal twin to Blade Runner. Where the general plot, future dysphoria, and characters are similar, they vary at almost every turn. The novel doesn't have blade runners or replicants, it has bounty hunters and andies. Rather than the setting being a futuristic LA, it's a ruinous San Francisco.
The changes to the presentation and world-building are just different enough that reading both the novel and watching the movie are worth it. Your favourite will likely end up coming down to which you finished first.
19. Ready Player One (2018)
Warner Bros. Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: hatcreekpigrental
Key differences: The movie completely rewrites the overall plot. While the characters pursue the same goal in both the novel and the adaptation, how they solve each problem is significantly altered. The movie also loses a lot of the depth in the characters and their relationships. Finally, the book has a lot of references to pop culture and details, which are simplified or altered in the movie.
20. Ender's Game (2013)
Summit Entertainment / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: ChocoCoveredPretzel
Key differences: The movie is particularly jarring, primarily due to the tall task of taking a complicated and detailed novel and reducing it to a two-hour film. The adaptation streamlines the narrative, sacrifices a lot of Ender's character development, and downplays the characters' influence on the world.
21. World War Z (2013)
Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: Christian_Hendrix
Key differences: The movie is a travesty for the people who loved the book. Both the book and movie have zombies, but that's about the only similarity.
The movie follows the protagonist (Brad Pitt) as he races to save the world from the impending zombie apocalypse. The book, on the other hand, is treated as a historical novel. It documents survivors of the apocalypse and what they are doing now that the world has ended. Its stakes are less Hollywood and more down-to-earth (for an end-of-the-world story, anyway).
22. I, Robot (2004)
20th Century Fox Film Corp. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: NorthImpossible8906
Key differences: This adaptation shares so little with the book it's "based on" that they're hard to compare. The book consists of three short stories, whereas the movie has one unified plot that follows a main character who is not even present in the book.
As is the case with many adaptations, the movie drops a lot of the complexity of the short stories in favour of creating a streamlined plot.
23. The Dark Tower (2017)
Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: improper84
Key differences: The adaptation of The Dark Tower was particularly confusing. Why are elements from the final book in the series in the first movie?
The movie sheds most of the complicated, oftentimes dark themes of destiny and morality to make it more of an action-adventure blockbuster. There is also a shift to giving more emphasis to the character Jake Chambers in the movie.
24. Wheel of Time (2021-)
Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who suggested it: Caira_Ru
Key differences: There are bound to be a lot of differences when adapting a fantasy epic to TV. Unfortunately, this meant that the TV series truncated the pacing and removed whole storylines and characters.
The adaptation also had to be streamlined so that it appealed to a wider audience. The first season did this by focusing more on Moiraine's perspective.
25. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection