The best book-to-film adaptations ever

It’s no secret that Hollywood constantly delves into their library looking for the next big movie. It’s also no secret that the majority of these adaptations are rubbish and birthed the famous line “rather read the book.” Yet not every adaptation is a failure, some movies have been successful in bringing the book to life, some have even been able to improve on the source material itself. So if you don’t have time to read the book, then watch these films instead.

The Lord of the Rings

Ask any fantasy novel fan what his or her top five fantasy novels are and all of them will mention The Lord of the Rings. The fantasy epic by JRR Tolkien was first published in 1954 and revolutionized the fantasy genre. The novels were ahead of their time and are still seen as an inspiration to modern fantasy. So when it was announced that New Zealand director Peter Jackson was bringing the novels to the big screen, many rejoiced, yet many had trepidation in how they could possibly bring such a rich and detailed world to life. Fortunately, Jackson did not disappoint. The Lord of The Rings Trilogy brought groundbreaking CGI and wonderful casting to create a fantasy universe never seen before on the silver screen in a believable way without losing the essence of the novels. Of course, a lot of content had to be cut and the stories streamlined, but this is one of the few cases where a lot of people actually prefer the movies over the books.

The Godfather 1 & 2

Arguably two of the greatest movies of all time were based on the wonderful novel by Mario Puzo.

The novel itself is an absorbing, dark thriller that fascinates, horrifies, and entertains. Director Francis Ford Coppola managed to take the source material and elevate the story into two of the greatest movies of all time, with incredible performances from Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and of course the don himself, Marlon Brando. Coppola managed to take the nuances of the novel and translate it perfectly on screen. Both films went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture and cemented Coppola, Pacino, and De Niro as bona fide superstars.

The Wizard of Oz