What is it that really makes a good or a bad movie adaptation? While in no way comprehensive, this is a list of several movies that I find fit into the categories of good, bad, or ugly. The Good are films that strive to be textually accurate as well as outstanding movies. The Bad are movies that didn’t follow the text or transfer very well but are still entertaining. The Ugly are titles that do no justice to their source material while being mediocre or worse. You can use this list to make decisions about what book adaptation movies to include on your library shelves.
The Good
Fight Club
If you haven’t seen this movie, I’m not sure how you did it. It’s everywhere! While an excellent film in its own right, where Fight Club really stands out is its similarity to Chuck Palahniuk’s novel. The themes, events, and even the namelessness of the narrator transfer in near-perfect clarity. The nocturnal nature of the story makes a wonderful excuse for some beautiful lighting and filters which help cement themes of betrayal and the fragility and duplicity of hypermasculinity. It’s an interesting example of a movie that is rated more highly by fans of the novel than by those who’ve never read it.
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
While neither a book nor a movie beloved by all, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is an excellent adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel. Casting Will Sampson as Chief and Jack Nicholson as Randle McMurphy were excellent choices when adapting the novel. Though Nicholson lacked the exact look of the novel’s McMurphy, he more than matched him in scheming manic energy. Louise Fletcher makes for an excellent Nurse Ratched who rules the ward with an iron fist behind a façade of kindness. While unrelated to this adaptation, the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia reference to the film is quite funny and includes many characters played by their original actors. In all, the 1975 adaptation was impressive for its time and has inspired a number of modern spin-offs.
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The Bicentennial Man
I have a strong opinion of this film: I believe it is Robin William’s best role. While some have found the titular character’s original chassis jarring or frightening, I am happy to look deeper than the bizarre Robin Williams mask he wore for a good part of the film. This adaptation is spectacular. It takes Isaac Asimov's Hugo award-winning novel to the next level by giving the robot Andrew a voice and the perfect actor to portray him. Typically cast for his comically manic antics or his flamboyant and emotional outbursts in serious dramas, The Bicentennial Man was a change in pace for Williams. Andrew was quiet and pensive, and he was choosing to become more human. Williams was an excellent choice and it really lets a side of his skills show we didn’t get to see very often. This is a movie you need to see if you haven’t already!
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The Bad
I, Robot
This flick starring Will Smith in his prime is an excellent popcorn movie but so far removed from its source material—a short story published in Amazing Stories in 1939—that it isn’t even listed as an adaptation on Wikipedia. The original story doesn’t include a detective, which Smith plays, nor an investigation. Rather, it’s a more modern Frankenstein story of a robot’s newly formed consciousness, response to prejudice, and distaste for violence. The 2004 movie of the same name lacks this focus on questioning the superiority of humanity and human morality and is more about jumping over and through things. The CGI holds up fairly well today and the action sequences are excellent. The movie’s aesthetic alone brings me back every few years. Bust out the Whirly-Pop™ and settle in for this bad adaptation!
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Re-Animator
This fantastic cult horror romp is extremely loosely based on a serialized series written by H.P. Lovecraft. The original story is narrated by an assistant and co-conspirator of Herbert’s. It follows their exploits very closely as the two doctors are drafted into service during WWI. They use the triage to find subjects for their experimental re-animation serum. The serum and Herbert’s name are the only pieces of the original tale which transfer to the film. That being said, lovers of 80s films, cult movies, or old-school horror will love this movie. I make a habit of watching it on Halloween, myself.
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The Da Vinci Code
What comes off like Tom Hanks’ response to National Treasure, 2006s The DaVinci Code is based on a bestselling novel of the same name. Both the book and the film faced backlash from conservative Christian groups for ‘spreading atheism’ or attacking the church. The movie, because of the book’s popularity, faced some outspoken public backlash by paperback owners across the country. Both these overly loud groups are being far too harsh. While I wouldn’t call this the best movie of all time, it is also far from the worst. It’s dual problems lie in its length and confusing plotline. Even at 149 minutes, there was too much behind the conspiracy at play to jam into a movie. A miniseries or show: perhaps. But a movie wasn’t enough time to get into all the nooks and crannies that are explored in the book. While the DaVinci Code didn’t transfer well, it is still a fun flick for those who love treasure hunts and conspiracies.
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The Ugly
The Grinch
I became unpleasantly aware of this adaptation as most of my friends were teachers at a local Montessori School and wrote a Dr. Seuss-themed winter play when this movie came out. It is pathetic that people think we want a remake of Chuck Jones’ 1966 adaptation. That anyone thinks Benedict Cumberbatch could improve on the voice acting of Boris Karloff is dead wrong. 2018’s The Grinch completely misses the main point of the book as well as giving us an extra 45 minutes of content no one asked for and a terrible screaming goat gag. In declawing the Grinch, they make the story less compelling and impactful. This was nothing but a cash grab, one that has become more common since the death of Audrey Geisel.
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I Am Legend
I wish this was a good popcorn flick. Instead, it is slow and painful. Beyond that, it takes nothing from Richard Matheson’s 1954 post-apocalyptic novel beside a name and a dog. That Will Smith’s Robert Neville is already an educated epidemiologist, has a wife and child, and is being backed up by helicopter flying marines is way off base from the ‘last man on earth’ narrative popular of the 1950s and portrayed in the novel. The message of the story is lost in what was a confusing attempt to compete with the zombie movies so popular in the late 2000s.
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Starship Troopers
Not a lick of Robert A. Heinlein’s original text exists in this movie. Director Paul Verhoeven admits to never having picked up the book before the film’s release and screenwriter Edward Neumeier only skimmed for names and places within the first couple of chapters. While I’m a sucker for sci-fi movies about giant insects and space flight, Starship Troopers completely misses the fact that Heinlein’s original work was satirical and anti-war. Johnny Rico’s journey in the novel is one of self-discovery and finding that the government to which he has sworn his life in service doesn’t uphold the same values he does. Johnny Rico’s journey in the movie Starship Troopers is a trip to a desolate planet to make it safer for Neil Patrick Harris to touch a weird bug. If I had the ability to remake or reboot one movie or series, it would be this one. The novel deserved someone who actually read it to adapt it.
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