Book Lovers Are Admitting The Rare Times The TV Show Or Movie Version Was Actually Better

Usually, people say the book was better than the movie, but recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community which movie or TV adaptations were better than the books they were based on.

Here are 27 of their top responses:

1."Outlander on Starz, based on the books by Diana Gabaldon, truly brought the books to life, in my opinion. The actors who play Jamie and Claire have such amazing chemistry together, as do many of the other actors in the cast."

Jamie and Claire are sitting in a horse-drawn carriage, dressed in period costumes
Robert Wilson / ©Starz / Courtesy Everett Collection

"I also feel like the TV show has taken the best parts of the plot from the books and filtered out a lot of unnecessary storylines. There are, of course, areas where I wish they would include some additional information from the book, but for the most part, I feel like they truly made the story better."

glitteryprincess82

2."I got a BuzzFeed account just so I could make this comment! But the Bridgerton series! I started reading the series after Season 2, and they are just not it."

Anthony and Kate kiss
Colin Hutton / ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

"The only thing I liked in Anthony and Kate's story in the book version was that there wasn't a love triangle with her sister, which I hated in the show. Other than that, they're basic Regency romances. The show's diverse casting, sumptuous costumes, and beautiful cinematography elevate the story."

originalkid61

3."Good Omens! The show brings a perfect update/visual to the series."

Two characters from "Good Omens," Crowley in aj acket and Aziraphale in a bow tie, examine a clipboard
Mark Mainz / ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection

witbeyondmeasure223

4."Daisy Jones & the Six! I way prefer the show over the book! I felt like the chemistry between Daisy and Billy in the show was way better, and I got a lot more personality from all the characters."

Daisy holding a beer and talking to Billy outside in the dark
Lacey Terrell / ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection

"The book feels like a rough draft, TBH."

darlingcath

5."A Simple Favor. I read the book first and just absolutely could not fathom how they made a movie out of it. It was horrible. The movie was so good, though. They took the basic premise and then made everything else so much better."

Stephanie holding a camera, and Emily in a formal suit with a bow
Peter Iovino. ©Lionsgate / courtesy Everett Collection

"Although, I did like the ending in the book slightly better."

brookelynpenguin

6."Jaws all the way. The book is a potboiler of how the police chief and his wife have a bad marriage, the mayor is mixed up with the mafia, and Hooper and Mrs. Brody have an affair... And, oh yeah, there's a shark. The movie shaves off all the soap opera subplots and focuses on the shark."

Two characters from the movie Jaws are on a boat, looking apprehensively at a large mechanical shark emerging from the water
Universal Pictures courtesy Everett Collection

"Thank God."

moncynnes

7."Love, Simon, which was based on the book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. I read the book and enjoyed it enough, but when I watched the movie, I was blown away by the emotional vulnerability of the main actors, and I felt as though Simon's character in the movie was portrayed as much more realistic than in the book, where he seemed kind of stiff and one-note."

Simon in denim jacket stands by car, amusement park background
Ben Rothstein /TM & copyright © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. /Courtesy Everett Collection

"He was also much more relatable in the film, especially in his fear of change, which was heavily explored in the film and is something I massively relate to. Honestly, the movie moved me more than the book did and made a lasting impact on me that I still think about today. I've probably seen it at least 10 times, but I've only ever read the book once, which felt like enough."

mconnour

8."Pride and Prejudice. I'm specifically thinking of the 2005 Keira Knightley version. It was shot so well with great acting and cinematography."

Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice in a historical dress, looking thoughtful
Focus Features / courtesy Everett Collection

"It's way better than the book is, IMO."

sweetpenguin21

9."Lord of the Rings. The book is a classic, and the world is incredible, but the story is also REALLY BORING at times. Pages and PAGES of Legolas singing."

Legolas from Lord of the Rings, depicted with long blond hair and elven outfit, holding a bow
Warner Bros / ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

"Battles are summed up in paragraphs while we are treated to endless descriptions of the scenery. Tolkien was a genius, no denying. But he was a linguist, not a storyteller, and it shows. Peter Jackson's movies are incredible, beautiful, and moving. (And thank the Lord he didn't have Legolas sing!)"

winterwednesday9

"The books are wonderful but a little hard to read and slow-paced (sorry!), but the movies, especially the extended editions, are some of the best known to cinema."

acekingkiwi11

10."There's a Korean movie titled Unlocked in English, and it COMPLETELY outdoes the Japanese book it's based on. The acting was so well executed that when I tried to read the original, it just felt bleh."

Oh Jun-yeong in a dark room looking at his phone screen with focus, laptop open nearby
Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

"It's about a guy who takes a girl's phone and spies on her through her camera, and I totally recommend it."

laughingbook14

11."The To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy. Peter Kavinsky was a jerk and honestly kind of mean to Lara Jean in the books. The movies made him a way better person."

Peter and Lara Jean, sitting at a stone table under a flowering tree, reaching out for a handshake
Masha Weisberg/© Netflix /Courtesy Everett Collection

"I prefer the movies over the books any day!"

chloelaurel

12."Red, White & Royal Blue. Yes, we needed Rafael and Mary in the movie, but I didn’t feel like anyone was missing at all when I watched it."

Alex casual in a patterned shirt, Henry in a suit and tie, shaking hands
Prime Video / Via youtube.com

"So here's why the movie is better.

1. We get Stephen Fry as the king instead of a queen.

2. Alex and Henry's relationship is outed by Miguel, Alex's ex and a reporter in the movie. In the book, it was the politician running against the president and his team who outed them, which gives me the absolute creeps.

3. Alex was way more involved in his mother's campaign. In the book, he is pushed out as soon as he tells his mother about Henry. In the movie, she lets him go to Texas anyway. This built Alex's character way better.

4. Merging some of the characters made the story easier to keep up with. Some characters felt like unnecessary additions in the book. In the movie, things flowed better."

ruchav

13."The Princess Diaries. I know the books are loved, but I hated them. Mia is so stuck-up. Lilly is the worst friend, not even a friend, she's more of a user frenemy. Michael is a jerk, and the age gap between him and Mia in the book is bigger."

Mia, Lily, and Michael pose with a car and city street in the background
Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

"Plus, everything is better with Julie Andrews."

sparklesthecupcake

14."The Princess Bride. The book is good! But the movie is magical, one of the best movies of all time."

Buttercup and Westley in a romantic scene, laying on the ground
20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

"And the cast was a huge part of that. Every actor made their character iconic. Plus, the ending is way better in the movie!"

the_electric_mayhem

15."Holes! Don't get me wrong, the book is amazing, but the movie is just phenomenal. Perfect in every way."

Stanley and Hector in prison jumpsuits looking down from above
Walt Disney / courtesy Everett Collection

"It's also one of the only movies I could watch over and over and never get bored."

its_a_me

16."Warm Bodies. I was shocked at how much I didn't like the characters in the book. It was the only time I've ever said, 'Wow, the movie was much better.'"

Screenshot from "Warm Bodies"
Jonathan Wenk/©Summit Entertainment / courtesy Everett Collection

poeticrockstar84

17."The Godfather. The book was kind of a slog in parts, and the movie did Puzo's work justice and did it better, in my opinion."

Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in a tux with a rose, holding a cat, from 'The Godfather'
Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

"It just feels more streamlined as a story."

ellie_e

18."The Notebook. I loved how the movie focused on Allie and Noah's relationship before she left New Bern. The book was good, but the movie just warms my heart (and then breaks it)."

Noah and Allie walking and smiling with an ice cream cone
New Line / courtesy Everett Collection

c4443142dc

19."The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials) series on HBO. I still can't watch it again because I would just be a blubbering mess all over the place, and this is usually my way of saying that it was that damn good."

An armored polar bear stands in front of a dilapidated building with a circular emblem
HBO / Via youtube.com

"It really was. It broke my heart worse than the books because I was actually seeing it."

morgan_le_slay

20."You (Season 1). Penn Badgley nailed the role of Joe, and his creepiness, plus the nuances of his personality, just jumped out so much better in the show."

Joe in a hoodie and baseball cap on a jog through a park with onlookers
Nicole Rivelli / ©Lifetime / courtesy Everett Collection

wgolden130

21."Fight Club. Fincher did a fantastic job bringing it to the screen. It's definitely better than the book."

Tyler Durden from Fight Club in a leather jacket and printed shirt
20th Century Fox Film Corp. / courtesy Everett Collection

canadianghoul

22."Blade Runner is the classic example for me. The book is okay, but it lacks all the punch the movie has."

Rick atop taxi in a bustling city scene
Warner Bros / courtesy Everett Collection

"The movie is amazing. The book is called Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and right out of the gate with the title, you can see the changes the movie made that improved things."

timothyklein

23."The Hunger Games books were better as movies. While there are a lot of minor details from the books that didn't make it onscreen, Katniss is exhausting as a character in the book, and we, as readers, are constantly in her head and always learning about everything through her POV. The movies fleshed out other characters and showed another side the books didn't tell."

Effie Trinket in an elaborate outfit alongside Katniss Everdeen in a blue dress, both from The Hunger Games
Murray Close/©Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection

"Having the book narrated in first-person present tense means there's a lot readers don't know, and the biggest change that I think was great was making President Snow a strong villain. In the books, he's barely there, honestly, and while you know he's evil, readers barely see him doing anything evil, and you can quite forget about him in the midst of all the constant Katniss/Peeta/Gale drama inside Katniss's head."

grhngrg

24."Silence of the Lambs was a great read, but the movie was unforgettable. Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and Ted Levine breathed a terrifying life into the characters, and 30 years later, it still lingers randomly in my mind."

Hannibal Lecter speaks to Clarice Starling through glass in a scene from "The Silence of the Lambs."
Orion Pictures Corp/Courtesy Everett Co / Everett Collection

sleepingsorcerer52

25."The Time Traveler's Wife. The book was so...meh to me, and it was filled with all of these extemporaneous details that made the book worse, like Gomez's infatuation with Claire. "

Clare wearing a cardigan and skirt, looking pensive in a field
New Line Cinema / courtesy Everett Collection

"IMO, the movie was a vast improvement."

casachess

26."Stardust. While I like the book well enough, the movie is so much better."

Yvaine and Tristan holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes
Paramount / courtesy Everett Collection

echo91

27.And finally: "Forrest Gump. Most of the events of the movie are in the book...kinda. The movie's tone — a sweet, naive man experiences major historical events and marries his love — is completely different."

Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump, seated on a bench with a suitcase, wearing a suit and sneakers
Paramount Pictures/ Courtesy: Everett Collection

"The book's first line is, 'Let me tell you, being an idiot is no box of chocolates.' In the book, Forrest can barely read, but he can do complicated physics problems. Bubba is a guy he meets in college while they are both playing football. The first half of the book is funny, but the second half is bizarre, with Forrest going into space with a monkey."

blissbednar

Do you agree with these opinions? Is there another adaptation you think was better than the book? Let me know in the comments!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity.

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