40 Film Adaptations That Turned Out To Be Way Better Than The Books

How many times have you heard people say that a novel is always better than its film version? Well, it certainly seems to be the consensus whenever Hollywood raids the bookshelves for inspiration. But that’s not always the case! From cartoonish comedies to seminal slashers, here’s a look at 40 movies which made the words leap from the page to the screen in style.

40. Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock didn’t wait long to transfer Robert Bloch’s Psycho to celluloid. His often-imitated chiller arrived in cinemas just a year after the original novel hit the shelves. And by initially focusing on Janet Leigh’s Marion Crane rather than Anthony Perkins’ crazed killer Norman Bates, it made that iconic shower scene all the more shocking.

39. Brokeback Mountain

First published as a short story in The New Yorker, Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain was deservedly showered with praise. But Ang Lee’s adaptation was able to fully flesh out the tale of forbidden love between two male sheepherders. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal gave career-best performances as the lovestruck leads. An Oscar-winning score and sumptuous shots of the Wyoming landscape also helped to heighten the emotion!

38. Drive

Despite the fact that Ryan Gosling’s lead barely utters more than a few words throughout the entire film, Drive is actually based on a book. Director Nicolas Winding Refn took some creative license with James Sallis’ 2005 novel, though. He saves the life of Irene, while Shannon is an amalgamation of three separate characters. Refn also used striking neon-lit visuals and a gorgeous synthwave score to make the source material truly his own.

37. Casino Royale

James Bond fans had to wait more than half a century for Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale to make it to the big screen. Yet the anticipation proved to be worth it thanks to the casting of Daniel Craig. His brooding interpretation of the secret agent helped to reinvent the franchise. And his response to duplicitous Bond girl Eva Green’s demise packed far more of a punch than in the original, too.