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What Are Some Great Films Not Adapted from Books?

When films are adapted from books, more often than not, I tend to find the books a lot more enjoyable. So I have skipped watching a lot of films in the hope of reading the books later.

So what are some great films not adapted from books? Or what are some films that are significantly better than the book they were adapted from?

Moobythegoldensock , (edited )

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

King Kong

Little Miss Sunshine

The Raid 1 & 2

Beetlejuice

The Goonies

E.T.

American History X

Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein are very loosely based on the original story (ostensibly Mary Shelley’s verbal retelling of the story before she penned the novel) and both are good in their own right.

Vuipes ,
@Vuipes@kbin.social avatar

The Silence of the Lambs
The book was good, but the acting was excellent in the movie.

Mothra ,
@Mothra@mander.xyz avatar

I might say Spirited Away is a good example. I don’t know how many Ghibli films are based on books if at all, but that one in particular fits the bill.

On a similar vein, many western animated films are not based on a book. Examples that come into mind are The Incredibles and Toy Story (Pixar), Lilo and Stitch (Disney), On the Road to El Dorado (DreamWorks). I’m sure there’s more…

investorsexchange ,
@investorsexchange@lemmy.ca avatar

V for Vendetta is a great movie and is better than the graphic novel.

Fondots ,

I like both a lot, they’re both very much a product of the times, places, and people that created them.

The movie being very much a reaction to Bush-era US politics through the perspective of the Wachowskis, and the comic a reaction to Thatcherism through Alan Moore’s eyes

There are definitely parallels to be drawn between the two contexts, and the same overall story with some tweaks works well for both.

Being a millennial in the US, the movie definitely resonates with me a little more deeply, but my inner anarchist wishes they kept a little more of Moore’s vision intact, though V just giving a lecture on anarchy in the middle of the movie probably wouldn’t translate well to the silver screen.

Nonameuser678 ,
@Nonameuser678@aussie.zone avatar

Charlie Kaufman’s work comes to mind. But he adapted a lot of stories he wrote as novels.

Annihilation is one as well I’d say. Even though it’s based on one of my favourite books, the movie did a good job of taking the premise / vibe and making it into something quite original. The book is definitely better by far, but I respect the artistic direction of the movie.

SpaceNoodle ,

Especially “Adaptation,” right?

sanguinepar ,
@sanguinepar@lemmy.world avatar

Great films not adapted from books - most of David Lynch’s work would count here: Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Inland Empire, and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (though that’s a prequel to the TV show, obviously)

luthis ,

Fight Club. I’ve read the book, the film was … different and better in some ways. Very much not a disappointment.

Sunshine. This might be my favourite movie. It’s excellent. Space done right. Not from a book.

u202307011927 , (edited )
@u202307011927@feddit.de avatar

Fightclub is a movie that’s adapted from a book. OP asked for movies like your second answer. Guess that’s why you’re being downvoted

Obviously I misread

Mothra ,
@Mothra@mander.xyz avatar

Hang on, in the last paragraph OP says if you know of a movie that is better than the original source book/comic, then it qualifies as a suggestion

counselwolf ,

Edge of Tomorrow is based on a japanese book or Manga (I forgot which came first) called All You Need is Kill.

The manga was good, but the movie adaptation was just much much better. The mimics were designed differently and the plot differed enough to make a significant boost.

Mothra ,
@Mothra@mander.xyz avatar

I’ve seen the movie and really liked it, I’ve also read the manga and liked it. I wouldn’t say there is a better one, but they are very different, both satisfactory in their own ways and the cultural differences really show in both formats.

AceFuzzLord ,

It’s a recent animated film, but I enjoy The Legend of Hei.

It’s an animated Chinese film based on an animated web series of a similar name about a little cat spirit trying to find a home and ending up on a long journey.

IWantToFuckSpez ,

Forrest Gump is apparently better than the book. I haven’t read it but the people who did unanimously agree that the protagonist in the book is too much of an asshole.

maegul ,
@maegul@lemmy.ml avatar

2001 Space Odyssey might be an interesting candidate here, just because of the way in which the book and film were more or less born together and diverged in their own separate ways, though the genesis of the whole thing was apparently in a short story by AC Clark that I know nothing about.

jeffw , (edited )
@jeffw@lemmy.world avatar

Memento. Technically was an unpublished short story rewriten for the screen.

Some Wes Anderson stuff: isle of Dogs, Grand Budapest Hotel (loose influence), Royal Taenbaums

M (1933)

Short Term 12

Shawshank is based on a short story too

Interrogation (1989)

Funny Gaes (1997 version!!!)

A lot of Powell and Pressbruger’s stuff… Red Shoes, Colonel Blimp

Coen bros stuff-Fargo (strongly recommend this), O Brother Where Art Thou (inspired by Homer, but a bit different from the book lol), Big Lebowski

Just a few to start you with. I basically pulled some fine examples across cinema history. I ignored a lot of great silent stuff, especially the comedy. If you reply to this one day, I’m sure I can follow up with more refs!

Chef_Boyargee ,

Monuments Men is arguably way better than the book. The movie humanized the content and made it more approachable.

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