The film industry and the book industry more often than not collaborate to give both moviegoers and avid readers a unique cinematic experience. Some book-to-movie adaptations are excellent, some are just average, while some are objectively not good films. Regardless, there is no denying the excitement that is generated when a widely loved book is turned into a film. Anyone who read series such as Harry Potter or Twilight, they will likely remember the astronomical hype that surrounded the release of each movie in those series. Books and movies are two separate forms of media that garner the attention of many individuals on their own, but when fused together, the excitement reaches new heights.
Book series that are inevitably turned into film franchises are expected to perform well because of the pre-existing fan base, but that can also apply to standalone novels, such as The Fault in Our Stars. Conversely, sometimes the screen adaptation can generate interest in the novel after the initial release in the movie. Filmmakers can double as readers, and often they will make a film based on a book they felt a connection to regardless of its popularity. While the age-old argument of whether the book was better than the movie will likely always be commonplace, book-to-movie adaptations likely will be too. These adaptations bring the world of a novel to life on screen. Many incredible book adaptations have been made over the years, and there will be more to come. Here are ten of the best book-to-movie adaptations released in the past ten years:
10 The Spectacular Now (2013)
Based on the 2008 novel written by Tim Tharp, The Spectacular Now is a coming-of-age story about the unexpected romance between two high school students. Sutter Keeley (Miles Teller) is an 18-year-old high school senior focused on making the remainder of his senior year as fun as possible. He spends his time partying and drinking, but when his girlfriend Cassidy (Brie Larson) breaks up with him, he gets blackout drunk and wakes up on a stranger's front lawn. He wakes to find fellow senior Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley) standing over him, and a connection forms between them after that.
The book details Sutter's detrimental insistence to only live in the moment and his inability to acknowledge his obvious drinking problem. The movie does an excellent job of bringing these character flaws to life, mostly due to Teller's nuanced performance. With a supporting cast including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brie Larson, and Kyle Chandler, the film portrays the emotional themes and important messages of the book through heartfelt performances.
9 Warm Bodies (2013)
This zombie romcom is based on Isaac Marion's 2010 novel of the same name, which was inspired by William Shakespeare's most famous work, "Romeo and Juliet". Warm Bodies takes place after the zombie apocalypse occurred and follows a rather introspective zombie, aptly named R (Nicholas Hoult). After meeting a human girl, fittingly named Julie (Theresa Palmer), he feels a fierce need to protect her from the other zombies. A strange but warm relationship develops between the two that allows R to regain his humanity.
Warm Bodies subverts the typical zombie story tropes not only by allowing them to have feelings that they can somewhat verbalize but also by having the story told from the perspective of the zombie. Keeping these aspects in the film version creates a distinctive zombie story that sets it apart from others. Having the events unfold from the perspective of a compassionate zombie who dislikes feeding on human flesh is already such an intriguing concept for anyone who enjoys zombie media, and the movie version allows us to truly experience that from a human perspective.
8 Room (2015)
Room is a heart-wrenching drama based on the novel by Emma Donoghue, who also penned the script for the film adaptation. The story centers around a 24-year-old woman named Joy Newsome (Brie Larson) who was kidnaped by an older man seven years prior. Since her capture, she had a son named Jack (Jacob Trembley). The two live in a small shed that they refer to as "Room", and to protect her son, Joy instills in Jack that the outside world exists only on television. When Joy is finally able to trick the old man into taking Jack out of the shed and the police find him, the mother and son are quickly thrown into regular life where they struggle to adjust for different reasons.
Both the book and the film are heartbreaking accounts of what this young woman and her son were forced to endure for many years. It explores the psychological trauma that both of them faced and how, given their different introductions to "Room", they each have difficulties assimilating to regular life. Joy remembers what it's like to be a normal person with a life of their own, but struggles with the changes that occurred in her seven-year disappearance. Jack, on the other hand, has been told that the outside world didn't exist, and therefore cannot cope with the very real fact that the rest of the world does exist.
7 Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Set in the Italian countryside in the 1980s, Luca Guadagnino's Call Me By Your Name follows the blossoming romance that forms between Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and the man hired as his father's summer research assistant. The coming-of-age story is based on the book written by Italian-American writer Andre Aciman. The story follows the bond that forms between the two throughout the summer and the eventual fallout and repercussions of the relationship. The relationship is tumultuous from the start, as neither of them flat-out acknowledges the obvious attraction at first and continues to try to pursue relationships with women in the small rural town. As their relationship evolves, the two become even more intertwined. The story follows the emotional journey of love and self-acceptance of the two main characters, making for an endearing coming-of-age story despite the obvious flaws in their relationship.
6 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Suzanne Collin's "Hunger Games" trilogy is one of the most beloved YA book series in modern times. The 2012 movie was a huge hit with fans of the series and moviegoers alike, and the movie provided the breakout roles for both Jennifer Lawrence and Sam Claflin. The sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is possibly the best entry in both the book series and the movie franchise. After making Hunger Games history by being the first co-champions at the 74th annual Games, Katniss (Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) find themselves the target of the Capitol as they light the spark to ignite the rebellion in Panem. This entry sees Katniss and Peeta thrown back into the arena with other Hunger Games survivors during the third Quarter Quell, where tributes are chosen by previous victors.
Catching Fire is one of the most intriguing storylines in the Hunger Games series as it sees previous winners battling for survival yet again, and the romance fabricated by Katniss and Peeta in an attempt to calm the people of Panem reaches levels it cannot come down from. It is also where we are introduced to Finnick Odair (Claflin) a fan-favorite character and an important ally for Katniss and her team. This installment also lays the foundation for the larger rebellion seen in Mockingjay, and perfectly displays how Katniss' defiance and determination enlightened an oppressed country to take their lives back.
5 The Handmaiden (2016)
Famed Korean director Park Chan-wook has made some of the most thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining movies of the last two decades. His film The Handmaiden was inspired by Welsh writer Sarah Water's novel "Fingersmith" and takes the setting from Victorian-era England to 1930s Korea during the Japanese colonial rule. While changing the setting from England to Korea is a decision that inherently changes the characters and the world around them, it does little to the structure of the book as 1930s Korea was just as rigid and unforgiving as Victorian England.
The story follows a girl named Sookee who is hired to be the handmaiden to Japanese heiress Hideko, who lives with her overbearing uncle in a secluded countryside estate. However, the maid is secretly there at the request of a swindler posing as a Japanese count in order to seduce Hideko into marrying him, so he can rob her of her fortune and commit her to a mental institution. It starts off slow and subtle but explodes into a stylish, but strange, thriller that also involves a love story.
4 Little Women (2019)
Greta Gerwig's screen adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel Little Women is one of many adaptations of the source material, but it is also one of the most touching. As many of us know, the story follows the four March sisters Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Amy (Florence Pugh), Meg (Emma Watson), and Beth (Eliza Scanlen) through childhood to young adulthood during and after the American Civil War. The story is told through flashbacks and flash-forwards of the girls' lives and details the distinct differences in all four of them, while also showcasing their deep bond with one another. Alcott's story has been adored for 155 years, and Gerwig directs her depiction of the novel with love and respect for the story. All four actresses work well off each other which makes their sisterhood easy to believe and heartwarming to watch as they navigate growing up, adulthood, love, sickness, and grief together.
3 Dune: Part One (2021)
Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi novel "Dune" has been adapted for the screen before with David Lynch's 1984 film version. Unfortunately for Lynch, the film did not receive positive critical reception or box office numbers. The film was subjected to various cuts, reshoots, and a script that was originally intended for two movies that had to be condensed into one. The classic novel was given another chance at a film adaptation with French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve's 2021 version, now known as Dune: Part One. Since the source material is divided into two films under Villeneuve's direction, the story flows more cohesively and gives the audience a better chance at understanding the rather intricate plot and world that Dune involves. The visuals are absolutely stunning, and the story has more room to evolve without the time constraints of one two-hour movie. It definitely feels like a part one, but that only makes the anticipation for Dune: Part Two more exciting.
2 It (2017)
Film or television adaptations of Stephen King's books are often a hit or a miss. The legendary master of horror literature creates thrilling, expansive worlds for his stories that range from psychological to supernatural. Translating anything from page to screen can be a daunting task, but especially so when the book involves elements such as a possessed car or a cult of murderous children. Nonetheless, the 2017 adaptation of his novel "It" is one of the better adaptations of his stories, and was the highest-grossing horror movie of that year. It instantly became a huge success within the horror fan community and movie fans alike, thanks partly to the exceptional casting of both the kids and Pennywise himself. It was chillingly entertaining and even a tad frightening to some, and the film absolutely did the book justice.
1 Gone Girl (2014)
David Fincher is no stranger to adapting a book into a feature film, but his iteration of Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" is perhaps one of his best adaptations, and simply one of his best films. Gone Girl is a captivating, edge-of-your-seat thriller that follows the horribly toxic couple Amy (Rosamund Pike) and Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck). On the eve of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick reports Amy missing, causing pressure from the authorities and a wild media frenzy to ensue. The Dunne's carefully constructed image of a perfect couple slowly begins to fade, and Nick's lies and deceit cause him to be the prime suspect in the eyes of the media. As suspicious as Nick's character is, Amy's true persona is inevitably revealed as well.
Flynn's anxiety-inducing novel does a superb job of making the reader feel the tension between the couple while also keeping them hooked from start to finish. Fincher's film enhances these reactions with his refined directing and a script that was also written by Flynn herself. The performances are great across the board, especially Pike's Amy Dunne, who is whip-smart, meticulous, and startlingly determined. Of course, she also gave us one of the most well-known speeches in a movie with her infamous "cool girl" monologue.