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The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009)
The Book: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson (2005)
Why It's Better: Sometimes a movie just gets to have all the fun. The film adaptation of Larsson’s crime sensation doesn’t lose any of the action or thrills, but manages to drop all of the weighty politics.
On top of that, trying to remember which member of the Vanger family is which becomes a heck of a lot easier when you can see their faces…
Psycho (1960)
The Book : Psycho - Robert Bloch (1959)
Why It's Better: Although Hitchcock remained relatively faithful to Bloch's little-known novel, his decision to dedicate more time to the character of Marion Crane was pivotal – the audience grew comfortable following their leading lady, which makes her (spoiler alert) untimely murder even more shocking.
Bates’s psyche may be explored in more depth in the book, but there’s no competing with the suspense and horror of the movie.
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (2001 - 2003)
The Book: The Lord Of The Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien (1954)
Why It's Better: JUST HEAR US OUT.
Now we're not suggesting that the LOTR trilogy is necessarily better than Tolkien's masterpiece, but we couldn't leave three such magnificent book-to-film adaptations off this list - if this timeless classic was going to be recreated for the big screen, who better for the job than a team of self-confessed Tolkien nuts?
By dividing the book into three sweeping films, Peter Jackson was able to delve deep into Middle Earth without neglecting vital details; the movies are a veritable love letter to the master of fantasy fiction.
Children Of Men (2006)
The Book: The Children Of Men - P. D. James (1992)
Why It's Better: There's no disputing the power of James's dystopian thriller, but director Alfonso Cuarón's reluctance to familiarise himself with the novel turned out to be a stroke of genius.
The script retained all the book's suspense and intrigue, but by changing leading man Theo's occupation from retired professor to bored office drone the film is given an almost Orwellian slant.
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
The Book: Red Alert - Peter George (1958)
Why It's Better: Kubrick originally intended Dr. Strangelove to be a thriller, like its source material Red Alert , but quickly realised he couldn't ignore the absurd humour integral to the idea of "mutual assured destruction".
What resulted was a laugh-out-loud movie that Rogert Ebert called "arguably the best political satire of the century".
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Book : The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris (1988)
Why It's Better: A chilling story in both literary and cinematic form, Sir Anthony Hopkins breathes terrifying life into Harris's masterful creation of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and plays up the sexual tension between Lecter and Clarice Starling - something which might feel comfortable in the book, but becomes harrowing and unsettling on screen.
Jaws (1975)
The Book: Jaws - Peter Benchley (1974)
Why It's Better: Benchley's novel had great commercial success, staying in the bestseller lists for weeks, but the one thing it lacks is staying power. You hear the word Jaws now and you don't just don't think book. You think Spielberg, "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat" and the duuuuuh-dum soundtrack.
The film focused less on the romantic subplots that Benchley carefully explored, and more on the great big fish, specifically the Orca's spectacular final shark hunt.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Th e Book: L.A. Confidential - James Ellroy (1990)
Why It's Better: Arguably one of the greatest American crime novels, Ellroy's sprawling neo-noir needed something really special to give it a worthy movie adaption. Luckily, director Curtis Hanson brought just that to the table, not only managing to keep the nuances of the storyline intact, but creating a world so visually sumptuous it immediately transported you back to the 50s.
Upon seeing the movie, Ellroy himself said "I understood in 40 minutes or so that it is a work of art on its own level. It was amazing to see the physical incarnation of the characters." High praise indeed.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
The Book: No Country For Old Men - Cormac McCarthy (2005)
Why It's Better : McCarthy's distinctive writing style continues to divide readers; notoriously low-key, he often entirely abandons punctuation and speech marks (driving Grammar Nazis everywhere to distraction), but it's a style that transfers to film with incredible effectiveness.
The Coen Brothers were the perfect duo to tackle this beloved novel, playing out the thrilling cat-and-mouse story with just the right amount of suspense. Add to that a universally astounding cast (special mention must go to Javier Bardem's chilling Chigurh), some truly breathtaking cinematography and you've got yourself something really special.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
The Book: The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger (2003)
Why It's Better: Two words: Meryl Streep. Lauren Weisberger's tale of a brow-beaten fashion assistant may have been an international best-seller, but it can't be called much more than fluffy chick-lit.
Casting the incomparable Meryl as formidable Editor-In-Chief (and rumoured Anna Wintour spoof) Miranda Priestley gave the movie a much-needed injection of class, and allowed us to see a a more human side of the novel's fairly one-dimensional villain.
