Five Favorite Movies Inspired by Books

/ raine286

After reading award-winning author Nicole Evelina post on her five favorite movies inspired by books challenge, I decided to note my favorites too.

  1. All “LOTR” and “The Hobbit” movies – I thought it was quite ambitious & very masterfully done in condensing Tolkien’s legendarium for a non-fantasy reader. I soon later began reading the books and  appreciated them.
  2. “The Finest Hours” – I haven’t the read book but the movie was very thrilling. A great show of a person’s indomitable spirit. The book is in my TBR list.
  3. “Testament of Youth” – Quite moving film from Vera Brittain’s book of the same title. I haven’t read it tho Idk if it’s still available on ebook format. I’ve read some reviews and some readers find it difficult to understand due to the ‘old’ English (not King James English) style of writing.
  4. “The Spook’s Apprentice” books (the first book)  or “The Seventh Son’ in the movie. It was a  promising endeavor but it left me with a mix bag of emotions. I thought making Ward older was a good choice but the rest of the changes left me wondering why it went in the direction we see in the film. I’m currently reading the series and I’m liking the way the world and the characters were written.
  5. “Me Before You” – haven’t read the book yet but the movie was nicely done. By end of the movie,  Will’s decision made me shudder.

Those are my top five movies inspired by books off the top of my head, what are yours?

12 thoughts on “Five Favorite Movies Inspired by Books”

  1. Yes to everything on your list 😀 Haven’t read the books for “Testament of Youth”, “The Spook’s Apprentice” and “The Finest Hours” but wow the films were brilliantly directed, produced and acted. You’ll adore “Me Before You”. On the subject of “Seventh Son”, I started checking out Jeff Bridges’ early works afterwards. He was irresistible with baby face looks back then haha.
    Still cool though, but yeah in his older films like “Mirror Has Two Faces”, the sci-fis “Tron” and “Starman” + thriller “Jagged Edge”, he looked great.

    My list (in addition to the ones you mentioned):

    * “The Spectacular Now” – The movie captured the youthful essence presented in the book. Perfect casting too.

    * “Great Expectations” – The BBC film was atmospheric with the main character Pip having that growth and compelling quality like in the Charles Dickens book

    * “Divergent” (all movies) – I just wish they’ll still make the very last film. The final book ending angered most fans though

    * “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” – great fun haha and the book was equally action-packed

    * “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” – Given the book was in screenplay format, it was fun seeing the magic and 1920’s New York being brought to the screen with all the creatures. Spot-on casting of the fantastic four lol.

    * “101 Dalmatians” – both the live action and animated versions delivered upon the original book

    * “The Light Between Oceans” – Atmospheric lighthouse setting, great mystery and chemistry between the main characters played by Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander. It’s about a childless couple living at an isolated lighthouse who find an unknown baby on a boat one gloomy morning.

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    • Great choices, Jules! Yeah, Jeff Bridges has a lot of great performances in his earlier movies. He’s in one of my faves too tho, I just didn’t quite click with his portrayal of the Spook, sort of reminded me a bit of his R.I.P.D character. Oh, well. I have “Great Expectations” movie in my playlist standing by as soon as I’m done with “Victoria” and ” Manhattan” series. 🙂 Oh, yes “101 Dalamatians ” was a good one.I think you’ve mentioned “The Spectacular Now” to me before which was sounding familiar. I’ll check this out soon. Speaking of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” I’ve seen th movie but havent’t read the book or even the classic it was based from. lolz It was weird and okay at the same time. haha but I still enjoyed it. The final book where Four is gone.. no! 😀 So that was the trailer I last seen for “The Light Between Oceans,” I missed the name when I caught it on TV.. I still can’t purchase the book for ‘Fanstastic Beasts….”even as for educational purposes as I’m saving for S2 “Agent Carter” book but I’ve seen it on display. Now, I hope #Anastasiabwy book will be released soon. I saw “Hamilton” book and I think it cost almost in the same region as “Agent Carter” book too.

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      • I’m going through a marathon of Jeff Bridges movies I haven’t seen haha. WOW he blew me away in the noirs and murder-mysteries he was in. “8 Million Ways to Die”, “Cutter’s Way”, “Against All Odds” and “Winter Kills” were great, and he looked great if not steamy 😀 Really recommended. Haven’t seen R.I.P.D. but I’m gonna give that one a watch. “White Squall” seemed intriguing as well.

        You’ll enjoy “Great Expectations”. Douglas Booth is another fave of mine and he played Pip well 😀 The “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” book was exactly like the film haha.

        Four lives 🙂 It’s Tris who gets axed -.-

        Hope you’ll get the “Agent Carter” book soon. Amazon prices may go down soon. I’m ordering the “Anastasia” Broadway soundtrack 😀

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      • I don’t think I’ve even seen all of Bridges movies only “Against All Odds”, “Starman”‘ “Tron”‘ and “Tron:Legacy”. Your Netflix acct must be in a happy mode, no longer neglected app. 🙂

        Tris? Oh….Four will be shattered.

        Yes, “Anastasia” OST soon for me too.

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  2. As of now, the list of Jeff Bridges works I’ve checked out include:

    * The Mirror Has Two Faces
    * Jagged Edge
    * True Grit
    * Rapunzel lol
    * Hell or High Water
    * 8 Million Ways to Die
    * Against All Odds
    * Cutter’s Way
    * Tron & Tron Legacy
    * Winter Kills
    * Starman
    * The Morning After
    * Seventh Son
    * The Last Unicorn (he voiced the Prince Lir :D)

    Gonna check out Thunderbolt & Lightfoot, R.I.P.D. and King Kong next haha. Wish he and Harrison Ford have worked on something together but they still have that chance.

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      • Yes they can star alongside Robert DeNiro as well. I just saw “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot”. Recommended. He and Clint Eastwood played a duo of robbers who traveled around with an old car. Great bromance. He had his 2nd Oscar nom for this role at 26 🙂

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      • “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” sounds like awesome cowboy names. Hopefully, the cable channel airing all of Eastwood’s movies, will have this up soon. I try to watch the westerns when I can.

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      • Definitely a modern western but also a buddy road movie as both Thunderbolt and Lightfoot have to work together to escape the cops. 😀 I’m up to 50 works now haha. He was great as a child actor in his dad Lloyd Bridges’s hit adventure show “Sea Hunt”. His big brother Beau was also in a couple episodes.

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