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oLahav said:

We all know books are great, and movies are good too. But then, when some books are translated into a movie, the magic is lost.

What are some of the worst movies based on books you’ve seen that completely destroy the books they’re based on?

Harry Potter and the third Lord of the Rings come to mind… but the absolute worst one in my opinion was Marathon Man. They changed the major plot twist and the ending, which were perfect in the book, and most of the first half didn’t translate into the film at all. Plus, I never liked Dustin Hoffman.

So, what other movie that used to be a book shouldn’t I watch?

lala said:

You’ll never find it because it’s so old-But I read Exodus by Leon Uris and it was such a good book that I was thrilled when I heard there was a movie. That movie was a sacrilege! I spit on it!

Malgosia said:

Love in the Time of Cholera. Great book, HORRIBLE movie. They turned a deep and thought-provoking book into a high-budget latin soap opera.

windwind said:

I have to say “The Firm”. They changed the ending…it was awful

windwind said:

I have to say “The Firm”. They changed the ending…it was awful

ameliorator said:

I know there are some that are some offenders escaping my mind, but I wanted to add that I hate it when crucial scenes are cut out of films. Specifically I’m thinking of High Fidelity. There’s a scene where John Cusack’s character goes to look at a collection of records that a disgruntled wife is purposefully selling for less than it’s worth to get back at her cheating husband. You know that John Cusack’s character isn’t that great of a guy, but that cut out scene, where he can’t morally bring himself to buy a collection for less than it’s worth, because the guy spent his life collecting it really helped me understand the character in the Hornby book of the same name. Grrrr! At least you can still see the scene if you have the DVD.

chandra_avinash said:

Oh, by the way – Eragon the movie was perhaps the worst. The book was fine – if you take into account the author’s (teen)age, etc. The movie was downright horrible.

deniseyj said:

I would have to say I have 2 – the first being Bryce Courtney’s “The Power of One” (what the?) and “The Horse Whisperer” (ok film but too different to the book)

chandra_avinash said in response to:

I saw “The Power of One” a long time back – around 10 years ago. Is the movie really that bad? I’m wondering how awesome the book would have been.