READ OR WATCH | Chances are, that movie you love was based on a book. But best book to film adaptations? Is that something we can pin down?

Movies owe a lot to books. Now before you get all uppity – we’re not saying books are better. [2018: Just kidding. I totally was saying that.] But let’s face it, countless films owe their plots to books and short stories.

It makes sense. If you were sitting down to write a screenplay, wouldn’t it be nice if instead of a blank page, you had something to work with?

Sure, it would be nice. It wouldn’t necessarily be better.

Whether you’re starting with a classic, a best seller, or an unknown, each type of book-to-movie adaptation comes with its own set of pros and cons. Which is likeliest to succeed on the big screen? Read on to find out!

Classics

The Lord of the Rings, War of the Worlds, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory all fall into this category. Though authored by dead white guys, these works are still accessible enough to appeal to the masses.

Pros: Think of it this way: even if LOTR had sucked ass, every hobbit-loving, D&D-playing, trench-coat-wearing basement dweller would still have surfaced to check it out for themselves. Such is the power of a classic.

Cons: The stakes are high. Any fanatical fan base already has a distinct vision about what a film version of their favourite book should look like. Trash that vision and you’re in trouble.

Contemporary Best Sellers

Stuff like Bridget Jones’ Diary, The Notebook, and most popular superhero and comic book franchises go here. Thanks to the cross-marketing machine, when a text hits the bestseller list, people pretty much always start talking film-option.

Pros: Momentum. Even when skeptical about the quality of the film, fans of the book will want to see it, at least to confirm that their skepticism was valid.

Cons: Though a young story may have fans, those fans are probably not heavily invested. At least, not yet. (Of course, there are exceptions. Think of the Harry Potter franchise.) Nonetheless, if the public hears the film version’s a stinker, they’re likely going to be patient enough to wait for video.

Relatively Unknown Tomes

Sideways, Memento, and The Shawshank Redemption were all based on books or stories – a fact likely to have remained unknown if the film versions hadn’t become such big hits.

Pros: Adapting an unknown text is almost as good as working with an original script. The public has no preconceived notions about them.

Cons: You’ve got to market the movie from the ground up. Even when studios funnel a lot of cash into an unknown project, there’s no fan base to rely on.

Regardless of type, not all books lend themselves well to film’s narrative style. But while contemporary adaptations often feel like they’re riding on something else’s coat tails, classics and unknowns force the film industry to put more work into the final product, which can mean a much better result.

A version of this piece published in Dose on July 11, 2005. More book stuff is here. More film and tv stuff is here.

Published in Dose, July 11, 2005.