Producing a successful cinematic adaptation of a book is much easier said than done. Unlike with original stories, there’s already a preconceived level of expectation before production even begins, with fans of the movie’s source material waiting on a hair-trigger to tear into any adaptation that they deem to be inferior to the original. Fortunately, many productions have demonstrated the correct way to bring a book to life on the silver screen, to the point that many of them are regarded as some of cinema’s best movies of all time.

Whether it’s a movie that changes the book for the better or even a movie that totally eclipses its source material in terms of quality, cinema boasts a wide variety of standout movie adaptations that have done the book that they are based upon justice. Capturing the essence of their source material in seamless fashion while simultaneously implementing inspired new flairs and nuances of their own, the finest movies inspired by books offer up a veritable treasure trove of cinematic riches.

10

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

Based On To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Winning three out of the eight Oscars that it received nominations for, 1962’s To Kill a Mockingbird remains one of cinema’s most revered adaptations of a literary work to this day. Leveraging the might of a generational performance from Gregory Peck as attorney Atticus Finch that earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, Robert Mulligan’s picture chronicles the lawyer’s attempts to defend a black man wrongfully accused of rape in Depression-era Alabama.

Based on Harper Lee’s classic novel of the same name, the film adaptation was even given a glowing review by the author herself. Holding a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score of 93% to this day, Mulligan’s movie arguably remains the finest courtroom drama that cinema has ever witnessed more than half a century after it was initially released, underlining its status as an indispensable classic through its timeless message and handling of fraught themes.

9

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Based On The Silence Of The Lambs By Thomas Harris

Earning glowing reviews from fans and critics alike, 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs remains the most recent movie to win Academy Awards in all five major categories. Following Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling as she calls on the ᴀssistance of Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant cannibal psychiatrist serving multiple life sentences, to track down a serial killer dubbed “Buffalo Bill”, Jonathan Demme’s revered psychological horror-thriller is based on Thomas Harris’ novel of the same name.

The Silence of the Lambs actually marks the second installment in the American author’s Hannibal Lecter novel series; Harris introduces Lecter through the events of 1981’s Red Dragon, which would also be adapted into a 2002 prequel of the same name starring Hopkins. However, this has had little bearing on The Silence of the Lamb’s status as one of cinema’s most universally revered book adaptations, with the film frequently touted as a prominent example of a ’90s movie masterpiece.

8

No Country For Old Men (2007)

Based On No Country For Old Men By Cormac McCarthy

Inspired by legendary novelist Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same name, Josh Brolin has gone on record to state that he and the Coen brothers initially doubted the success of 2007’s No Country for Old Men, citing the movie’s relatively simple premise and minimal dialogue. It’s a remarkable state of affairs, given that the critically acclaimed movie went on to win four Academy Awards, gross $171 million worldwide, and earn status as arguably the greatest neo-Western film ever made.

Chronicling the hunt for $2 million in missing drug money from the perspective of three disparate characters, there are some notable differences between the No Country for Old Men book and the movie, but that doesn’t influence the movie’s stunning quality negatively in the slightest. From Javier Bardem’s masterful bow as the psycH๏τic Anton Chigurh to the iconic chase at the Eagle Pᴀss H๏τel, the Coen brothers’ revered outing remains one of cinema’s most well-regarded films based on a book to this day.

7

Misery (1990)

Based On Misery By Stephen King

One of the “King of Horror’s” most iconic novels, expectations were unsurprisingly sky-high for 1990’s cinematic take on Stephen King’s Misery. The story follows the late, great James Caan’s Paul Sheldon, a famous novelist who is rescued by a deranged super-fan following a car crash, only to discover that he is now effectively her prisoner. Brought to life in an Academy Award-winning turn by Kathy Bates, Sheldon’s self-professed “number-one fan” Annie Wilkes has been described by Stephen King as his personal favorite horror character.

Leveraging the star power of its leading duo to maximum effect, Rob Reiner’s psychological horror earned a glowing reception, doing its source material justice, and then some. Clocking in with a first-rate Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score of 93%, King has touted Misery as one of his favorite movie adaptations, while Bates’ unhinged turn as Wilkes makes for indispensable viewing in and of itself.

6

Gone Girl (2014)

Based On Gone Girl By Gillian Flynn

A dark and gripping mystery centered on the sinister circumstances behind a woman’s disappearance, Gillian Flynn’s 2012 crime-thriller novel Gone Girl received critical acclaim upon release in 2012. However, Flynn clearly wasn’t satisfied there; the author also wrote the screenplay for David Fincher’s movie adaptation. Led by Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, the cinematic version of Gone Girl debuted in 2014, receiving praise effusive enough to rival, or even surpᴀss, the novel it was based on.

Carried by a gloriously dark turn from Pike as Amy Dunne that saw her nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, Fincher’s outing proved to be a triumphant rendition of its first-rate source material. Gone Girl landed almost universally glowing reviews, a state of affairs underlined by a highly impressive Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score of 88% and a cult following that persists to this day.

5

Room (2015)

Based On Room By Emma Donoghue

Shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize in 2010, Emma Donoghue’s best-selling novel Room draws heavy inspiration from the nauseating real-life case of Josef Fritzl. The film’s premise centers around a child born in horrifyingly similar circumstances, a product of rape who knows no existence beyond the company of his mother and the тιтular dilapidated outbuilding he has grown up in. Chronicling the pair’s shadow existence and eventual escape, the novel’s success led to an A24 movie based on Donoghue’s evocative tale.

Starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, Lenny Abrahamson’s 2015 film, Room, garnered highly positive feedback from new viewers and readers of Donoghue’s original alike. Larson’s heart-rending, Oscar-winning bow as Joy “Ma” Newsome in the psychological survival drama remains one of the best performances in an A24 movie to date, tugging on the heartstrings in stirring fashion through her exemplary chemistry with her fictional son.

4

The Prestige (2006)

Based On The Prestige By Christopher Pierce

Showered with glowing reviews upon release in 2006, The Prestige is viewed as one of Christopher Nolan’s best and most underrated movies. Depicting the bitter rivalry between two warring stage magicians against the backdrop of Victorian London, many fans may be unaware that the revered psychological thriller is actually inspired by a 1995 novel of the same name by Christopher Priest.

However, while it may have served as the basis for one of the most well-received movies of the 2000s and is an excellent story in its own right, Priest’s novel isn’t widely viewed as a classic. Accordingly, The Prestige stands as a delightful and exceedingly rare example of a movie based on a book that arguably improves on its source material, considering that Nolan’s movie is still regarded as one of the finest thrillers that cinema has to offer to this day.

3

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Based On One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest By Ken Kesey

One of America’s most controversial and polarizing pieces of literature, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest doubles as one of literature’s more beloved novels. A tragicomedy set in an Oregon psychiatric hospital, Kesey’s 1962 work eventually made its way to the silver screen through Miloš Forman’s 1975 adaptation of the same name. Carried by two magnificent performances from Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher as con-man Randle McMurphy and the domineering Nurse Ratchet, respectively, Forman’s film is now viewed as an essential classic.

Still retaining its place in IMDb’s top 20 highest-rated movies of all time with a score of 8.7, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest turns 50 this year, but is still widely touted as cinematic royalty. The second of just three movies in history to win all five major Academy Awards, Forman’s offering boasts gold-standard filmmaking across the board, standing as a worthy cinematic adaptation of a fan-favorite piece of literature.

2

Trainspotting (1996)

Based On Trainspotting By Irvine Welsh

A nihilistic masterpiece from Irvine Welsh, the author’s first novel, 1993’s Trainspotting, is widely considered to be the Scotsman’s magnum opus to this day. Chronicling the squalid existence of heroin users in the most economically depressed areas that 1980s Edinburgh had to offer, the novel’s success saw a film version commissioned, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Ewan McGregor as the novel’s protagonist, Mark “Rent Boy” Renton.

Earning cult classic status to rival its source material and boasting a killer soundtrack to boot, 1996’s Trainspotting proved to be a triumph. One of cinema’s most iconic movies about drug use and addiction, Boyle’s outing lurches between laugh-out-loud hysterical and pull-your-hair-out-at-the-roots devastating with little to no warning. Frequently labelled as one of the finest and most influential movies that the 1990s has to offer, Trainspotting is one of cinema’s foremost literary adaptations.

1

The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Based On The Lord Of The Rings By J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings

Movie(s)

The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Created by

J.R.R. Tolkien

First Film

The Lord of the Rings (1978)

Cast

Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt

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Providing the foundations for the modern fantasy genre as we know it, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is one of the most enduring and influential pieces of fictional literature in human history. Split into three volumes, the revered novel is now viewed as the equivalent of a holy text among fantasy fans, despite an array of early reviews that brutally dismissed Tolkien’s magnum opus; famed literary critic Edmund Wilson went as far as to label The Lord of the Rings as “juvenile trash.”

Charged with bringing fantasy’s most epic story to life onscreen, director Peter Jackson knew that he had to deliver, and deliver he did. Released between 2001 and 2003, the New Zealander’s trio of The Lord of the Rings movies consтιтute what is arguably the most popular and celebrated trilogy ever made, garnering countless awards and near-universal rave reviews. Two of Jackson’s movies appear in IMDb’s top 10 highest rated movies of all time, underlining the movies’ seminal status and confirming that they did Tolkien’s source material justice without a shadow of a doubt.