Good Book, Bad Movie š½ļø
Crimes committed by movie studios against amazing books. āThe book walked, so these movies could trip and fall down the stairsā - JadeLovesBooks āØ
created by miawgicalreads
last updated December, 2025
Comments
Youāre missing Vampire Academy, Divergent, and Uglies ššš
I swear I added Vampire Academy, clearly I didnāt š®āšØ I will add all of them, they do deserve a place on this list! āš¼
I WANT MY VA REMAKE NOW OMG
There's a series (unfortunately it got cancelled after one season, which I'm still angry about) and it's amazing, imo! I rewatch it as often as I can! š¤š
oh man the divergent series broke me in a way a book hadnāt before (been broken many times since then lmao) so Iām somewhat glad we did not have to experience the end of allegiant again š but those movies were SO BAD
I just hate that the movies didn't make you feel the same as the books did? The lead actress just looked dead inside the whole time I"m so sorry š
the only part I enjoyed was my discovery of Theo Jamesā¦everyone else kind of fell flat and felt one dimensional which is such a bummer because the books were so good š
Theo James will forever be my celeb crush since those movies š¤¤
I loved the first two books, but was so confused by the thirdā¦
I literally love the Vampire Academy movie just for Zoey. I donāt care about the books or the other actors or annnyyttthhhiiinnngggg elseāZoey is just about the best thing on any screen she touches.
I read Uglies seemingly forever ago and loved it as a kid. I could only get through 5-10 minutes of the movie before shutting it off thinking, āwas the book really that bad too?ā š³š³
I read the book like 2-3 years back and it was okay, even for adult me. I haven't watched the movie, and I'm now thinking that shouldn't change š
I refuse to reread it to find out šš
Same. Ugggh the absolute CRINGE of the movie šµāš«
I didnāt watch the show, but VA I had to quit. I couldnāt make it through book two. :/
Do you mean to tell me that the 2003 feature film The Cat in the Hat is considered a bad movie š
absolutely not, i will not stand for it 
Time for a rewatch
A Canadian icon
This gif could come from no other place than the best piece of cinematic art we have 
literally quote this to my cat like every day
You have a cat? š
Everyone should have a cat, tbh. š±
mia YES š»
Cat lovers assemble! š±
My acupuncturist told me that if a cat likes you, youāre a good person. If a dog likes you, they like everybody. Had to laugh at that one. š
Hahahah I mean, I think they made a good point! š¹ cats are very selective, for example, mine only likes to be touch/pet by me haha no one else can touch her, not even my husband haha and when he tries, she immediately turns at him like āwhat are you trying to do mf?ā Hahaha itās so funny! So maybe your acupuncturist is onto something haha š«¢
And dogs, not to diminish them, have largely been bred to be social and love people.
Thatās true š®āšØ they are adorable tbh, and Iām sure they are great pets š«¶š¼ they just really like anyone hahaha
my love, what? wtf did you think ācat ladyā in my bio meant (I have 3)
...I'm so fucking dumb. I have 2 of my own. I'm sorry, blame it my new inability to submit comments on the app so I'm on the web version
Weāre meant to be š
2 dumb women and their man (who I know nothing about but I'm sure I'll love)
šššš
Hahahahahahaah I need to rewatch it! Hahahaha you guys made me laugh so hard!! š¹
HAHAHAHAA IāM SO SORRY! (I love that movie so much) š«¢
I don't know the movie or book... so please tell what the hell is that? Why does he look like that? (It kind of reminds me of the movie for the Musical cats, which was horrible)
I really don't like the look of that man/cat!!
Yes š«¶
helli do you trust me? watch the movie š„ø
Watch it Helli, do it. š«¢
lmao šš I mean, I trust you with book recs?? š I might have to watch it š (I'll need to figure out if I can find in on streaming services somewhere...)
Great wonderful, just sign this document real quick, no biggie, just states that I can't be held liable if you hate it and that you'll still trust my book recs, okay? ššļø
All right, my trust in your book recs won't be affected!! Promise š (wait, is it affected or effected?? No clue but you get what I mean!!) Once I'm back home I'll figure out a way to watch it!!
I need to knowā¦ did you watch it Helli? š«£ itās important that I know.
Oh my god ā thank you for leading me back here š I actually watched it pretty soon after that conversation, I just completely lost where we had talked about it and then never knew where to reply.
But yes. I have seen it!!
The Cat in the Hat isā¦ an interesting film. And I mean that in the most diplomatic way possible. Itās not exactly a movie I feel the strong urge to ever rewatch, but it is an experience. Slightly unhinged, slightly chaotic, and very much a product of its time. š
Am I glad Iāve seen it? Sure, I guess... š Will I recommend it? ā¦that depends on the mood and the amount of irony involved. š
Yay! you watched it š„¹ hahaha I mean, I know itās not exactly good haha but I think itās fun because itās in fact very unhinged and chaotic! Itās def not for everyone, but at least know you know what the fuzz was about hahaha š«¢āØ
Hi Billiam, so @miawgicalreads brought me back to this conversation, I had lost track of it and therefore did not know where you gave me this wonderful movie recommendation š
But yes, I watched it.... (I commented under @miawgicalreads' comment below, in case you want to read it š)
Iām begging you and anyone else who havenāt watched it to please watch it. Truly nothing will capture its essence the way that watching it will š
Watch party of The Cat in the Hat! š
I would go feral for this
SAAAAME! We should absolutely do it!!!! š
may I please be invited!!!!! please I promise to behave!!!
Invited?? You are the guest of honor
we should all dress up as cats too, really get into character
Ohhhh!! Iām so in!!! š±
Hahahahaah letās do it!!! šš¼šš¼šš¼
Sign me up, I've never seen it either š
Perfect š you are about to have the time of your life!!!
Haha š it seems like I missed out by never seeing it... š
The Cat in the Hat is a cinematic masterpiece directed by Bo Welch and released in 2003, non cinephiles will argue that the movie is bad and other will say it actually belongs in the horror genre, and yes, they are complete wrong. And no, it should not be confused with one of the worst movie musical adaptations ever made, Cats. Hahahaha š«¢
Ah ok, thank you š š I do not know how I've never even heard of this cinematic masterpiece š
Itās ok haha now you know, and you can watch it haha! šāāļø
This is exactly my husband's opinion on this movie LOL
The thing isā¦ itās so bad I love it hahaha š«¢ one of my personal favorite movies ever made hahaha
Your husband has fantastic taste š
Oh, no no, NOT AT ALL, is an iconic film, I personally love it! Butā¦ some people think it is, and I will never agree with them!
I came to say the same thing. This was PEAK 2003. Nothing else happened that year.
Youāre absolutely right! Nothings screams 2003 more than The Cat in the Har movie!
Came here to find my people. Why was this movie so damn funny and so underrated š
i loved the city of bones movie but iām willing to admit itās because i had a crush on every cast member š
That movie was so camp - I would have watched the whole series with that cast š„
me too š„µ the had me in a chokehold (consensual)
It was cast well tbf. Just every other aspect needed some love š
the tv show was way better for the actually story but at least we got a hot movie š®āšØ
Hahahaha I mean, Jamie is still very fine š®āšØš«¢
lmao same, thatās actually how i discovered the books! tbh the cast was really good, when i first read the books it honestly felt like she was describing Jamie when describing Jace
Movie Jace > TV Jace Movie Clary < TV Clary Movie Simon = TV Simon (they kinda cancel one another out because Movie Simon is hotter and a better actor but TV Simon is the better interpretation) Movie Alec < TV Alec (not even a contest) Movie Isabel < TV Isabel Movie Magnus <<< TV Magnus (Perfection in casting)
Saaaame šš
This is a controversial one but... Ella Enchanted. I'M SORRYš I loved the movie as a kid but then I read the book (as a slightly older kid) and it's not even the same story.š
I like the movie š®āšØ but I havenāt read the book, I need to add it to my TBR! ASAP!
Do ittttt!!! But be prepared, unless you pretend theyāre two different stories youāll never be able to look back with anything other than disgust.
Ok ok! Iāll do it š
Nooooooooo I'd sooner deny the existence of the book than call the movie anything but perfect
If I pretend the book doesnāt exist then I can love the movie but when I rememberā¦ we were robbed.
(To be fair though Iāve only ever been disappointed with movie adaptations. The book is always better cause my imagination is the best director, actors, cinematographer, etc.)
i watched a yt video that explained the differences and itās completely different! movie is superior imo
Someone teach me how to use GIFs on this site. It's URGENTš
you gotta do  !!!
Mia is choosing violence with this list š
I did, I chose violence ahaha now I realized I made a mistake hahahaha š®āšØ
I actually enjoyed the Thursday Murder Club movie, through I havenāt read the book.
I read the book recently, and was very excited to watch the movie, until I did š„² haha
I really enjoyed the movie, too, and the book has been on my TBR for ages but I am waiting for a while before reading it just so the movie isn't super present in my brain.
I like the movie as well and the cast is great!
Wait I loved the Percy Jackson movie š I liked it more than the book. š„²
How are you finding the tv series?
I haven't watched it yet! I might but not anytime soon.
Mainly curious as the series I found much better than the movies.
Loved the series, felt so close to the book, the characters get way more space ofc which I loved.
Same! I can't wait to see how they adapt the next book and hopefully they will be able to do the complete series.
A comment I had on a different post mentioned that she found tv series to be better than movies when it comes to adaptations (I'm paraphrasing lol). I think one of the reasons is they have more screen time to work with compared with movies. I did hear good things about the series!
The TV series is SO much better. Good even! I donāt think you can do much better for an adaptation
The TV Show is so much better because itās so inline with the books, but I still think the movies a fun watch hahaš«¢
This is one of the hottest takes I have ever heard LMAO š
Hahahahaha I had a feeling. This is the only place I saw where people are saying the book is better than the movie. In my defense, I watched the movie first š¤£š„²
Loved the books, liked the movies. But I think I only liked the movies so much bc I had the biggest crush on Logan Lerman. š¤
Honestly, I like them too haha theyāre not like super good, but I find them cool enough to rewatch them every now and then!
Maybe it's the nostalgia for me š plus I did watch the movie first before the book š¤·š»āāļø
Same, I watched the movies before I read the books haha actually I had no idea it was based on a book series haha! I only read the books a few years ago, and really like them! I will never hate the movies tho, they are so fun!
The Gunsligher (first book in the Dark Tower series) did not deserve The Dark Tower movie. I get actively and incredibly upset every time I remember it exists.
Gosh, the movie is SOOOOOOOO BAD! š«
They really cast Idris Elba in the lead role then sidelined him in his own story to make another "white boy finds out there is magic in the world and goes on an adventure" movie?! WHO THE HELL MADE THESE DECISIONS?!
Hollywood š« they have done us dirty so many times!! š©
i liked the dark tower š«£ i think it was supposed to serve more as a prequel to the gunslinger than a direct adaptation of the book?
It doesn't make any sense as a prequel.
Came here to post this! I went and saw this in theaters with one of my best friends and I swear in our two decades of friendship I've rarely seen them so upset or disappointed. I'm mad at this movie for hurting my friend!!!
Also what a waste of Idris Elba!!!!
I was so very excited (also saw it in theatre), and so very disappointed. I can't think about it too much or I get really mad.
I would humbly suggest Where the Wild Things Are but I also thought the book was a crime
LMAO š
š What did the book do to you? (first time hearing of it)
nothing, I just think the kid is a lil shit š (but so am I tbh)
š fair enough
This is the comment that convinced me to add it to the list, thank you! š
please I love that movie š to be fair I havenāt watched it in a while, but itās such a core memory to me. I wanted to read the book because of it but nowā¦ honestly you just got me even more curious
I honestly don't know because I hated both lmaoo
I'm obsessed with this list šš
Hahahaha yay! šāāļø Iām glad you like it! šš» happy dances
The Eragon movie was the biggest disappointment of my bookworm life. ššš
šš I was so excited to see the dragons
No, really! And what even was that ending??? My family had rented the dvd, and I wanted to snap it in half it was so bad. š
I know it was so bad Dx and with that cast what was their excuse
The casting was terrible. My friends and I had made a fancast and then they (casting directors) went a terrible direction. š©
No fr because wtf was that? my mom regretted taking me and my friend to see it in theaters, we were so mad at how bad it was lmao
Lmfaooo not your mom hating it too.
Ahahahahaha! So much this!!
Iām so sorry that movie happened to you š„² but it is horrendous!
You know what. Iām gonna reread the book and then rewatch the movie. š
Right? And the PS1 video game was SO crap!!!
There was a game??? š²
There was, it was so crap. I might still have it somewhereā¦
the dollangangers deserved better š (though I remember liking at least one of the adaptations)
So much better! The first book is such a gem and the movies š®āšØ
the book walked so these movies could trip and fall down the stairs
I am once again asking Hollywood to stop touching books
I love that āthe book walked so these movies could trip and fallā haha best description ever, may I add it to the description of the list? š«¢ Iām afraid they will never ever stop š„²
You can use it for sure!
Thank you friend āØš«¶š¼ youāve been quoted!
Thereās also the opposite - mediocre or bad books made into brilliant films. But since this platform is about books, I wouldnāt want anyone subjected to reading a bad book for the sake of comparison. š
Oh my gosh, yes! Iāve read so many bad books made into amazing movies! But youāre also right haha this is about books, and no one should go read a bad book!
I'm curious about it, though. What are some titles you'd put in that hypothetical list? š
Offhand I canāt remember anything other than Midnight Express. I know Iāve thought it a few times about books I read, but it was a while ago.
Inkheart, most definitely and it breaks my heart because I love Brendan Fraser :(
I remember that one! I watched it as a teen, Brendan Fraser was everywhere back then! I also remember I didnāt care for it! š®āšØ
i swear the books are soo good (i do need to reread), but I loved the concept back then and they did it so badly in the movie.
I read somewhere that the movie was so bad, they didnāt even considered a sequel š„²
I'd forgotten about that movie! I started watching it and never finished it, actually. It was forever ago
Yep.
I loved The Golden Compass book, and the movie was nonsensical and bad š The HBO show did better, but still failed to capture the inherent wonder and spark
The HBO Show was soā¦ dark haha kinda reminded me to Game of Thrones haha but it was indeed better than the movie!
I know! Especially in book one the tone is much more adventure and wonder and childhood delight, and the show was... gritty and grim. I actually never finished the show
Sometimes I feel like movie studios just hate us readers hahaha I thought the tone of the show was off, idk, never cared for it, I remember thinking how blueish and sad it looked! š«
I loved the books but I think I liked the movie just because of Nicole Kidman & Daniel Craig, lol. The HBO show was much better, imo (loved Ruth Wilson!)
Omg this list is getting me fired up!! So many good books and truly awful movies. Enderās Game in particular was devastatingly bad.
Percy Jackson had exactly One (1) good scene, and the rest was utter trash
The lotus hotel and casino šāāļø
Honestly, I feel like that scene was better in the movie than in the TV Show. š«£ hahaha
Oh 100% Logan lerman in that scene is iconic
He was so good in that scene! Actually that scene is the only good thing that came out of that movie (and Logan himself) š«¢
No I agree! The movie definitely captured the spirit of it. Though my favorite version is probably from the lightning thief musical where Bianca and Nico are like āwhy we arrived just yesterday! May 1stā¦ 1939!ā And the trio is just like NOPE
I was talking about āThis is a pen. This is a PEN.ā but honestly the lotus hotel scene was iconic
Ok 2 scenes then š¤
So many good book were done wrong š„²
This is going to be a fun list! Tuck Everlasting, I remember adoring the book but the movie just didn't hit right.
The movie was horrible, it didn't do justice to how beautiful the book was. Made me so mad, even as an elementary school kid when I watched it lmao
Exactly! Fond memories reading it as a kid and then I was flabbergasted at how bad the movie was.
Oh, just remember another one, The Time's Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I was in love with the book and just found the movie disappointing.
Truly!!! I wanted to love the movie but Iām still not sure how they could have done a good adaption
Iām all for a fun list! šāāļø adding them right now!
Also, The Host š«¢ that movie made me physically violent
The movie is so bad š«
It sucks too bc the twilight movies, while cringe are still objectively funāThe Host movie is diabolically bad
I love the Twilight movies hahaha they are so bad, for a while they were my guilty pleasure haha now I donāt feel guilty anymore! But The Host, that was a crime against humanity!
snorts
āAll the bright placesā unfortunately for me
That was made by Netflix, right?
ooh this is a fun one! fahrenheit 451 had an ATROCIOUS movie adaptation. plus lolita, the movies weren't "bad" but i'd still class them as criminal š¤¢
The one with Michael B. Jordan? š„“ hahaha Lolita is bad as anything haha it should not be a thing tbh!
yes! š© an actual tragedy cause they had an amazing cast but they fumbled literally everything else
Thatās the story of Hollywood tbh š„² great cast, horrible movie.
this list is awesome and I know I have some suggestions somewhereā¦I think I recall liking the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower much more than the movie but that could have been because of Emma Watsonās first attempt at an American accent
Thank you for calling my list awesome, Iām very flattered š«¢š«¶š¼ The book is AMAZING, I loved it way to much when I read it, and I think the adaptation was good enough, mostly because the author of the book wrote the screenplay and directed the movie, so I think it was pretty faithful to the story, however itās been years since I read the book or watched the movie and I could be completely wrong šāāļø and yes, Emma Watsonās accent was atrocious. š„“
I was in high school when the movie came out and I was a professional hater so I am probably misremembering! I think I just liked the book more than the movie but for some reason my teenage brain equated that to mean it was a bad movie š¤·š»āāļø ugh I was the worst teenager š¤¦š»āāļø
Oh stop! Iām sure you were amazing as a teenager š«¶š¼ you probably remember the movie wrong and thatās perfectly fine, I totally get it, Iām (still) a professional hater, and if something gets way too popular, I donāt want it or care for it, maybe that happened to you! That movie became so popular, everyone was talking about it!!! But if perfectly fine if you donāt like it!! āŗļø
Can I request Cirque du Freak? That movie was astoundingly bad.
OH MY GOD YES! That movie is trash š®āšØ
At least it made me want to read the books, it's something š
The perfectly decent Hellblazer graphic novel series had a movie allegedly based on its first book. Movie's called Constantine, allegedly after Hellblazer's main character - and I keep saying allegedly because the movie changed ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING about said character except his name and very roughly his profession. Changed almost everything about the plot, too, and not in a good way.
The first book of the series is listed here as Hellblazer: Original Sins, and I'd submit it belongs on your list. It's where my "assume a movie based on a book is going to be fanfiction of the book at best" theory got started. š
I didnāt know it was based on a book, but I also donāt like the movie haha to the list it goes š Update; itās not on pb š®āšØ
thank you!!
It is, it's this one
Oh!! Hahha thank you! I clearly have no idea how to look up things here!! Iāll add it šāāļø
no worries! appreciate your bother š
this is exactly how i feel about enders game!!! i felt like i was getting rage baited the entire movie
Wait, YES! I saw a video about it and how the movie was so bad and had barely anything to do with the movie! š®āšØ I havenāt read the book but I also enjoyed the movie, prob because I donāt read the book haha havenāt watched again.
it was truely like they read the blurb and then guessed the plot from there! highly recommend the book if you enjoy sci-fi!
That sounds horrible š„“ I do enjoy sci-fi, I def need to check them out!
Omg yes I LOVED the Miss Peregrine books, but the movie was so disappointing! š They changed so much from the original book (and I donāt even understand WHY) and I just remember being extremely pissed off after watching it. Maybe itās controversial but Iād also add Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie to this list (the 2022) movie. Not sure if it was objectively bad but it changed so much from the original book (and Hercule Poirot just seemed so out of character) which annoyed me the whole time š
The Miss Peregrine is such a bad movie and itās also boring š®āšØ I havenāt read the Death on the Nile book, but the movie is also awful hahaha maybe itās the acting, idk, but it was BAAAAAAAAD! š„“
I found my peopleā¦who also dislike the movie for miss peregrineā¦.šI was genuinely so disappointed with how the movie turned out ā¼ļøā¼ļø ;(
I havenāt read the book, but the movie was awful š®āšØ my best friend is a huge fan of the books and told she hated the movie, thatās why I included it on the list!
Fair enough! It is genuinely such a 180 from the books AND for whatever reason they completely swapped the āloveā interest, no idea why,,,,,so confusing
I donāt understand what happened, to be honest, I used to be a HUGE Tim Burton fan, and I thought he was the perfect director for it, but even tho I havenāt read the books, the movie is just too dull and uninteresting. š®āšØ itās sad.
I like The Thursday Murder Club movie a lot. The book was a DNF for me, I couldnāt get into it.
I meant thatās absolutely valid āŗļø the important thing is that you enjoy it, no matter if it was the book or the movie, because overall I think itās a great story! āØ
It is amazing to me that I have read so many of these and had no idea there were adaptations of them. Lol
It happens š®āšØ hahaha but now you know!
Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned. RIP Aaliyah, you're literally better off watching a compilation of her as Akasha on YouTube than watching that movie.
Absolutely, itās so bad, SO BAD! š« RIP Aaliyah, she deserved so much better. š®āšØ
Thereās always something (good) to be said about an excellentāavoid thisā list. š
Right? Haha thatās why I made the list haha I figured I could spare someone the pain of watching any of these movies š¹
Not the 2007 Persuasion version though, right? RIGHT?! ššµ
Itās gotta be the 2022 version. Bloody awful! Were they using Jane Austenās novel when they wrote the screen adaptation?
I hope so. š Agreed, hated that one! š¬ It didn't feel like it - I barely made it through? š I think they were trying too hard to be Emma (2020).
Yup
Catherine is right šāāļø itās the 2022 atrocious Netflix adaptation. š„“
Okay. š That's a relief, lol š Definitely justified then - it was atrocious š¬
Veronica Roth is why I have trust issues.
Totally get you, I saw a video about the movies and found out she wrote the first book in less than 20 days (not sure if thatās true, but shocker). š«
Anyone else thought The Shining film (adapted from Stephen King's novel, directed by Stanley Kubrick) skipped a lot of parts that were necessary? I hated how jack was just an asshole in the film and they didn't make the family seem close the least bit š
I didnāt read the book until well after I saw the movie, and though I enjoyed it, I found the book way scarier. The movie just didnāt capture the ācreepiness by stealthā that the book had.
I havenāt read the book, but to me personally the fact that King himself hates it, itās a sign that the movie is really not that good, also, I think it has some iconic moments, but overall, itās boring. Idk. š¤
Thank u!! It missed like a bunchhhh of details in the book š the movie was iconic yes, but in the end it really became a cheap horror/thriller with no depth compared to the book..
I think everyone raves about it because of the director, not because of the story, Kubrick was a good director, but honestly a bit overrated. š¤·š»āāļø
The PJO books being here is a must because I love the book series, but I only watched 10 minutes of the first movie before turning it off. š
I honestly donāt hate the movies, I think theyāre awful hahaha but I still enjoy them from time to time! But they absolutely butchered the books and they deserved to be on the list! š®āšØ
Has anyone compared the Starship Troopers classic sci-fi novel to the film? While the film is quite hilarious if you go at it as a campy comedy, there is literally nothing about it apart from the title, character names, and the fact there are evil bugs in space that are similar. The book is actually amazing if you like classic sci-fi.
I would also say that last installment of The Hobbit should be punishable.
Ahahahaha! Iād totally forgotten about Gulliverās Travels. I love some Jack Black, but that was terrible.
