Top 10 Favorite Movies Based on Books
Some of the greatest movies of all time are based on great books. So in today’s blog post I’m going to be sharing my 10 favorite movies based on books. Let’s get started!
10. The Shawshank Redemption: Widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time. And while I don’t think this was one of the greatest movies of all time it is still a very good movie and can be understood if you think it’s one of the greatest movies of all time. And this is a movie that has more twists and turns then you are expecting. And makes you reinterpret things that came before and you see things differently. And of course, you have to talk about Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and both of them are great actors giving great performances and they make for one of the best duos in movie history. Where they grow to like each other more and just have great chemistry with each other. And as you move into the final moments of the movie it is so satisfying and heartfelt. So this movie is on the IMDB top 15 for a reason, it is a great movie that has stood the test of time.
9. Mean Girls: Now I’m probably going to get some slack for putting Mean Girls above The Shawshank Redemption but this a favorites list, not a bests list. But this is one of my favorite comedies of all time. And as somebody who is in high school I can relate to so much of this movie…I haven’t necessarily met Regina George but a bunch of the other characters I have certainly met. And it’s just so quotable and memorable that it’s stood the test of time almost 20 years later. Lindsay Lohan has gotten a lot of bad press over the years but back in the early 2000s she was a very charming actress. And that’s present here in this movie. But there are also so many great quotes in this movie like the whole October 3rd bit is so great and actually on October 3rd, I’m going to be reviewing this movie. So it’s quotable, relatable, funny, and has good performances so this is one of the great comedies of all time in my mind.
8. The Godfather: A true cinematic classic that they are actually releasing back in theaters later on this month. And next month it turns 50 years old and to this day, it is still on the IMDB top 15 and regarded as one of the best movies of all time. And this is a true gangster epic with a story that is spanning years. Very few movies back when this movie came out had this level of storytelling complexity to it. Also, the performances all around are pretty fantastic. This was the movie that made Al Pacino this Hollywood legend and he is so good as Michael Corleone this guy that is trying to escape the family business but he gets dragged back into the family business. The great Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone is so iconic and great casting. I don’t know if this movie needed to be 2 hours and 55 minutes long, it seemed like it dragged on for way too long. But in general, this is a classic of the genre for a reason.
7. The Harry Potter Franchise: I know this is cheating but I couldn’t pick just one of the movies because they are all really good. The 8th one is probably my favorite. It just pays off this franchise so well, it’s emotional and the battle of Hogwarts is just great. But like I said, even the worst of these movies is still a good movie. I like all of the characters here, they are a lot of fun with some great character development going on here. Harry Potter and Snape being the two standouts for me as a whole. And they did such a great job of making the Wizarding World a place you want to go and explore more of. And the score by John Williams is fantastic. It's one of the best movie scores of all time. And after 20 years they are still making movies with Fantastic Beasts the Secrets of Dumbledore coming out in April.
6. Fight Club: Probably the most stylized of David Fincher’s movies and maybe his best directed movie. It’s a movie that has such a unique style to it with the way it is done. And I know this is a movie that isn’t for everybody. I know some people (including my mom) hate this movie. Because of the themes and the story that is being told here. But as for me, I really dig this movie and it’s a classic for a reason. The performances by Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are great and iconic, and they play these characters so well. Pitt is just so good at playing these laid back and cool characters and this might be his best performance of his entire career. And the entire movie is building up to this set of twists and turns that make you reinterpret what came before. And sadly, the big twist did get spoiled for me so some of the shock and wow factor wasn’t quite there for me. But in general, this is a great movie.
5. Goodfellas: Another one of the great gangster movies of all time this time being directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese. And this is one of the best crafted movies of all time. There is not one ounce of fat located in this movie. Every scene in this movie, every character in this movie matters and ties into the plot of the movie. Scorsese does a great job of directing this movie with it’s style and the way he tells the story. Scorsese is a legend for a reason and this is his masterpiece. Another great thing about this movie is the performances all around are fantastic. Of course, Joe Pesci is iconic in this movie and the Oscar is well deserved. And that “funny how? Funny like a clown” scene is one of the most intense scenes of all time. Because you don’t know what this guy is going to do next. And Pesci had a great year with this and Home Alone coming out the same year. So put all of it together and you get one of the greatest movies of all time.
4. Die Hard: I’ve been debating this movie with people for a couple of months on why this movie isn’t a Christmas movie in my eyes. But whether you think it’s a Christmas movie or not, we can all agree that this is one of the great action movies of all time with iconic performances and characters. Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman weren’t these A-list movie stars but this was the movie that changed their careers and they became a lot more famous. And I feel like Bruce Willis is the definitive action movie hero in John McClane who isn’t trying to be a hero just becomes one by accident. And then you have Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber, the ultimate action movie villain. And of course, the action in the movie is handled very well. It's shot in a way where you can see everything that is happening. So with the great characters and action this is one of the great movies of all time.
3. Gone Girl: For me this is the best of David Fincher’s movies, and the one that is the most well rounded of the bunch. It’s a movie that does a great job of building tension and mystery. Where you don’t know where this is going but once the big twist happens it makes you reinterpret everything you saw before. And the movie still works after the twist happens and it’s just as interesting and intriguing. Another reason this movie works is because of the performances, everybody in this movie does a great job. And the big one being Rosamund Pike as the wife who just gives this transformational performance and is so chilling and scary. But she truly gives a great performance. And then Ben Affleck is just a rock solid actor and he gives a great performance. I also really like the way that David Fincher directs certain scenes with the camera work that is being done.
2. The Silence of the Lambs: Possibly the scariest and creepiest movie of all time. And this is a movie that my dad was so excited to see me because it was one of his favorite movies. And I watched it, and it’s a masterpiece. This is one of the greatest movies of all time. It’s a movie that is just ratcheting up tension as you move through-out the movie. And as you move into the third act of the movie it becomes one of the most tense movie experiences of all time. And I don’t think it’s a movie that should ever be remade because they can’t ever capture the magic of this movie. And of course, when you talk about this movie you have to talk about the legendary Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter which is one of the best performances of all time. And he just disappears and you see Hannibal Lecter. Jodie Foster is also really good as Clarice Starling and she gives one of the best female performances of all time. So put all of it together, this is one of the great movies of all time.
1. Jurassic Park: For me, this is one of the best blockbusters of all time. From beginning to end with thrilling scenes, great characters, great humor, and a fantastic score by John Williams. Steven Spielberg directs certain scenes with some great sense of direction. The whole T-Rex scene is one of the best movie scenes of all time. The scene with the kids in the kitchen is another great movie scene that is super memorable. And the score by John Williams is one of the best movie scores of all time that makes you feel like you are in this world of dinosaurs. And tied to what I mentioned before, but the direction by Spielberg also makes you feel like you are in this world of dinosaurs. So this movie is like a top 5 favorite movie for me, maybe top 3. So when I was putting this list together I knew this was going to be number 1. And I did read this book earlier this year, and the book is really good. But as for me, the movie is better than the book.
There you have it, my 10 favorite movies based on books. What is your favorite movie based on a book? Thanks for reading!
Comments