We asked The Atlantic’s writers and editors: What’s a film adaptation that’s better than the book?
The article explains why they consider the movies Jurassic Park, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Devil Wears Prada, The Social Network, and Clear and Present Danger each to be better than their source material.
The Peter Jackson films weren’t an attempt at a 1:1 recreation of what Tolkien was trying to do with his book trilogy. You could argue that the films are a better representation of the core story, but the books are iconic for a lot more than their core story and that makes this kind of direct comparison more challenging.