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SALT LAKE CITY — F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel "The Great Gatsby" has yet another film adaptation opening this weekend. The new take on the book stars Hollywood heavyweight Leonardo DiCaprio and is directed by the man behind "Moulin Rouge," Baz Luhrmann.
The new film looks flashy, eye popping and expensive. But with all the glitz and glamour critics aren't giving "The Great Gatsby" much love.
With this movie coming out it got me thinking, what are some movies that are so good that we tend to forget they were books?
#poll
While it doesn't seem like "The Great Gatsby" is going to do that, here are five films that have become more popular than their source material.
The 2010 Academy Award winning film "The Social Network" has some of the sharpest dialogue you'll ever see on film, thanks to Aaron Sorkin.
The film captured the feel and persona of an entire generation and was so compelling that we seemed to all but forget that it was based off the acclaimed book "The Accidental Billionaires."
Ben Mezrich wrote the book while Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin served as his consultant and Mark Zuckerberg declined to speak with him.
I'm actually going to cite both versions of the film, the 1969 version and the 2010 version, because both all but wiped the memory of the book from our minds.
The original "True Grit" was based off the 1968 novel by Charles Portis.
The film won over audiences and critics and became the first thing everyone thought of when they heard the words "True Grit."
Fast-forward to 2010 and the Coen Brothers' film "True Grit" was a truer adaptation of the book than the 1969 version, but instead of recalling the book people seemed to just think about the earlier film and compare Jeff Bridges' Rooster Cogburn to John Wayne's.
In 1995 author Christopher Priest published his plot-twisting novel "The Prestige," but his novel seemed to take a backseat when director Christopher Nolan brought it to the big screen in 2006.
The novel won several awards and received high accolades, but the tale of feuding magicians seems to now belong to Nolan.
"Jaws" is the original summer blockbuster, and the classic film is based off the novel of the same name by Peter Benchley.
The book was published in 1974 and the movie was released just a year later in 1975.
While most everyone knows that the Spielberg movie was based off the best-selling novel, it's on the list because when you think of "Jaws" you think of a giant mechanical shark, not a 288-page novel.
Let's stick with director Steven Spielberg and his uncanny ability to completely overshadow authors.
When "Jurassic Park" the novel was released it was an instant best seller, and it had the name Michael Crichton behind it. But jump to 1997, and Spielberg turned Chrichton's novel into a phenomenon.
While many who read the book will argue to the grave that the book is much better than the film, you can't help but admit that the quintessential version of "Jurassic Park" that nearly everyone refers to is the 1993 movie, not the best-selling novel.
What other movies we're so good that they made you almost completely forget that it was based on a book? Let us know on the comment boards, Facebook or send me an email.