MOVIETOWN — I know everyone thinks that Hollywood only produces remakes and sequels these days, but that’s simply not true. They also like book adaptations. Oh, that’s basically the same thing? Well, it’s true, they like adaptations, but it kind of makes sense.

There are some amazing books out there that are just begging to be put onto celluloid. (I know it’s digital now, but celluloid sounds better.)

In September, we’ll see movie adaptations of the books “Light Between Oceans” and “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.” Then at the first of October, we get “The Girl on the Train.” And that’s just the next month.

With all the recent book-to-film adaptations, we got thinking about what movies are actually better than their source material? It’s a hard thing to pull off, but some movies manage to outdo the books they’re based on.

Here are five movies we think were better than the book:

“Psycho”

The 1959 book “Psycho” by Robert Bloch was controversial when it was released. The book is a twisting tale of a young man and his mother, but the movie not only made the story famous, but also managed to make it stronger.

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5 films that are better than the book

Occasionally, despite the thousands of contrary examples, a movie is actually better than the book upon which it was based, and not necessarily because the movie was great.

Alfred Hitchcock actually received a huge amount of backlash for adapting the film, but he persevered and made one of the best horror films ever created. The movie helps us relate to Norman Bates even more than the book did and managed to create a journey that was even more engrossing than the book’s.

This isn’t to say that the book is not worth the read, but the movie stands as the quintessential “Psycho” story.

"Stardust”

Unfortunately not nearly enough people have read the book “Stardust” or seen the film of the same name. It’s a swashbuckling tale filled with romance, adventure, and a fallen star trying to get home.

Neil Gaiman’s book is a fun adventure with strong characters and a quick narrative. But Matthew Vaughn’s film managed to add a level of humor and whimsy that didn’t come across quite as strong in the book. Gaiman’s book is top-notch, but the film found the sweet spot and made the appropriate changes to create a fun and thrilling adventure that was tailor-made for the silver screen.

“The Prestige”

The 1995 novel “The Prestige” by Christopher Priest is a dark narrative surrounding two magicians and their increasingly dangerous rivalry. The book is masterfully written with a sense of foreboding and disaster that is apparent from page one.

As fantastic as the novel is, however, Christopher Nolan’s 2006 adaptation managed to bring even more intrigue to the already well-crafted story.

What the book couldn’t capture was the awe and intrigue from the illusions performed. Priest describes them well, but it wasn’t until they were on screen that they had the awe factor they really needed. Both works are well worth your time, but in my opinion the movie took the story to a level the book couldn’t quite reach.

“Jaws”

Whenever a book is made into a film, there are always things that have to be left out. There is just no way to get everything into a film, even if it’s three-hours long. Some filmmakers seem to pick the wrong things to leave out and even worse, the wrong things to add in, but that’s not the case with Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.”

Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel “Jaws” will scare you half to death and likely keep you out of the water. The book weaves a tale of a man-eating shark and the small costal town it’s terrorizing. The 278-page novel is an incredibly well-written piece of work, but some of the side story feels unnecessary and weakens the main focus.

Spielberg’s 1975 film managed to drop some of the excess and focus on the real meat of the story. What we ended up with was a great film that was better than the fantastic novel it was based upon.

“The Godfather”

While Mario Puzo will always be applauded for creating the stage of the Corleone family, it’s the movie “The Godfather” that is the seminal work.

Often regarded as the greatest movie ever made, it’s hard to argue that “the book was much better.” Puzo’s 1969 book is a gripping tale of a Mafioso family and their exploits as both criminals and fathers, sons, brothers, wives and daughters, but the movie portrayed the epic tale in such a mesmerizing and darkly beautiful way that Puzo’s book will always play second fiddle to Francis Ford Coppola’s film.

What movies do you think are better than the book they’re based on? What ones would you remove from this list? Let us know on the comment boards.

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