30 Adaptations That Played Fast and Loose With Their Source Material

You know what common idiom probably needs to die off? “The book is always better?” 

Book nerds have long held this over movie fans: How could a crowd-pleasing light and picture show possibly be better than the ancient art of the written word in any possible circumstance? Clearly they’re ignoring the fact that Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Godfather, Psycho and countless other classic films leave their original source material in the dust. The point is: Adaptations can rise above their original source material, and frequently do. 

That said, sometimes such adaptations make baffling, unexplainable decisions as they throw away the original source material. Someone with way more time on their hands will have to tally up the points and see which ultimately wins out — better book or better movie — but for now, here’s a big ol’ list of some of the most noticeable changes that occur over the course of adaptation (for better or worse)…