The Book Is Better - Book to Film Adaptation Reviews

Get ready to enter  Flatland ,   where everyone’s a shape, women are literal lines, and political satire stabs as sharp as a triangle’s point. We’re breaking down the wildest novella you didn’t know you needed and the bizarre animated movie that tried (and sort of failed?) to bring it to life. Come for the Victorian shade, stay for the math jokes and CGI chaos. Featuring hosts Tim Haynes...

We have a super special guest with us this week to talk about one of his favorite movies. Introducing... Nathan! He’s here to guide us through all the ins and outs—especially if he  “remembers correctly”  (We love you, Nathan!). Even though some of the characters can be total jerks at times, this book/movie departure was a fun step into the whimsical world created Diana Jones. Featuring...

Let's be honest, The Hobbit movies could have been one movie. But because we love you, baby listeners, we watched all three! Check out our review of the book-to-film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's original take on the world of Middle Earth, and let us know what you think. Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Support us on Patreon >> https://patreo...

What do you get when you combine a book all four of us love, a movie release we've been waiting patiently for over two years to see, and one director who just does not understand the source material? The answer — you (unfortunately) get a film that had a ton of promise based on a great book that left us bummed... and, honestly, kind of annoyed. Hear our family's take on the book-to-film adaptation...

We're wrapping up the original LotR trilogy today, and we have just... so many thoughts! Find out how we feel about the book-to-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's final book in The Lord of the Rings . Click here to learn more about the New Zealand tunnel-web spider that Shelob is based off of. Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Support us on Patreon &...

Finally, less walking around! We talk about one of the installments in the epic Lord of the Rings series with the most changes by filmmakers. But do we love it, or hate it? Guess you'll have to journey with us hobbits to Isengard to find out! Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Support us on Patreon >>  https://patreon.com/bookisbetterpod Fin...

Three of us LOVE this book and its film adaptation. One of us is... shall we say... ambivalent? But you'll have to listen to find out who it is! Our family of four discusses our feelings about one of the most major book-to-film adaptations in history, plus a bit of fun trivia. Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Support us on Patreon >>  http...

We're trying our hand at a middle-grade book, and we were all big fans of this heartwarming story! We talk about the differences between Roz and her wild compatriots in Peter Brown's bestselling children's book and the 2024 film adaptation. (Spoiler: We really liked both works!) Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Support us on Patreon >>  ht...

We watch it every year, and so far, none of us has managed to shoot our eyes out! Learn about the charming collection of short stories pulled together to create one of the world's most iconic Christmas movies. Was the film a worthwhile adaptation? Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Support us on Patreon >> https://patreon.com/bookisbetterpod Supp...

It's been done once as a TV movie, then released in 2024 as a wildly successful theatrical release by director Dallas Jenkins. As a film about a group of misfit kids rejected (and accepted) by a local church as they crash their way into the yearly Christmas pageant, this book-to-film adaptation was close to many of our hearts. We discuss what we loved most, how the 2024 film compared to the origin...

The family gets our first taste of Neil Gaiman's work as we review Stardust and its film adaptation. (Will it be our last? Because, seriously, this might be one of the strangest books any of us has read...) Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Support us on Patreon >> https://patreon.com/bookisbetterpod Support us on Patreon >>  https://...

Rebekah is the one who writes these summaries, and she's not a fan. Josiah is, though, so she will pretend this isn't just two hours of her ranting... But seriously, unreliable narrators make for some of the most frustrating... and intriguing. What did we think of how Gone Girls book was adapted to film? Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. JSupport us o...

What do you get when you combine an early 2000s flick, a female empowerment (?) novel, Anne Hathaway, and Meryl Streep? The answer: The Devil Wears Prada . But how does the film compare to the original book that inspired it? We share all the gritty details! Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Support us on Patreon >>  https://patreon.com/book...

It's been a year since we launched this podcast, and we wanted to start our Season 2 off by telling you what we learned and how we've grown so far. Plus, we answer a TON of listener questions! Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Support us on Patreon >>  https://patreon.com/bookisbetterpod Find us everywhere at @bookisbetterpod. Episode page:...

The series ends, and we — love it? hate it? — you'll have to listen to find out! We complain about review the book-to-film changes for Deathly Hallows compared to both movies and also cover some fun details about the franchise as a whole. Don't miss the final episode in our SUMMER OF POTTER! Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Links mentioned in this ep...

Why, exactly, is this such a bad movie created from such a fantastic book? (Oh, sorry, they let Rebekah write this episode description so I guess we're getting my opinion up front...) Find out what we think about the adaptation of this bomb-dropping Harry Potter penultimate novel as we continue this SUMMER OF POTTER! Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes....

It's Dad's favorite book! Just kidding, Professor Umbridge makes him lose all sense of decency. Learn our thoughts on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, how it compares to the film, and whether or not we believe the book is superior. Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Links mentioned in this episode: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_...

It's book four of the series, and you know what that means! We've passed the halfway mark! Is Goblet of Fire better in its book or film form? Which of the hosts thinks this is the weakest book of the series? Why did we spend so long arguing about whether or not Ludo Bagman was a genuinely pointless character? Discover the answers to all these and more in this week's release for our Summer of Potte...

How did our family feel about the adaptation of the Voldemort-less Harry Potter book? The answer may surprise you... We discuss our take on the introduction of the Marauders, our problems with the inconsistencies of time travel in the Potterverse, and our feelings about the directorial changes throughout the series. As always, we bring the spicy takes! Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Reb...

As we continue the SUMMER OF POTTER, our family of four dives into our thoughts on the most major differences between the second Harry Potter book and film. All I'll say here is that not *everyone* is a big fan of Christopher Columbus... Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Links mentioned in this episode: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_diff...

And THE SEASON OF POTTER BEGINS! We're all huge fans, so we have a blast this episode discussing changes from the first Harry Potter book to film. And we have some seriously hot takes . Do you agree? Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Links mentioned in this episode: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_differences_between_the_Harry_Potter_books...

Look, we keep trying to record an episode about Pitch Perfect , but if we're being honest, it's just SO hard to read... So we did this instead! Listen to our very first episode reviewing some of the "best adaptations" lists online. We rant a bit, but it's (hopefully) all in good fun. Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Support us on Patreon >>&nbs...

This universe now spans an incredible 10 movies... so how do the 1968 and 2001 films, roughly based on the classic French book by Pierre Boulle, line up? We say 'roughly' because... let's just say they used the book as *inspiration* and not so much as *canon*. Spoiler alert: Josiah goes on some rants in this episode. Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes....

Spoiler alert: The Martian is (collectively) one of our favorites! Book, movie, whatever... we're obsessed. Our family of 4 covers the major changes the filmmakers and writers made from book to movie, including which ones we liked best and the ones we thought were... meh. Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes. Support us on Patreon >>  https://p...

This is one of those episodes where we (poorly) contain our disdain for... Well, I guess you must listen to find out! We chat about how we felt about Rick Riordan's middle-grade book and the film and new Disney+ show inspired by it. (We get #saucy, but it's all in good fun.) Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, T. Josiah Haynes, and guest host Christian Edwards. Support us on...