Showdown

Adaptation

Best films adapted from books or stories

Add a list or tag with showdown:adaptation

In honor of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Nobel Prize in Literature this week, we want your most beloved film adaptations of novels or short stories. List the fictional stories that translated to the screen most brilliantly, whether they remained completely faithful or were artfully reimagined. Never let us go: tell us in your notes what made the adaptation so successful.

Most mentioned

  • Fight Club
  • The Shining
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • Gone Girl
  • The Godfather
  • Blade Runner
  • A Clockwork Orange
  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • No Country for Old Men
  • The Silence of the Lambs
  • Jurassic Park
  • Jaws
  • Arrival
  • American Psycho
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  • The Princess Bride
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
  • Apocalypse Now
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Lists

Sort by
  • Fight Club
  • Oppenheimer
  • Dune
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
Shawn Stubbs

Shawn Stubbs 2,063 films

  • The Mist
  • Fight Club
  • The Princess Bride
  • Jaws
  • L.A. Confidential
Kaisersoze

Kaisersoze 10 films

  • Gone Girl
  • City of God
  • American Psycho
  • The Godfather
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
NattyD

NattyD 15 films

  • Angela's Ashes
  • Annihilation
  • Bartleby
  • Battle Royale
  • A Clockwork Orange
felonioustongue

felonioustongue 25 films

  • The Bookshop
  • The Painted Veil
  • Tess of the D'Urbervilles
  • Far from the Madding Crowd
  • Madame Bovary
Anoka

Anoka 251 films

  • Double Indemnity
  • Jane Eyre
  • The Lovely Bones
  • Wildlife
  • The Light Between Oceans
anna

anna 43 films

  • Bridget Jones's Diary
  • The Pelican Brief
  • Sex and the City
  • A Time to Kill
  • The Baby-Sitters Club
Melissa

Melissa 124 films

  • Blade Runner
  • The Thing
  • Stand by Me
  • The Mist
  • Jackie Brown
KJKnow

KJKnow 35 films

  • There Will Be Blood
  • Nightcrawler
  • Hunt for the Wilderpeople
  • Nocturnal Animals
  • Enemy
Kevin Films

Kevin Films 13 films

  • All Star Superman
  • A Christmas Story
  • A Clockwork Orange
  • Adaptation.
  • Alice in Wonderland
Blake Petit

Blake Petit 100 films

  • The Last Picture Show
  • Eyes Wide Shut
  • The Trial
  • Cosmopolis
  • Inherent Vice
Zane

Zane 10 films

  • Fight Club
  • Oldboy
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • Ponyo
Cameron M.

Cameron M. 22 films

  • To Kill a Mockingbird
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
  • The Last Picture Show
  • Pride and Prejudice
  • The African Queen
Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid Bergman 20 films

  • The Big Sleep
  • American Psycho
  • The Maltese Falcon
  • Holes
  • The Princess Bride
robberbaroness

robberbaroness 18 films

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • Blade Runner
  • Trainspotting
  • GoodFellas
  • Inherent Vice
Keshav Srinivasan

Keshav Srinivasan 21 films

  • Jaws
  • Casino Royale
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • Room
  • Jurassic Park
Jonny G

Jonny G 25 films

  • Ghost in the Shell
  • Perfect Blue
  • The Handmaiden
  • Akira
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Beeeeeees

Beeeeeees 54 films

  • Adaptation.
Will

Will 1 film

  • American Psycho
  • The Princess Bride
  • Bridget Jones's Diary
  • Room
  • The Social Network
essgeekay

essgeekay 24 films

  • Yojimbo
  • Purple Noon
  • High and Low
  • Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
  • Serie Noire
george_kaplan

george_kaplan 10 films

  • Nosferatu
  • Vampyr
  • Zazie dans le Métro
  • Medea
  • Solaris
Rémy

Rémy 10 films

  • Mary Poppins
  • The Phantom of the Opera
  • Northanger Abbey
  • Pride & Prejudice
  • The Princess Diaries
🍒 silver。

🍒 silver。 10 films

  • The Godfather
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  • Fight Club
  • The Shining
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Fynn Gn

Fynn Gn 15 films

  • Assassin's Creed
  • Dead Space: Downfall
  • Doom
  • Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
  • Mortal Kombat
Bojan

Bojan 15 films

  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
  • The Iron Giant
  • Island of Lost Souls
  • The Dead Zone
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Buboven

Buboven 120 films

  • Impostor
  • The Congress
  • Cloud Atlas
  • Fight Club
  • Watchmen
Maciej

Maciej 10 films

  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
  • The Godfather
  • Fantastic Mr. Fox
  • The Silence of the Lambs
  • Gone Girl
Vince

Vince 10 films

  • GoodFellas
  • Zodiac
  • The Diary of a Teenage Girl
  • The End of the Tour
  • Friday Night Lights
Vince

Vince 10 films

  • Fight Club
  • Logan
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
  • The Shining
Joshua Brown

Joshua Brown 15 films

  • Zodiac
  • Fight Club
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
  • Gone Girl
  • Arrival
katie

katie 8 films

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • Jaws
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Iron Giant
  • Hugo
SideBySide

SideBySide 16 films

  • Watchmen
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • Gone Girl
  • 300
Milo Miles

Milo Miles 28 films

  • Slaughterhouse-Five
  • The Innocents
  • Picnic at Hanging Rock
  • The Sweet Hereafter
  • Mildred Pierce
Scott Kelly

Scott Kelly 50 films

  • Blade Runner
  • Barry Lyndon
  • Dune
  • Akira
  • Stalker
Wookie

Wookie 100 films

  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • The Hunger Games
  • Stardust
  • The Princess Bride
Kelcey

Kelcey 22 films

  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  • Mean Girls
  • Brooklyn
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Sam Hernández

Sam Hernández 26 films

  • The Virgin Suicides
  • Twilight
  • The Talented Mr. Ripley
  • Cold Mountain
  • Romeo + Juliet
Lena

Lena 19 films

  • American Psycho
  • Schindler's List
  • Into the Wild
  • The Green Mile
  • The Shining
mugas

mugas 36 films

  • Inherent Vice
  • Arrival
  • The Godfather
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
  • Fight Club
Chad Marriotti

Chad Marriotti 10 films

  • My Life as a Zucchini
  • Never Let Me Go
  • Blue Is the Warmest Color
  • Atonement
  • A Single Man
Enfant du Siècle

Enfant du Siècle 30 films

  • No Country for Old Men
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • Jaws
  • The Silence of the Lambs
  • Alice in Wonderland
Matt Greene

Matt Greene 25 films

  • Nineteen Eighty-Four
  • Fever Pitch
  • Kes
  • Get Carter
  • The Ipcress File
Mark Cunliffe 🇵🇸

Mark Cunliffe 🇵🇸 25 films

  • Watchmen
  • Full Metal Jacket
  • A Clockwork Orange
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • Requiem for a Dream
Xplodera

Xplodera 10 films

  • The Prestige
  • The Godfather
  • No Country for Old Men
  • Starship Troopers
  • The Shining
Greg Brown

Greg Brown 15 films

  • A Clockwork Orange
  • The Godfather
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
TajLV

TajLV 10 films

  • To Kill a Mockingbird
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower
  • Duel
  • Logan
  • The Social Network
Jojo/Lily Maben

Jojo/Lily Maben 25 films

  • It's a Wonderful Life
  • The Avengers
  • The Dark Knight
  • The Princess Bride
  • Beauty and the Beast
TomH1138

TomH1138 12 films

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • Revolutionary Road
  • Die Hard
  • We Need to Talk About Kevin
  • The Last Temptation of Christ
DisposableMiffy

DisposableMiffy 60 films

  • High Fidelity
  • Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
  • A Christmas Carol
  • Breakfast on Pluto
Stamatina

Stamatina 5 films

  • Rashomon
  • Children of Men
  • Snowpiercer
  • Perfect Blue
  • Oldboy
I like reading subtitles.

I like reading subtitles. 111 films

  • Shrek
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  • The Godfather
  • Fantastic Mr. Fox
Adam (pretentious name man)

Adam (pretentious name man) 20 films

  • Re-Animator
  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
  • The Silence of the Lambs
  • Manhunter
DingleDongle

DingleDongle 17 films

  • The Prestige
  • Zodiac
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • Rosemary's Baby
  • Pather Panchali
Florin Scanlon

Florin Scanlon 15 films

  • American Psycho
  • Arrival
  • Drive
  • Enemy
  • Fight Club
Maximilian

Maximilian 17 films

  • Fight Club
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • American Psycho
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
  • It
Tim

Tim 6 films

  • 300
  • Adaptation.
  • The BFG
  • Clue
  • Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Scott Johnson

Scott Johnson 33 films

  • Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
  • The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
  • Under the Skin
  • Young Frankenstein
  • Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary
Those Eyebrows

Those Eyebrows 37 films

  • No Country for Old Men
  • The Road
  • Blade Runner
  • Manhunter
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Ben Hibburd ☘🏀

Ben Hibburd ☘🏀 10 films

  • City of Ember
  • How to Train Your Dragon
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • The Martian
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
JonTheMantis

JonTheMantis 29 films

  • The Saragossa Manuscript
  • Vampyr
  • The Thin Red Line
  • The Other
  • Point Blank
Ben Buckingham

Ben Buckingham 25 films

  • The Ninth Gate
  • House of Usher
  • Wake in Fright
  • They Live
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Rac

Rac 110 films

  • It
  • The Great Gatsby
  • Les Misérables
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  • The Prestige
Davormkd

Davormkd 33 films

  • 101 Dalmatians
  • 9
  • A Christmas Carol
  • A Dog's Will
  • A Goofy Movie
Mangatom

Mangatom 245 films

  • A Clockwork Orange
  • A Single Man
  • Breakfast on Pluto
  • Bridget Jones's Diary
  • Call Me by Your Name
Andi

Andi 35 films

  • Fight Club
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  • Trainspotting
  • T2 Trainspotting
  • Blade Runner
🅱reton Fiander

🅱reton Fiander 16 films

  • Porco Rosso
  • Dersu Uzala
  • Sanjuro
  • Spider-Man 2
  • Blade Runner
Uilli

Uilli 31 films

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • A Scanner Darkly
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • An Angel at My Table
  • Animal Farm
Eliot Blennerhassett

Eliot Blennerhassett 35 films

  • The Godfather
  • Apocalypse Now
  • Blade Runner
  • A Clockwork Orange
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Luis_989

Luis_989 184 films

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • The Godfather
  • The Shining
  • The Thing
  • Jaws
Julps2

Julps2 10 films

  • Kwaidan
  • Barry Lyndon
  • There Will Be Blood
  • Psycho
  • Werckmeister Harmonies
Wade McCormick

Wade McCormick 10 films

  • The Silence of the Lambs
  • The Hunger
  • Let the Right One In
  • Hellraiser
  • Something Wicked This Way Comes
David Carroll

David Carroll 26 films

  • It
  • It
  • Carrie
  • The Stand
  • Firestarter
Gabriel Jewett

Gabriel Jewett 65 films

  • The Hours
  • And Then There Were None
  • Wild
  • Jurassic Park
  • Where the Wild Things Are
Jessica D

Jessica D 52 films

  • There Will Be Blood
  • Stand by Me
  • No Country for Old Men
  • Jackie Brown
  • The Shining
Matt White

Matt White 20 films

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  • Blade Runner
  • Jurassic Park
Chris Coke

Chris Coke 12 films

  • 1408
  • Arrival
  • Beauty and the Beast
  • Bridget Jones's Diary
  • Brokeback Mountain
ramona

ramona 21 films

  • Vertigo
  • Gone with the Wind
  • The Godfather
  • Rosemary's Baby
  • Psycho
kierstonwoodley

kierstonwoodley 160 films

  • Carol
  • Brokeback Mountain
  • Casino
  • The Hours
  • To Kill a Mockingbird
Mouldy

Mouldy 7 films

  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  • It
  • Constantine
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
  • Fantastic Mr. Fox
LaikaFlitney

LaikaFlitney 15 films

  • Drive
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • Blade Runner
  • Kick-Ass
  • City of God
YouHadMeAtJell-o

YouHadMeAtJell-o 20 films

  • James and the Giant Peach
  • Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
  • Girl, Interrupted
  • Ghost World
  • Fantastic Mr. Fox
hessli

hessli 6 films

  • Arrival
  • The Prestige
  • Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
  • Fight Club
  • Let the Right One In
Zheddy

Zheddy 165 films

  • The Shining
  • Fight Club
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Invisible Man
  • The Prestige
Daniel Charchuk

Daniel Charchuk 25 films

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • Blade Runner
  • Grave of the Fireflies
  • Satantango
  • Apocalypse Now
Darren Carver-Balsiger

Darren Carver-Balsiger 50 films

  • Dean Spanley
  • The Muppet Christmas Carol
  • Muppet Treasure Island
  • The Princess Bride
  • Paddington
narwalker

narwalker 20 films

  • Cloud Atlas
  • A Scanner Darkly
  • Horns
  • Akira
  • The Girl with All the Gifts
OhNoNotTheBees

OhNoNotTheBees 40 films

  • The Face of Another
  • The Invisible Man
  • The Little Mermaid
  • Wuthering Heights
  • Alice
peach__tree

peach__tree 109 films

  • The Rules of Attraction
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower
  • Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  • Little Children
  • Carol
Keith Goulette

Keith Goulette 25 films

  • Solaris
  • Once Upon a Time in America
  • Double Indemnity
  • The Handmaiden
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Marcelle Griffin

Marcelle Griffin 23 films

  • A Patch of Blue
  • A Room with a View
  • About Schmidt
  • Brokeback Mountain
  • Cold Mountain
Kyle Bailey

Kyle Bailey 51 films

Still from Fight Club (1999)