10 Perfect Movies Based on Books, Ranked

When done well, book-to-screen adaptations can make for some of the very best movies and TV shows. They are working off existing lore, and they are able to expand upon the worlds of the books to shape the story for a different medium. It is always a lot of fun to see beloved characters come to life as well, and when a movie or TV show is an adaptation of a book, the characters tend to feel especially real and nuanced.

There are so many phenomenal movies that have been adapted from books, whether those be movies that are famously excellent adaptations, or ones that even the most devoted fans may not know were actually books first. These movies have since come to stand out on their own as well, transforming the stories from the books so that they maintain their essence but still feel a little new. These are 10 perfect movies based on books, ranked.

10

‘Project Hail Mary’ (2026)

Based on ‘Project Hail Mary’ by Andy Weir

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

Based on the Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary was adapted as a movie earlier this year. It follows Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a former middle school science teacher who wakes up on a spacecraft with no memory of his past or how he got there. Grace soon learns that he is the only surviving member of his crew. Like the novel, the movie is split between two timelines. In the past, Grace is brought in by a secret taskforce to assist with research on a seemingly impossible mission to save the world.

In the present, Grace adjusts to his surroundings after waking up from an induced coma. He crosses paths with a spacecraft from another planet called Erid, where he meets an inhabitant of that planet that he calls Rocky. Grace and Rocky then figure out how to communicate with one another, and they strike up an unlikely friendship and working partnership. Project Hail Mary is an excellent adaptation that also stands on its own, and the changes that it made from the book work well for the movie.

9

‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ (2023)

Based on ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ by Suzanne Collins

Image via Lionsgate

Based on Suzanne Collins‘ President Snow-centric prequel novel to the The Hunger Games trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a phenomenal adaptation. The movie follows the events of the 10th Hunger Games. A young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is dismayed to learn that the scholarship he’s been counting on no longer exists. Instead, he and his peers at the Academy have all been chosen to mentor tributes in the games this year, and the only way to ensure a promising future is to make his tribute win.

That said, Coriolanus doesn’t believe his tribute really has a chance. Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) is the girl tribute from District 12, and although she is a talented singer and songwriter, she knows nothing about fighting. Still, Coriolanus is determined to give her a fighting chance in the arena, especially after the two start to develop feelings for each other. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a strong adaptation, but it also does a great job of incorporating the novel’s story into the pre-existing world of the films.

8

‘Turtles All the Way Down’ (2024)

Based on ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ by John Green

Image via Max

Based on the novel by John Green, Turtles All the Way Down follows Aza Holmes (Isabela Merced), a teenage girl who suffers from debilitating OCD. Maintaining her ordinary routine is difficult enough for Aza, but her life gets a whole lot messier when she reconnects with her childhood friend and former crush, Davis Pickett (Felix Mallard). Davis’ billionaire father, Russell, has just gone missing, so Aza and her best friend, Daisy (Cree Cicchino), have decided to look into his disappearance.

Turtles All the Way Down is a very internal novel that spends a significant amount of time inside Aza’s head as her mind gets caught on intrusive thoughts that pull her away from the world around her. The movie does an excellent job of translating this to screen, so that viewers are also brought into Aza’s head and forced to be trapped in each of her “thought spirals” alongside her. The result is a poignant and unflinching portrayal of OCD that honors the book and its nuances.

7

‘The Devil Wears Prada’ (2006)

Based on ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ by Lauren Weisberger

Image via 20th Century Studios

The Devil Wears Prada is an absolutely iconic classic of a film, and some may be surprised to know that it was a book first. Based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger, the movie follows Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), an aspiring journalist and recent college graduate. Despite knowing very little about fashion, Andy gets hired as an assistant to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the editor-in-chief of an elite fashion magazine called Runway.

The Devil Wears Prada is a fantastic movie that honors its source material while still making enough changes to stand out on its own. It is laugh-out-loud funny, and its world and characters are so distinct, that the film was able to return for an excellent sequel earlier this year. The Devil Wears Prada brings the story of the book to life in all the best ways, and it is also one of the most quotable movies of all time.

6

‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ (2018)

Based on ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ by Jenny Han

Image via Netflix

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, based on the first novel in the Jenny Han trilogy, is easily one of the best romantic comedies of all time. The movie follows Lara Jean Song Covey (Lana Condor), a dreamy-eyed teenage girl who’s always falling in unrequited love. She pours her feelings into love letters that she hides in her room and never sends out. When Lara Jean’s letters are suddenly and mysteriously mailed, her older sister’s (Janel Parrish) ex-boyfriend, Josh (Israel Broussard), finds out that she has feelings for him.

Panicked and trying to avoid Josh, Lara Jean decides to kiss Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), her former childhood friend and another recipient of one of her letters. Peter is in a complicated situation with his ex-girlfriend, Genevieve (Emilija Baranac), so the two decide to fake-date each other. It starts out as a mutually beneficial agreement for both Lara Jean and Peter, but soon, they start to blur the lines between fake and real. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a perfect adaptation; it feels very true to the book, and it is just a fantastic rom-com.

5

‘Ella Enchanted’ (2004)

Based on ‘Ella Enchanted’ by Gail Carson Levine

Image via Miramax Films

Based on the novel by Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted is a phenomenal fairytale rom-com. It follows Ella of Frell (Anne Hathaway), a teenage girl who was cursed with the “gift” of obedience as a baby. After her father remarries to a cruel woman (Joanna Lumley) with two unkind daughters, one of Ella’s new stepsisters (Lucy Punch) discovers her curse and uses it to ruin her life. This sends Ella on a quest to find the fairy godmother (Vivica A. Fox) who gave her the gift, so that she can finally reverse it.

On her quest, Ella crosses paths with multiple people who end up joining her on her journey, including the soon-to-be-coronated Prince Charmont (Hugh Dancy). Char may have a devoted fan club, but Ella can’t stand him, because his uncle’s (Cary Elwes) backwards beliefs have ruined the kingdom. Soon, though, Ella starts to realize that Char is nothing like his uncle, and Char learns the full extent of what has been going on in the kingdom. The two also start to fall for each other along the way.

4

‘Pride & Prejudice’ (2005)

Based on ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen

Image via Focus Features

The 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen‘s Pride & Prejudice is an especially fantastic adaptation. True to the timeless story from the novel, the film follows Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet (Keira Knightley), a smart and headstrong young woman living in late 18th century England. There is a lot of pressure on Lizzie and her sisters to get married for financial stability, but Lizzie only wants to marry for love, if she ever does get married.

At a ball, Lizzie meets Fitzwilliam Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), the unfriendly and quiet friend of an eligible new bachelor (Simon Woods) in town. Lizzie and Darcy get off to a bad start after she overhears him insulting her, but they keep crossing paths, and they start to question their initial impressions of each other. Pride and Prejudice (2005) is a beautiful love story and an excellent adaptation, both carving out a separate space for itself as an adaptation, while still staying true to its source material.

3

‘Legally Blonde’ (2001)

Based on ‘Legally Blonde’ by Amanda Brown

Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Now 25 years after it was first released, Legally Blonde is one of the most beloved movies of all time. It inspired a sequel, a Broadway musical, and most recently, a prequel series. Many don’t know that before it was a movie, though, Legally Blonde was a book first. The movie follows Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), the president of her sorority. After Elle’s boyfriend, Warner (Matthew Davis), dumps her because she’s not serious enough, she decides to follow him to Harvard Law School.

Legally Blonde follows the same major story beats from the book, but it also includes a number of changes, including the addition of Elle’s love interest, Emmett (Luke Wilson). The movie is now iconic in its own right, with some of the best original quotes, and really lovely character dynamics. Most of all, Elle Woods is a phenomenal main character, and her journey of finding her purpose and her confidence is an absolute delight to watch.

2

‘Stand By Me’ (1986)

Based on ‘The Body’ by Stephen King

Image via Columbia Pictures

Based on the novella The Body by Stephen King, Stand By Me tells the story of a weekend that changed the life of Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton) forever. In the present day, Gordie (Richard Dreyfuss) reads a newspaper headline that says that his childhood best friend, Chris Chambers, was murdered. This leads him to reflect on a weekend that occurred when he was 12, in which he and his three closest friends – Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman), and Vern (Jerry O’Connell) – went on a journey to find the dead body of a local boy.

Stand By Me is now widely considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time, and for good reason. It is a poignant and gut-wrenching story with sharp dialogue and nuanced characters. It also makes great use of its short timeline, bringing the viewer on this journey alongside the four friends. At this point, there may still be some fans who will be surprised to learn that Stand By Me was a novella first, because the movie has such a strong legacy of its own.

1

‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ (2004)

Based on ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ by Diana Wynne Jones

Based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, Howl’s Moving Castle tells the story of Sophie (Emily Mortimer), a young woman who lives an ordinary life and works in a hat shop. After an encounter with the wizard, Howl (Christian Bale), though, Sophie is turned into an old woman by the evil Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall). This takes Sophie away from her old life, but it also opens up her world.

Sophie finds a job working in Howl’s moving castle, and she quickly starts to make some serious changes to his household. Sophie brings some order to the lives of Howl and everyone else who lives and works there, and in the process, she starts to really come into her own. Howl and Sophie also strike up a close connection, even though she can’t talk about her curse or say who she really is. Howl’s Moving Castle is a perfect movie, and it brings the book to life through truly stunning animation.

Howl’s Moving Castle

Release Date

September 9, 2004

Runtime

119 minutes

• 

  Chieko Baisho

  Sophie (voice)

• 

  Takuya Kimura

  Howl (voice)