Not all science fiction movies were books first, but some were. Some stories were so unique and inspirational that they just begged to become movies. Many of these adaptations (from the written word to the big screen) are wonderful, landmark films that were a joy to experience.
Many of these are so good that I have watched these movies over an over again and still love them just as much as when I saw them the first time.
...but then, sometimes the translation from the written word to screenplays completely ruin the stories.
If you read this blog, you probably have your personal favorites and may recognize many of the movies that I have compiled and have listed below (though you may disagree with me on the ones I consider well done and the one I cringe at just remembering)
My favorite example of a movie done well form a book is Starwars – The adventures of Luke Skywalker (not actually written by George Lucas, but rather ghost-written by Alan Dean Foster)
Other great movie adaptations include:
- Dune (2021) by Frank Herbert (though some love it, others do not)
- BladeRunner (1982) – from Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep by Phillip k Dick
- Minority Report – (2002) from short story of same name – 1956
- Slaugherhouse 5 (1972) - Kurt Vonnegut
- 2001 Space Odyssey (1968) – from short story the Sentinel by Arthur C Clark
- Fahrenheit 451 (1966 2018)– Ray Bradbury
- Contact (1997)– Carl Sagan
- Invasion of the Body snatchers (1978)– Jack Finney
- War of the worlds – (1953) H.G.Wells
- Jurassic park (1993)Michael Crichton
- Andromeda Strain (1971) Michael Crichton
- The Thing (1982) - from John Campbell’s novella Who Goes There
- Colossus the Forbin Project (1970) Dennis Feltham Jones
- Frankenstein (1931) Mary Shelley’s horror classic
- Metropolis (1927) - Thea von Harbou
- The Time Machine – H.G. Wells
- Enders Game – Orson scott card
- When Worlds Collide (1951) Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie 1933
- The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: By Douglas Adams
- I am Legend (2007) Richard Matheson, 1984
- The Martian (2015) by Andy Weir – 2011
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – 2008
- The Girl With All the Gifts (2016) by M. R. Carey – 2014
- The Handmaid’s Tale 1990 movie tv 2017 by Margaret Atwood – 1985
- The Iron Giant (1999) by Ted Hughes – 1968
- Altered States (1980) by Paddy Chayefsky – 1978
- Ready Player One (2018) by Ernest Cline – 2011
- Solaris – (1972, 2002) by Stanislaw Lem – 1961
- A Clockwork Orange (1971) by Anthony Burgess – 1962
- The Road (2009) by Cormac McCarthy – 2006 Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
And so many more https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_based_on_science_fiction_novels
Now this is just a partial list. If you have favorites that I have not mentioned here, please send a message and let me know what you think should be included.
On the other hand, there are many movie adaptations that were ruined when converted to the big screen. These include such movies as:
- Total Recall- (1990) from We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Phillip K dick
- Starship Troopers (1997) Robert A. Heinlein
- The thirteen warrior – from Michael Creighton – The Eaters of the Dead
- The Postman – (1997) David Brin 1986
- Planet of the Apes (1968) Pierre Boulle’s original novel La Planète des singes
- Battlefield Earth – Ron L Hubbard
- Annihilation 2018 by Jeff VanderMeer – 2014
The list of bad SF movies that I can name is, of course, much longer, but I am personally having difficulty listing them here because I detest most of them so much. In most cases, the movies I have just listed were based on wonderful stories that were butchered and ruined. Therefore, to spare those that also do not want to remember… I will not try to list them here. (Fortunately most are so bad that you won’t have to see them in syndication or as reruns.)
Still you can review SF movies and decide for yourself. Some are mentioned here https://www.businessinsider.com/worst-science-fiction-movies-all-time-critics-2018-8 )
