Must-see book adaptations
From Sam Neill versus velociraptors to Kate Winslet lost in Austen, James Croot gives a rundown of the best literary transformations available on Netflix.
It’s a common lament: ‘‘The movie wasn’t half as good as the book.’’ And, in many cases, it’s absolutely right.Film-makers often don’t have a prayer of being able to condense a complex novel into a couple of hours of screentime and sometimes make a complete hash of it (The Goldfinch, anyone?)
However, there are also plenty of examples of a book’s essence being successfully distilled and occasionally the adapters improving on it. We’ve trawled through Netflix’s catalogue, attempting to defy its algorithms in the process, to come up with a list of 12 terrific takes on much-loved literary tomes.
Alias Grace
Based on the critically-acclaimed Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s 1996 novel of the same name, this six-part period drama is inspired by the true story of Grace Marks, an Irish immigrant who was imprisoned in 1843 Canada for the murder of her employer, Thomas Kinnear.
It unites sumptuous production values, a terrific, eclectic cast (that includes Anna Paquin, veteran Canadian director David Cronenberg and Atwood herself) and a tantalising narrative to create binge-worthy viewing.
The Alienist
Daniel Bruhl, Luke Evans and Dakota Fanning join forces for this 10-part tale, based on Caleb Carr’s 1994 novel of the same name. The trio play an unlikely team who assemble in mid-1890s New York City to investigate a serial killer who is murdering street children.
Top-notch costuming and production design combine with a cracking script to create a real sense of dread and intrigue.
Brooklyn
Based on Colm Toibin’s acclaimed 2009 novel, this is a charming and compelling drama, anchored by a superb performance from Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Atonement).
Luminous yet understated, she perfectly captures the nervousness and slow-blossoming of someone getting used to unfamiliar surroundings.
Fans of costume dramas will love the attention to detail on display in the recreations of early 1950s rural Ireland and New York, from the department store Lamson tubes to the form-fitting fashions.
Gone Girl
Adapted by former Entertainment Weekly writer Gillian Flynn from her 2012 bestseller, this is the tale of Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy (Rosamund Pike) Dunne and the seven years before and the days and months after Amy’s sudden disappearance.
As well as a tense, taunt and frequently table-turning thriller, it’s also an unsettling and uncomfortable examination of modern relationships and the rising tide of disconnection, not only between men and women, but also law enforcement and the public, the media and the truth.
Into the Wild
Sean Penn directed this haunting drama, based on John Krakauer’s 1996 non-fiction novel about a young man who leaves his comfortable life behind for a life of adventure in the North American wilderness.
Essentially a road movie, the impressive cast includes Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Catherine Keener, Kristen Stewart and Hal Holbrook. If the visuals don’t give you the feels, then the last 20 minutes certainly will.
The Irishman
Martin Scorsese’s magnificent mafioso magnum opus clocks in at a potentially bum-numbing 209 minutes, but it’s well worth the effort.
Based on Charles Brandt’s 2004 book
I Hear You Paint Houses, it follows Robert De Niro’s Frank Sheeran, from his early days delivering carcasses, through his reputation for creating them, to his latterday regrets. Fans of the director’s previous gangster epics, Mean Streets, Goodfellas and Casino, will lap up the sights, sounds, tempting-looking dishes, salty language and crazy nicknames.
Jurassic Park
The movie that launched multiplexes in New Zealand, this 1993 visualisation of Michael Crichton’s ‘‘what if?’’ 1990 novel dropped many a moviegoer’s jaw with its depiction of a theme park that had successfully brought dinosaurs back to life.
In Steven Spielberg’s hands, the film became a rollercoaster ride of emotions, as Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern and more battled to stay alive as the exhibits took over their surroundings. A movie whose imagery (and legacy) still continues to resonate almost 30 years on.
Lion
Adapted from his book A Long Way Home, director Garth Davis’ movie is the tale of Saroo Brierley (Sunny Pawar, Dev Patel) a young Indian-born, Tasmanian-raised man desperate to find the original family he lost two decades earlier. Both an incredible true story and shameless advert for the powers of Google Earth, that this is an emotional, compelling watch is down to some terrific performances and the film-makers’ decision to tell virtually the entire story chronologically.
Mudbound
Based on Hillary Jordan’s 2008 novel, Dee Rees’ drama is a tale of two families battling to survive in rural Mississippi around the time of World War II.
A sumptuously shot, terrifically paced, wonderfully acted (the cast includes Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke and Mary J Blige) tear-jerker, it’s a movie filled with memorable imagery, an atmospheric soundtrack and some truly jaw-dropping twists and turns. A harrowing and haunting watch that will leave a mark.
The Remains of the Day
Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Christopher Reeve and Hugh Grant star in this superb 1993 adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s book about the budding relationship between a butler and a housekeeper.
Director James Ivory and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala do a magnificent job of creating an atmosphere of crackling emotional tension amid the main character’s constraints of being staff members in an upper-class estate. Forget Downton Abbey and it’s smallscreen ilk, this is the upstairs/downstairs period drama you need to see.
Room
Brie Larson deservedly took home the Oscar for best actress for her portrayal of a young woman who is held captive for seven years. Despite the confined space to work with, director Lenny Abrahamson does a superb job of creating tension and keeping the viewer hooked. Novelist Emma Donoghue wrote the screenplay, based on her 2010 book of the same name.
Sense and Sensibility
It may have been overshadowed by the same year’s TV version of Pride and Prejudice, but there’s a lot to love about Emma Thompson and Ang Lee’s 1995 reworking of one of Jane Austen’s other beloved novels.
For a start, there’s the quite brilliant ensemble, with Thompson joined by Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Hugh Laurie and Tom Wilkinson. Then there’s the sumptuous costumes, Patrick Doyle’s gorgeous music and Lee’s sensitive direction.