5 Awesome Books that were made into Great Movies

True Grit by Charles Portis (1968)

With the help of a U.S. Marshall and a Texas Ranger, impetuous teenager Mattie Ross rides off into the wild to catch the man who murdered her father. This book has two excellent movie adaptations. They each draw heavily on Portis’s irresistible charm and humor, not to mention the quirky dialogue. A joy to read.

Movie adaptations: 1969 starring John Wayne and 2010 starring Jeff Bridges

My daughter Hannah and I discussed Portis's novel and the two film adaptations in a third season episode of our podcast, Splanchnics. Click here to listen!

Dune by Frank Herbert (1965)

It was a long time coming, but finally, after a couple failed attempts to adapt this epic novel to the screen, Denis Villenueve has done it. His motion picture adaptation, released in two parts over three years, stunningly recreates the epic scope of the book and creates a moving and poignant experience because of the way the viewer is drawn to connect emotionally with the characters. 

Movie adaptation: Part 1: 2021; Part 2: 2024

After watching Dune: Part 1 in 2021, Hannah and I immediately turned on our podcasting mics and shared our reactions and favorite parts of the movie in this second season episode of Splanchnics.

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (2005)

Regular joe Llewelyn Moss happens upon a drug deal gone bad and finds a huge case of money. Thinking he’s just won the lottery, he takes the money, but he doesn’t realize that hidden among the stacks of bills is a tracking transponder. He tries to stay one step ahead of a psychopathic hitman who is hell-bent on recovering the money. 

Movie adaptation: 2007

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (1954-55)

This may seem obvious. Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of Tolkien’s magnum opus is widely regarded as one of the greatest movie projects of all time. I mention it though because I hear there are a few dozen of you out there who haven’t read the books. To you I say, yes, the movies are epic and amazing, but you really must read the books. As a teenager, I started reading the trilogy several times, and each time got bogged down in The Two Towers and stopped. But I think that’s because I was too young. In my twenties, I finally finished the whole trilogy, and now I can’t stop reading it.

Movie adaptations: 2001, 2002, 2003

My daughter and I are total Tolkien fan girls! We talk about Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings a lot on Splanchnics:

In “Tolkien Time: Shiny Rocks and the Hands of a Healer,” Hannah and I shared what we each gained from our most recent read-through.

In “Hobbits and Rabbits and Gnomes (Oh, my!),” we talked about our favorite childhood books.

And in our very first episode of Splanchnics, we discussed the 2019 biopic Tolkien, directed by Dome Karukoski.

The Book of Exodus (The Bible)

The story of Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt begs to be adapted to the big screen, and it has been—many times. Two notable efforts come to mind. The first is Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 film starring Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Pharoah Rameses II. This is truly a “must watch” film. The second adaptation I recommend is the 1998 DreamWorks animated musical The Prince of Egypt. 

Movie adaptations: 1956, 1998

To celebrate the New Year in 2021, Hannah and I counted down our 21 favorite movies, in a two-part episode of Splanchnics. The Prince of Egypt was on one of our lists. Give a listen to find out whose: part 1 here, part 2 here.

If you’d like to pick up your own copies of these books and movies, consider following this link to my Bookshop.org store. This is an affiliate link, which means you will still receive a discount on your purchase, but Bookshop.org will give me a small commission in return for sending my readers to them. Thank you so much for your support — it means a lot!