Translating from the page to the screen can sometimes be a delicate situation. Sometimes it may not have been done well, and sometimes it was done in a breathtaking manner; exactly how you imagined it to be. Here is in2it.sg’s list on who did it best!

1. Harry Potter 1-7 (2001-2011)

The Boy Who Lived to capture our hearts and minds! Once we finished the captivating books by JK Rowling, we couldn’t wait to see what magic really looked like. As far as we were concerned, the movies definitely did not disappoint. With his holly and phoenix feather wand, Harry Potter charmed us into his world of wizardry and hooked us for a decade. 

2. A Walk to Remember (2002)

 
Nicholas Sparks’ 1999 story had us in tears as we watched the incredible love story between Landon Carter, the bad boy who changed his ways (Shane West) and the cancer-stricken daddy’s girl, Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore). Effortlessly translated to the big screen, this was not just another high school love story. Instead, we learned the tearful way that good girls’ hearts are not so easily won. 

3. The Da Vinci Code (2006)

 
Sweeping doubt into the minds of Catholics worldwide since 2003, Dan Brown’s first novel blew us all away. The Holy Grail of symbology fiction, The Da Vinci Code film featured Tom Hanks as Professor Robert Langdon and Audrey Tatou as Sophie Neveu, his ever beautiful partner. Suspense was rampant, as was in the novel. Mysteries were never better translated onto the screen as we definitely felt all the doubt and tension that Robert Langdon did trying to crack the code. 

4. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

 
One Ring to Rule them all! Although penned by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1954 to 1955, it was only immortalized on screen years after. Another tale of magic, elves and sword-fights, director Peter Jackson made it less of a search-and-find and more of the journey to the end result. If you find books confusing, you can always turn back the pages. However, it was definitely unnecessary for this epic story that was screened in a truly organized way, which made it easy to follow and hard to look away from. 

5. Marley and Me (2008)

 
In 2005, the world was introduced to the heartrending story of a man and his best friend. Written by journalist John Grogan, the elements of humour and sadness were balanced beautifully in this novel. On screen, John Grogan (Owen Wilson) and wife Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) battle to tame Marley, who seemed to be perpetually on a rampage. Not without its serious moments, Marley and Me became a phenomenal hit worldwide, both on screen and off screen. 

Didn’t know your favourite movie was a novel spin-off? Want to check out some of the books listed here? Why not check out Books Actually?