In the age of technology, it’s easier than ever to escape to a whole new world. You can stick on a movie and take a trip to the Land of Oz or a little vacation to Wonderland, and you can now even pop on your VR headset and physically transport yourself into space or back in time. It’s pretty darn cool, right? While we’ll be the first to admit that technology has drastically improved our lives, we’ll also be the first to admit that sometimes we like a good ol’ fashioned book. Nowadays, we’re getting lazy because almost every movie is based on a book – whether we know it or not. Perhaps it’s time to put down the controller and pick up that paperback that has been on your shelf for two years?
Freaky Friday
Let’s be honest, Freaky Friday is amazing, and we’ll never be able to use chopsticks in a restaurant ever again without putting them in our nose and saying, “I’m a walrus.” It would be pretty easy to believe that Freaky Friday was just created for Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan to swap places with each other, but it seems as though this movie was actually based on a book that was published in 1972. However, what’s even cooler than this is that this children’s book was also based on another book! Yep, the original version of this story is actually thought to have come from a book published in the 1880s called Vice Versa.
Die Hard
Die Hard is one of those movies that has real die-hard fans; the kind that tell everyone and anyone that they need to watch it. We don’t blame them, really. Have you even lived on this earth if you haven’t watched Bruce Willis wear vests and do his thing? What you might not know is that this movie was actually adapted from a book – although it’s not called Die Hard. Instead, this book is titled Nothing Lasts Forever and was written by Roderick Thorp. Let’s give him a hand for bringing something so incredible to our lives.
Father of the Bride
There’s nothing more heartwarming than a good ol’ wedding comedy movie. You just can’t beat them, can you? Although the movie we all know and love stars the likes of Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, and Martin Short, this was actually the second adaptation in existence! The first adaptation of the 1949 novel written by Edward Streeter actually starred Elizabeth Taylor. We’re not sure what we love more, to be honest. The book? The OG movie with Elizabeth Taylor? The modern movie with Steve Martin? Oh, we give up. We can’t choose.
Forrest Gump
This film is the kind of movie that you can watch when you’re in any mood. Feeling sad? Forrest Gump will cheer you up! Feeling happy? Forrest Gump will keep you on cloud nine! Feeling angry? Forrest Gump will calm you down! However, it seems as though the book might also do the trick – because there was a book before Tom Hanks took on the role, you know. This original story was written by Winston Groom, and it’s been reported that the author actually wanted John Goodman to take on the role of Forrest when decisions about the movie were being made.
Jaws
Although this movie may be pretty darn old and unbelievable now, it’s still a classic. Everyone must watch this movie at some point in their lives because it’s basically illegal to not watch it. We speak the truth. But did you know that this movie was actually a book before it came to the silver screen? The rights to this movie were actually sold before Peter Benchley had published it completely (they were keen), and it soon became an instant hit. Want to know a fun fact? It’s been reported that Peter Benchley later ditched his writing career to become an ocean conservationist to make up for the fact that he had given sharks such a bad name!
Are you settling down to watch a movie tonight? Well, you might want to have a think about what you’re going to watch, and whether they might be based on books. After all, the pen is mightier than the CGI sword…
