Should you read the book or see the movie? Part 5

The Lord of the Rings (1955) by J.R.R. Tolkien vs The Lord of the Rings films (2001-2003) - The book is one of my favorite of all time... and the movies are pretty darn good. While watching the movies you can really tell that Peter Jackson also loves the books. Verdict: Read the book and watch the films

Atlas Shrugged  (1957) by Ayn Rand vs Atlas Shrugged: Part 1 (2001 film)- To say I disliked the book is an understatement. I was ready to hate the movie but I really couldn't. I have to say Taylor Shilling gives a pretty good performance and the problem with the book really isn't the first third. Still I wouldn't recommend the movie either. Verdict: Avoid both.

David Copperfield (1850) by Charles Dickens vs David Copperfield (1999 BBC mini-series) - The book has a ton of stuff in it and it would be pretty difficult to make a completely faithful adaptation. The BBC mini-series is pretty good and since Daniel Radcliffe plays young David it made me see the possible influence this book had on the Harry Potter series. Verdict : If you have the time read the book, but the mini series is good too.

Inherent Vice (2009) by Thomas Pynchon vs. Inherent Vice (2014 film) - For such a weird book, the film version does a great job of being very faithful to the novel. I enjoyed both so... Verdict: Read the book and see the movie.

The Exorcist (1971) by William Peter Blatty vs. The Exorcist (1973 film) - I enjoyed both versions of this. The movie is a classic and the book adds some depth to the secondary characters. Verdict : Both are great.

Perfume (1985) by Patrick Süskind vs. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006 film) -  The movie was pretty good and faithful to the book but the novel is just so creepy and gives more depth to the characters. Verdict : Read the book.

Jurassic Park (1990) by Michael Crichton vs Jurassic Park (1993 film) - The book has some problems: shallow characters, unnecessary subplots, too much emphasis on computer interfaces, etc. The film fixes most of these. Verdict : See the movie.

The Hellbound Heart (1986) by Clive Barker vs. Hellraiser (1987 film) - I enjoyed both and they are pretty similar but... Verdict: See the movie (if you like really weird scary movies).