The Book Is Better - Book to Film Adaptation Reviews
Episodes
S03E15 — Project Hail Mary
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Support us on Patreon >> https://patreon.com/bookisbetterpodFind us everywhere at @bookisbetterpod.Episode page: https://bookisbetterpod.com/ Ho...
S03E14 — Universal Trip Recap
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Alright baby listeners, this week we’re stepping away from book adaptations and heading straight into theme park chaos. We’re recapping our trip t...
S03E013 — Total Recall
21 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Alright baby listeners, this week we’re heading to Mars… or are we? We’re diving into Total Recall, where memory is optional, reality is questio...
S03E012 — Jurassic Park: The Lost World
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Alright baby listeners, buckle up, because this episode fought us every step of the way. We’re talking The Lost World: Jurassic Park, a sequel that ...
S03E011— Dracula
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sink your teeth into this one baby listen. This week on The Book Is Better, we tackle the granddaddy of vampire lore: Dracula. From Bram Stoker’s su...
S03E09 — The Housemaid
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Trust no one. Especially the people who pay you. In this episode of The Book Is Better, we dive into The Housemaid, a psychological thriller that keep...
S03E09 — How The Grinch Stole Christmas
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You’re a mean one… or are you? We are looking at How the Grinch Stole Christmas in all its forms, from the perfectly concise Dr. Seuss book to the...
S03E07 — Paddington
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grab a marmalade sandwich and your coziest sweater, because we’re talking Paddington! This week, we compare the delightfully episodic book to the mo...
S03E07 — The Wizard of OZ
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes.Support us on Patreon >> https://patreon.com/bookisbetterpodJoin...
S03E06 — The Running Man
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Featuring hosts Tim Haynes, Donna Haynes, Rebekah Edwards, and T. Josiah Haynes.Support us on Patreon >> https://patreon.com/bookisbetterpodJoin...
S03E05 — Jurassic Park
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hold on to your butts, it’s Jurassic Park! With ruthless billionaires and baby dinos to chaos theory and that iconic “clever girl,” we’re divi...
S03E04 — The Thursday Murder Club
18 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Put on the kettle and grab your magnifying glass, besties—it’s The Thursday Murder Club! With sassy retirees and fake priests and more bodies than...
S03E03 — 1984
11 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when social satire gets a steampunk glow-up? We’re diving into 1884, where the book’s biting commentary on class and control morphs i...
S03E02 — The Poseidon Adventure
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grab your life jackets, baby listeners—we’re diving into The Poseidon Adventure! 🚢 From rogue waves and upside-down ballrooms to a reverend who...
S03E01 — Annihilation
06 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to season three, baby listeners — and we’re diving straight into the weird with Annihilation. Think body horror, shimmer rainbows, and an ...
S02E21 — The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The book is a magical island-hopping journey with deep spiritual moments, dragon transformations, and just the right amount of sea serpent chaos. The ...
S02E20 — Prince Caspian
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back in Narnia—where centuries have passed, trees are silent, and Caspian suddenly has a jawline and unresolved feelings for Susan. The book...
S02E19 — The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We opened the wardrobe and walked straight into a world of epic battles, deep magic, and one extremely dramatic witch. The book gave us cozy allegory ...
S02E18 — Artemis Fowl
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the magical trainwreck that is Artemis Fowl, where the book gave us a cold-blooded boy genius and the movie handed us a confused surfe...
S02E17 — The Godfather
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We made them an offer they couldn’t refuse—and then debated whether the book or the movie actually delivered. We’re talking horse heads, gender ...
S02E16 — How To Train Your Dragon
28 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Turns out, the How to Train Your Dragon book and movie are about as similar as a Viking and a housecat. We dove into the wildly different pl...
S02E15 — Silo: Season 2
07 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We re-enter the silo armed with wild theories, questionable tech knowledge, and zero chill. Will Juliette crack the code or just break another server?...
S02E14 — Silo: Season 1
31 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do you get when you mix post-apocalyptic drama, endless stairs, and a strict “no questions asked” policy? A book we couldn’t put down and a...
S02E13 — Flatland
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Get ready to enter Flatland, where everyone’s a shape, women are literal lines, and political satire stabs as sharp as a triangle’s poin...
S02E12 — Howl's Moving Castle
26 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We have a super special guest with us this week to talk about one of his favorite movies. Introducing... Nathan! He’s here to guide us through all t...
S02E11 — The Hobbit
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's be honest, The Hobbit movies could have been one movie. But because we love you, baby listeners, we watched all three!Check out our review of th...
S02E10 — Mickey 7 / Mickey 17
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do you get when you combine a book all four of us love, a movie release we've been waiting patiently for over two years to see, and one director ...
S02E09 — The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Book Three)
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're wrapping up the original LotR trilogy today, and we have just... so many thoughts!Find out how we feel about the book-to-film adaptation of J.R....
S02E08 — The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Book Two)
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Finally, less walking around! We talk about one of the installments in the epic Lord of the Rings series with the most changes by filmmakers.But do we...
S02E07 — The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Book One)
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Three of us LOVE this book and its film adaptation. One of us is... shall we say... ambivalent? But you'll have to listen to find out who it is!Our fa...
S02E06 — The Wild Robot
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're trying our hand at a middle-grade book, and we were all big fans of this heartwarming story!We talk about the differences between Roz and her wi...
S02E05 — A Christmas Story
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We watch it every year, and so far, none of us has managed to shoot our eyes out!Learn about the charming collection of short stories pulled together ...
S02E04 — The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's been done once as a TV movie, then released in 2024 as a wildly successful theatrical release by director Dallas Jenkins. As a film about a group...
S02E03 — Stardust
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The family gets our first taste of Neil Gaiman's work as we review Stardust and its film adaptation. (Will it be our last? Because, seriously, this mi...
S02E02 — Gone Girl
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rebekah is the one who writes these summaries, and she's not a fan. Josiah is, though, so she will pretend this isn't just two hours of her ranting......
S02E01 — The Devil Wears Prada
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do you get when you combine an early 2000s flick, a female empowerment (?) novel, Anne Hathaway, and Meryl Streep?The answer: The Devil Wears Pra...
S01E32 — Year One Review [SPECIAL]
24 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a year since we launched this podcast, and we wanted to start our Season 2 off by telling you what we learned and how we've grown so far.Plu...
S01E31 — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The series ends, and we — love it? hate it? — you'll have to listen to find out! We complain about review the book-to-film changes for Deathly Hal...
S01E30 — Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
03 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why, exactly, is this such a bad movie created from such a fantastic book? (Oh, sorry, they let Rebekah write this episode description so I guess we'r...
S01E29 — Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's Dad's favorite book!Just kidding, Professor Umbridge makes him lose all sense of decency.Learn our thoughts on Harry Potter and the Order of the ...
S01E28 — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's book four of the series, and you know what that means! We've passed the halfway mark!Is Goblet of Fire better in its book or film form? Which of ...
S01E27 — Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did our family feel about the adaptation of the Voldemort-less Harry Potter book? The answer may surprise you...We discuss our take on the introdu...
S01E26 — Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As we continue the SUMMER OF POTTER, our family of four dives into our thoughts on the most major differences between the second Harry Potter book and...
S01E25 — Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
And THE SEASON OF POTTER BEGINS!We're all huge fans, so we have a blast this episode discussing changes from the first Harry Potter book to film. And ...
S01E24 — The Top Book-to-Film Adaptations Ever: Special Episode!
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Look, we keep trying to record an episode about Pitch Perfect, but if we're being honest, it's just SO hard to read... So we did this instead!Listen t...
S01E23 — Planet of the Apes
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This universe now spans an incredible 10 movies... so how do the 1968 and 2001 films, roughly based on the classic French book by Pierre Boulle, line ...
S01E22 — The Martian
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Spoiler alert: The Martian is (collectively) one of our favorites! Book, movie, whatever... we're obsessed.Our family of 4 covers the major changes th...
S01E21 — Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is one of those episodes where we (poorly) contain our disdain for... Well, I guess you must listen to find out!We chat about how we felt about R...
S01E20 — Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're breaking from the norm today and discussing the film that's based, in one way or another, on maybe more books than any other movie in history! J...
S01E19 — Jaws
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jaws was one of the most successful debut novels in history, and its film successor literally invented the summer blockbuster. So... how does this cla...
S01E18 — Dune: Part Two
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dune: Part Two was, maybe, the cinematic event of 2024. We discuss our feelings about Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of the final half of Frank Herbert...
S01E17 — Dune: Part One
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This modern hit of a movie was based on the cult classic sci-fi novel, Dune — did Denis Villeneuve nail the adaptation? How does 2021's Dune: Part O...
S01E16 — Jesus Revolution
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As four believers, reviewing Jesus Revolution was a family favorite and cut deep to the soul!Learn what we thought of the adaptation of Greg Laurie's ...
S01E15 — Ready Player One
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How does Ernest Cline's futuristic and dystopian 1980s love letter compare to the 2018 film adaptation? (Hint: there's so much different that it's lik...
S01E14 — Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This children's book has been a memorable classic for decades. The family discusses the (somewhat minor) differences from book to both the 1971 and 20...
S01E13 — Die Hard / Nothing Lasts Forever
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that everyone's favorite average NYPD detective-turned-hero-series was actually inspired by a book?Learn what the family thinks about thi...
S01E12 — A Christmas Carol
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The family discusses Dad's favorite holiday work: A Christmas Carol. Adapted into more films, TV shows, and various art forms than possibly any other ...
S01E11 — The Polar Express
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How does this short but charming children's Christmas book compare to its feature-length film? The family discusses major changes and some of the more...
S01E10.5 [BONUS] — The Heirs of History (Author Interview with T. Josiah Haynes)
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode, we interview our very own Josiah about the process of writing a novel series, from character development to software and everyt...
S01E10 — Breaking Dawn
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the epic* Twilight series comes to a close, the family reviews the most major book-to-film changes, including the fact that the Renesmee of the fil...
S01E09 — The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The arena explosion isn't the only bomb dropping in this episode... the family reviews differences between the book and film The Hunger Games: The Bal...
S01E08 — New Moon & Eclipse
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is New Moon the worst Twilight book, or the best? The family chats about the second and third books in The Twilight Saga. We also discuss the fascinat...
S01E07 — Twilight
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Love it or hate it, Twilight has a place in the collective psyche of our modern day. The family reviews the differences between the Twilight book to i...
S01E06 — The Shining
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's spooky season, and we're celebrating by reviewing one of the most famous thriller adaptations of all time! Learn what the family of 4 thinks of t...
S01E05 — Oppenheimer/American Prometheus
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a shocking twist, Rebekah turns on everything she's ever believed (sort of...). The family discusses the differences between the hit movie Oppenhei...
S01E04 — Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What's so special about this story that gave it a book series, a TV miniseries, a stage play, and a movie?! The family of 4 discusses major difference...
S01E03 — Hunger Games: Mockingjay (Book Three)
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've got a lot of thoughts about President Coin, the "sanitized" PG-13 version of this haunting trilogy conclusion, and how we're so excited they add...
S01E02 — Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Book Two)
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The family talks major differences between the Catching Fire book and film and which work is superior. They also discuss the layout of Panem and... we...
S01E01 — The Hunger Games (Book One)
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Did they really get it right? The family discusses the major differences between the first Hunger Games book and film and which work is superior.New l...