These 10 Movie Adaptations Are So Good, You Don’t Need to Read the Book at All

Film adaptations of books often cause controversy: fans of the original works often claim that films cannot convey the full depth of the text. However, there are rare cases when films not only match the spirit of the book, but even surpass it. Such films skillfully condense the storylines, create vivid images of characters, and masterfully convey atmosphere – and you don’t have to open the book after watching it to understand what they wanted to tell you.

This collection presents 10 truly successful film adaptations. Even if you haven’t read the source material, these films offer a complete immersion into the world the authors of the books wanted to create.

What? Is Shrek based on a book?

That’s right. And mind you, this is not ‘Harry Potter’, while the film adaptation only further fueled interest in the original: few people know that the famous cartoon about the grumpy bogeyman is actually based on the book of the same name by children’s book author and artist William Steig.

In the original book, Shrek and Donkey still exist, but Lord Farquaad, for example, does not. But Shrek’s parents are there, which is already strange – after all, the cartoon places a significant emphasis on the fact that it was loneliness and isolation that made Shrek the way he is.

However, the cartoon took the best from the book and made Shrek the hit it is today. By the way, if you’re already bored: “Shrek 5” will be released soon – it was only recently announced that the project is in development. Granted, the premiere will have to wait until 2026.