h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I know you're probably not looking for an endless list of 'book better than film' or vice versa, but... BUT... 'Jurassic Park' is an excellent book which then seems to have been carefully edited to remove all the exciting bits before being made into a very dull film (apart from the t-rex attack on the jeeps maybe). The whole idea of the dinosaurs sneakily reproducing behind the backs of the zoo keepers is completely ignored in the film, as is an exciting pterodactyl attack and all the other suspenseful bits. Always bothered me that has, but now there's a place to get it off my chest. Great idea for an article, even if you didn't want it published

-Dan-

(p.s. I'm told that if you haven't read the book, the film of Jurassic Park is quite good.)

Well I'd say the movie 'Jurassic Park' is pretty awful under any circumstances!

I enjoyed both the book and the film. Now take "The Lost World", there's a terrible film. Great book, though.

I thought JP (the book) was better than jp: lost world, to be honest. If only because of the gratuitous chaos theoretician in the original...

Was that "jp: the lost world" (the book)? IF so, there's plenty of Ian's rantings in the second book. I rather enjoy The Lost World (the book) because of that--there's some really brilliant theories on extinction (even the extinction of humans), as opposed to Ian's "chaos of life" lectures found in Jurassic Park.

Most people I know hated the second book mainly _because_ of Ian's character (which was miraculously brought back from the dead for the second installment), and because it seemed to be written expressly for the purposes of a movie sequel. I think I'd have to agree there.

It also seems the movies were pretty much an excuse to use cool special effects, REALLY loud noises, and lots o' Spielberg's "Special Formula X". It's amazing how he can take a half-decent book and boil it down to its most base, moneymaking elements.

yes it was (the book). And yes, there was plenty of rantings - but it was all about complexity theory and the importance of society - which didn't interest as much...

Ian's character is the only reason to read JP - half-assed dialogue and dodgy plots I can get from anywhere...

Aha.... okie...

I think some of you are being rather hard on the JP movie... The original was a very exciting movie with a well told story and spectacular effects. It even managed to pull of some interesting "playing god" subtexts, something you don't usually get from an SFX movie. Lost World on the other hand...

I think Jurassic Park and The Lost World were both good movies. And from what I've skimmed through of the book Jurassic Park, it seemed pretty bad.