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The list of best movie adaptations of books is endless, but a few favorites are Shawshank Redemption, A Clockwork Orange, Jurassic Park and Fight Club.
A great Hollywood producer has the ability to take a good book and turn it into a blockbuster movie. For those who rarely pick up a book, following the endless trail of smash hits on the big screen provides a glimpse of these great storylines that have grown so popular in book form. If you want in on the excitement, check out this list of some of the best movie adaptations of books.
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The Shawshank Redemption. This is the adaptation of Steven King's short story, "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption". Released in 1994, this classic, anything-but-horror film portrays great characters stuck in the tines of a jaded prison during the war. In the movie, an innocent yet convicted Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sent to prison, charged with the murder of his wife. There, he becomes friends with Ellis Boyd ‘Red' Redding (Morgan Freeman), and the two forge a strong relationship that gets them through the difficult 1940's prison life.  The movie adaptation, like the book, touches on strong themes and topics like friendship and war, with a few great detective stories and heists thrown in for excitement.

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A Clockwork Orange. Most high school students are familiar with this classic Anthony Burgess novel portraying a futuristic society. Released in 1972, this bizarre yet captivating film adaptation of the book is centered around the life of a British man, Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his friends as they sexually torture anything that crosses their paths. Once sent to prison, Alex undergoes an experiment to change his predisposed evil ways. However, even the best intentions can go awry, as you'll see in this must-see futuristic movie.

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Jurassic Park. Few people probably realize that this 1993 jungle adventure was first a book written by Michael Crichton. Once director Steven Spielberg got his hands on the screenplay, this movie adaptation was destined for greatness. Set in the early 1990's on a destitute island, a rich John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) attempts to recreate the Jurassic world with devastating and ultimately fatal consequences. Although not a classic novel by any means, this movie will go down in time as being one of the most suspenseful, action-filled, tear-jerking movie adaptations of this century.

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Fight Club. This blockbuster was first released in 1999, and quickly rose to the top of the movie charts. It is a movie adaptation of the book with the same title, written by Chuck Palahniuk and directed by David Fincher. The novel brought many boys and men to a new love of reading, and the movie is just as captivating. The storyline depicts the 1999 Seattle riots against the WTO, when people were showing their darker sides and demonstrating their anti-corporate beliefs. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are brilliant in this rebellious movie. Many agree that, unlike other movie adaptations, this one is just as good as the novel. But you'll have to be the judge of that.  

This is certainly not an extensive list of the best movie adaptations of books. You might want to add The Godfather (1972) and The Graduate (1968) to your list of classic screenplays that are based on great novels. There are hundreds other movie adaptations, just like these, that continue to draw audiences into the theatres to appreciate what a director and some talented actors can do with a great book.

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