Lit With a Kick: The Best Action Movies Based on Books

You know what they say … “the book is better than the movie.” But sometimes, the movie really lives up to its literary predecessor. Or even rarer still — it surpasses the original. While that latter claim is up for constant debate, we can’t deny there are plenty of outstanding action-adventure movies out there that got their start on the page.

Below, let’s break down some of the best action — and action-adjacent — movies based on books.

---

Rambo: First Blood

First Blood (1972) by David Morrell follows an unhoused veteran as he wages a one-man war against the state police in Kentucky. The novel explores the extremes a man will go to when dealing with PTSD and baseless persecution. Like its paperback predecessor, Rambo: First Blood (1982) is gory, violent, and full of carnage. It also continued in franchise format, leaving behind the first book’s narrative for a much bigger, far more explosive plot.

---

Jurassic Park

Based on Jurassic Park (1990) by Michael Crichton, this action/science-fiction flick has since spawned into a six-film franchise. But the original book series had only two installments, which were later republished in a single volume. Both the book and movies are cautionary tales about genetic engineering. And while that message does persist in the critically acclaimed Jurassic Park (1993), it’s undeniably thrilling to see dinosaurs onscreen and imagine yourself seeing them in person, too.

---

Jaws

Jaws (1974) by Peter Benchley is a masterclass in suspense. Inspired by the author’s interest in real shark attacks, it was profoundly successful. So is the film that came after. Jaws (1975) brings all the excitement, horror, and shark-hunting action from page to screen with iconic musical overtures and suggestive storytelling. Because the shark prop often malfunctioned, the filmmakers had to get creative to bring the book’s visual descriptions to life. It’s safe to say they did so successfully!

---

Blade Runner

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) by Philip K. Dick is the basis for Blade Runner (1982). While some aspects of the dystopian sci-fi novel were altered for screen, those elements and themes reappear in Blade Runner: 2049 (2017). These three beloved philosophical pieces inspire debates about what makes someone human, and how humanity is best defined. And the first Blade Runner movie itself is visually stunning as well as emotionally compelling, with the director’s cut especially treating its source material with respect and reverence.

---

Planet of the Apes

Pierre Boulle’s French novel La Planète des Singes, or Planet of the Apes (1963) highlights racial injustice in the form of extended allegory. In it, explorers land on a strange planet controlled by highly intelligent apes who have developed their own civilization. Naturally, humans threaten this paradise. The original Planet of the Apes (1968) film adaptation keeps many of these themes, encouraging humanity to reflect on how it is destroying their only home through war. Since then, Planet of the Apes has evolved into a media franchise with far more action, gun violence, and sophisticated CGI.

---

Do you love these action movies? Did we miss your favorite? Share your personal picks at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!