People love seeing their favorite books adapted into movies, but not every film sticks closely to the original story. Sometimes entire characters disappear, endings get rewritten, or major plot points are changed to fit a different audience. A few adaptations became classics in their own right, even though they only loosely resemble the novels that inspired them. Whether the changes improved the story or frustrated longtime readers, these movies took plenty of creative liberties. Here are 15 movies that barely resemble the books they were based on.©IMDbThe Shining (1980)Stanley Kubrick dramatically changed Stephen King’s novel, including the ending, Jack Torrance’s character arc, and many supernatural elements.©IMDbWorld War Z (2013)Aside from the title and zombies, the movie shares very little with Max Brooks’ oral-history style novel.©IMDbI Am Legend (2007)The film completely changes the meaning of Richard Matheson’s ending and even the identity of the “legend” itself.©IMDbForrest Gump (1994)The novel is much stranger, featuring bizarre adventures that never made it into the Oscar-winning film.©IMDbHow to Train Your Dragon (2010)The animated movie keeps the names of a few characters but tells a completely different story from Cressida Cowell’s books.©IMDbThe Lawnmower Man (1992)Stephen King’s short story has almost nothing in common with the film beyond the title, and King successfully sued to have his name removed from marketing.©IMDbThe Bourne Identity (2002)The basic premise survives, but the movie changes Jason Bourne’s personality, his enemies, and much of the plot.©IMDbWho Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)The film borrows the central idea from the novel but invents an almost entirely new mystery and cast of characters.©IMDbThe Running Man (1987)Stephen King’s novel is much darker and follows a desperate cross-country survival story rather than a gladiator-style game show.©IMDbThe Princess Diaries (2001)Disney turned Meg Cabot’s teen novel into a much lighter family comedy with several major story changes.©IMDbMy Sister’s Keeper (2009)The movie abandons Jodi Picoult’s shocking ending in favor of a completely different conclusion.©IMDbThe Mask (1994)The comic book is a violent horror-comedy, while the movie became a colorful family-friendly showcase for Jim Carrey.©IMDbThe Golden Compass (2007)The adaptation removes much of Philip Pullman’s religious themes and stops before the novel’s controversial ending.©IMDbJojo Rabbit (2019)Taika Waititi used Christine Leunens’ novel Caging Skies as a starting point but transformed its tone, characters, and message into something entirely different.©IMDbBlade Runner (1982)While inspired by Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the film changes much of the plot, themes, and world-building.The post 15 Movies That Barely Resemble the Books They Were Based On appeared first on Den of Geek.