From established franchises like The Lord of the Rings, to fanfiction-turned-cult classics such as Fifty Shades of Grey, and young adult phenomenons like The Fault In Our Stars, the worlds of film and literature often overlap. But let’s face it: Not every book is cut out for both. After hours of screen and page time, we’ve nailed down whether to reach out for the paperbacks or the remote control when it comes to these recent releases.

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DUNE

This isn’t the first time Frank Herbert’s franchise has been adapted to the big screen—simply because it’s a good space opera for every generation to experience. Dune centres around Paul Atreides (most recently played by Timothée Chalamet), the heir to House Atreides, as the factions of the empire struggle for control of Arrakis and its spice. But what is different between the novel and director Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptation? For starters, Dune on its own is a whopping 400 to 800 pages—depending on which edition you choose to indulge in—while Villeneuve made the creative decision to split the first novel out of the 23 books in the series into two parts with the first being released in 2021 and the second in 2024.

Due to this, the tone and pacing is slower and more contemplative in developing certain characters such as Rebecca Ferguson’s character, Lady Jessica, Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha, and Florence Pugh’s Princess Irulan in Dune: Part Two with subplots not really focused on in the book. The novel instead hones in on the political intricacies, strife, power dynamics between the houses, and spiritual themes with Paul being considered the Fremen’s prophesied messiah, as well as his visions of an impending war. The film also dramatises how Paul being deemed “Lisan al Gaib” affects his relationship with Shani (played by Zendaya), and his inner conflict before accepting his fate.

Verdict: If you have a few weeks to kill, crack open the book, because it better explains the political intricacies between the houses. But for those with less time to spare, Dune and Dune: Part Two are just as good.

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THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLADS OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES

When it seemed like we weren’t going to get any new material after the release of the original trilogy, Suzanne Collins surprised fans when she released The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes—the prequel set 64 years before the original Hunger Games trilogy—almost 10 years later in 2020. President Snow (portrayed by Tom Blyth) and his relationship with District 12’s Lucy Gray Baird (played by Rachel Zegler) during the 10th edition of The Hunger Games. Having directed four out of the five original films, Francis Lawrence takes the philosophical and ethical questions surrounding power, governance, and rebellion that are ingrained in the franchise’s DNA and portrays them through visual action and dialogue.

While that worked in the original films’ favour, Snow’s internal monologues of insecurity and distrust are what make the story riveting, as they add to his portrayal in the original series.The presence of Josh Andrés Rivera’s Sejanus Plinth and The Covey—a travelling music group Lucy Gray is a part of—are also less pronounced compared to the book, serving more as a vehicle for Snow’s relationship with Lucy. Both the film and the book deliver the same impact in showcasing how 64 years later, Lucy’s presence would haunt Snow (played by the late Donald Sutherland in the original film trilogy) in the form of Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence in the films).

Verdict: While the film is strong, reading Snow’s internal moral decay is arguably better than seeing it on screen.

THE IDEA OF YOU

Boy bander meets girl next door is nothing new, but a love affair between the lead singer of a boy band and a single mother? Now, that piques our interest. Robinne Lee’s The Idea of You follows Solène Marchand (played by Anne Hathaway), who meets heartthrob Hayes Campbell (played by Nicholas Galitzine), which leads to a whirlwind romance. While that sounds interesting on paper, key changes were made to the screen adaptation directed by Michael Showalter.

In the novel, Solène and Hayes meet at his boyband August Moon’s fan signing in Las Vegas. In the film, this encounter is staged in Hayes’ dressing room at Coachella where Solène enters mistakenly looking for a bathroom. Solène’s daughter was also aged up from 12 to 16 in the film, which allowed her to have a more complex and mature perspective of her mother’s relationship with Hayes and her father. It also switches the ending to a more optimistic one, reuniting the two after several years.

Verdict: Though the changes were small, there were the perfect little kicks of dopamine. Combined with Hathaway and Galitzine’s incredible chemistry, the film edges out the book by an inch.

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IT ENDS WITH US

Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us follows the story of Lily Bloom (played by Blake Lively) who leaves her hometown to chase her dreams of opening her own flower shop in Boston. Along the way, she finds herself in an abusive relationship with Ryle Kincaid (played by the film’s director, Justin Baldoni) and embarks on a journey to break the cycle of abuse.

The first noticeable difference in Baldoni’s adaptation is that the characters have been visually aged up by a decade, which takes the story out of the young adult genre. However, with a theme as serious as abuse, it seems to delve more into the romantic aspects. For example, a supposedly serious balcony conversation between Lily and Ryle falls flat when interjected with cheesy jokes, straight out of a Ryan Reynolds playbook (that’s because the scene was written by Lively’s husband himself). Despite this, Baldoni did his part in gracefully handling the heavy themes of the book despite the overbearing use of Top 40 hits.

Verdict: There are deep-seated issues surrounding the portrayal of abuse in the source material as well as the film. However, for the sake of this review, my vote goes to the film.

TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN

John Green is a name synonymous with 2010’s young adult genre and Tumblr pages worldwide, and Hannah Marks’ adaptation of his book Turtles All The Way Down visually embodies the nostalgia of that era. It follows the story of 16-year-old Aza Holmes (played by Isabela Merced), who pursues the disappearance of a billionaire, while she deals with an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

With that being said, Aza’s OCD plays a central part in the book’s plot (Green has struggled with it his entire life), and Merced does her role justice, being respectful to the source material and showcasing the thought spirals shown in the books. We also feel that the relationship between Aza and her best friend, Daisy (played by Cree Ciccino), is lighter, warmer and far outshines the romantic one she shares with her childhood crush, Davis (played by Felix Mallard).

Verdict: The movie is just as good as the book, but given how John Green’s books are one-offs, it’s also possible to binge-read this in one weekend.