10 Films BETTER Than The Book They Were Based On

Philip K. Dick’s novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, was adapted to film in 1982 and re-named with its equally esoteric title, Blade Runner.

But it’s Ridley Scott’s outstanding realisation of the setting that edges it ahead of the novel; it’s aesthetic was so successful that it’s become cliché - so many other sci-fi properties since have set themselves in identical neon and rain soaked metropolis’s.

Other key differences include wildly different portrayals of key characters.

Deckard in the novel is obsessed with earning enough money to buy an animal - most wildlife on Earth has perished in the aftermath of World War Terminus - their increased rarity making them the ultimate status symbol. This plotline is mostly removed from the film except for some minor allusions.

The androids in Dick’s novel are almost physically identical to humans, their one difference is a complete lack of empathy; they’re presented as cold-blooded killers and their leader, Roy batty, is a pantomime villain. Far better, is the films Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), who gives a hugely intimidating performance but is also a vastly more complex character we can sympathise with.