Pretty good, but the movie is better!
585127
I thought the book was pretty good. It came with cool pictures but they left out some parts in the movie. Then they added some parts that didn't exactly fit. I liked the movie better, but this wasn't a bad book. My friend said she didn't like it that much and I thought it was okay. If you really like the movie (I did), buy this book!
1614196
"The Egg & I", a movie based on the book of the same title, is entertaining, clean( you can let the kids watch this one), and funny. It's not quite as funny as the book, though.
Claudette Colbert is perfectly cast as Betty, the convenience-loving city girl who gets much more than she bargains for when she marries Bob, who is bent on pursuing his dream of owning a chicken ranch.
The ranch turns out to be isolated and primitive even by chicken ranch standards.
Poor Betty is forced to adjust quickly, and does so reluctantly and clumsily.
Those who read the book before seeing the movie may be a little puzzled by the appearance of "the other woman", who is absent from the book.
My suggestion: Read the book, then buy the movie, but don't expect the latter to be exactly like the former.
Both are VERY worthwhile buys, though.
If you have to choose between the movie and the book, I'd suggest going for the book.
The movie is very worthwhile, especially if you want a film that the whole family can enjoy.
3137033
Except for the end, I liked this version of the movie much more that the C. Heston original.  You can't top the ending to the original for shock value (that image was seared indelibly into my 16 year old brain), but there was plenty of other upgrades that could be (and were) made including a better script, better costumes, better scenery, better special effects and better acting.  This version supplies all of the above in spades.  Well done!
3289435
The music in the movie was better than the movie, so the soundtrack is definitely worth buying.  It is a pretty good compilation. While the movie is not great, it is better than most of the trash that comes out of Hollywood.
3372802
The movie is good, don't get me wrong.  It's hard to understand why they changed the plot as much as they did, though.  The book's plot and characters were tightly balanced and the surgery done to the plot line by the movie treatment left holes.  The attorney becomes a two-dimensional place holder, rather than an integral part of the story, and Cameron Diaz as the mother focuses on her passion to save the one daughter, never developing the other, lovable side the director presumes we will believe she has. . . .  And what's with Montana as a thread through this film?!  Someone must have wanted to spend some time there, filming. . . . it's not part of the story.

I won't spoil the ending - but I will note that the movie ends differently than does the book.  I find the ending of the book more compelling. . . .
2949403
If you were an adolescent during the original release of Independence Day, you might have to forgive this decade's current obsession with re-making or building onto existing fixtures of our youth. This is no exception - it was really good to see Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch again, but the film overall feels like something entirely different than the original. If you separate it as much it's not so bad; if you're expecting an epic follow up to the movie my family makes sure to watch every July 4th, then you'll find yourself disappointed. My main complaint would be that they turned Bill Pullman's character into a blathering idiot and opted to replace Mae Whitman as his daughter with a less believable and all around basic actress. (Not to mention that a lot of the science wasn't well formed or fully explainable, but I can let that go because ALIENS!)
1707067
I like the movie better than the book which is something I don't find very often. I am not sure I would have finished reading this book if I hadnt seen and loved the movie.

The beginning of the book was really slow and tedious. I really just wanted them to hurry up and get to the park and it took FOREVER for that to happen. In fairness, there is much more information in the book about the impact that Jurassic Park is having outside of the little island it is on but I didn't feel like I needed that much information especially in the very beginning of the story.

I liked the movie characters better than the book characters. Hammond especially is a much better person in the movie. I found Lex (the little girl) really annoying in the book as well and I kinda wanted to shove her  in the path of a T-Rex.

There is a lot more science and philosophy in the book than in the movie and I did enjoy that. I also enjoyed that the book had much more overall dino action and it also had many more species appearing.

In the book there also felt like there was lots more at stake because not only is everyone trying not to get eaten by dinosaurs but they are also trying to make sure that the ship that left the island with stowaway dinosaurs doesnt make it back to the mainland.

One other comments about the paperback edition (at least the 2012 one from Ballentine) is that there were quite a few more errors than are usually seen in a traditionally published book. I usually expect errors in indie work and unless they are really bad I tend to ignore them but the edition I read had lots of errors and I was really surprised by that.

Overall, this isn't a bad read, especially if you love the movies and want to learn more about the science part of it. It is well written and believable. Just be aware that it is going to be a slow start and that the characters are going to be very different than the movies.
4540686
It's a good movie. I think they caught a lot of the key details from the book in order to do a good enough job, but like most books-turned-movies, it misses a lot of what really draws you into the Hunger Games story. I think the thing that really made the books so enjoyable was all of Katniss' inner-monologue. They cut out all of that in the movie to save time. We don't get to really feel her desperation and struggle as much in the films and that took a lot out of it for me personally. Unfortunately, I imagine the 2nd and 3rd will be similar.

I have to give it a good rating though because evaluating it seperate from the book, it really is a good movie.

If you've never read the books and have no intention of doing so, I recommend it for sure. It's a solid movie with good action, susprense, and drama.

If you've read the book and want to see how the movie compares? Meeeeehhhh....might want to steer clear. That's a personal decision though. :)
2985639
If youve read the book, this movie adaptation holds pretty close to it and I enjoyed it.  The special effects were pretty good, but I will say Harrison Ford left a lot to be desired in this role.  Overall, a good flick.
1485853
I think I like the movie better.

For one thing, everyone was nicer. I know that sounds lame, but honestly. In the book, all of the Gladers were jerks to Chuck, including Thomas. Like, listen buddy: Chuck is one of the few who doesn't want you dead. Appreciate him. Teresa verged on being a decent character in both the book and the movie, but she was continually thrown to the side.

The writing was very simple. Perhaps that's perfect for a 16 year old boy with amnesia, but it fell flat to me. Also, the answers were withheld way too long. At some point, the suspense got annoying.

I liked the slang though. I know some reviewers thought it was annoying, but it felt natural for 50+ teenage boys to say SOMETHING when they get angry, and I, for one, appreciated how little real language they used.

If you like AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH OHMYGOSH WHAT COMES NEXT action and fear, watch the movie. The book wasn't quite as scary, although probably more violent. I guess there really is a difference between picturing something in your head and seeing it on screen!

Will I read The Scorch Trials? Absolutely. Even though the long suspense bothered me, I'm hooked on discovering what comes next.
3567989
I saw this movie probably a couple of years after it came out, and thought it was pretty good. I also bought the soundtrack for some reason (I unfortunately no longer have it) and I have to say it was better than the movie, and actually made me like the movie more. This obviously is a role Pacino has probably forgotten about, and should.
4721548
The book was pretty good, but not my favorite. The movie actually looks better then the book and that ususally never happens, But worth a read
3470250
The movie, of course, isn't as good as the book, but it's still very well done and entertaining to watch. It stays true to the spirit of the book, and follows the plotline well enough for a movie. I enjoyed it.
1366367
The movie, for once, was better than the book.
700709
It was interesting to see what happened to Baum's original story on the way to the film. For the most part, I found the film a definite improvement. The language of the book was wooden compared to the film:  "the road of yellow brick" vs "the yellow brick road," for example.
2910245
Of course, it's not as good as the first movie.........seems they lose "something", with the second, etc - after the first is really good!
830060
While being a big fan of the first movie, I was fairly excited to see the second. After I saw it, I thought it was OK. Not as clever and original as the first, but still very entertaining. The second had a lot more laughs, slapstick, and funny bits...however I'd say it lacked in plot. EVERYTHING was predictable, and you knew what would happen the moment the movie started--not like in the first movie, which was more inventive and unpredictable to a certain degree.

However I will say most of this movie was hilarious, even if it lacked in other things. I definitely recommend seeing it, as it will probably be the funniest movie of the year. If you're in the mood to see a very funny, laugh a minute-ride, you should definitely check it out in the theater! But don't get your hopes up for this being better than the first.