Jaws (1975)
One of the best examples of a film that far surpasses its source material is Jaws. It is no secret that Steven Spielberg’s film is a masterpiece, and the numerous changes made to the novel are all for the better (though the opening scene is still kept in tact). Gone is the subplot involving Ellen Brody’s affair with Matt Hooper (Hooper also dies in the underwater cage scene in the novel). It’s not that Benchley’s novel is bad (it’s actually quite entertaining), his characters just aren’t that likable. Spielberg remedied that with the film.
