Alex Cross
The Cross series from James Patterson has been a mainstay on bestseller lists. The eighteen books have been massively popular but have warranted fewer movies than you would think. Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls were popular ‘90s films, and Tyler Perry is finally bringing the intense detective back to life with Alex Cross. Rated PG-13, this movie looks to be as intense as the books, but with Tyler Perry starring will certainly carry a positive message with it.
Jack Ryan
Alec Baldwin’s and Harrison Ford’s Jack Ryan, the hero of Hunt for the Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger, came from a series of great novels from Tom Clancy. While the novels are thick with characterization, the movies move at a brisk, action-filled pace. They stay true to Clancy’s vision, and that is one exciting vision.
James Bond
It is often overlooked that 007 actually came from a series of books by writer Ian Fleming. The series started in 1953 and stretched to twelve books, a number that the movies would surpass easily. The darker tone of the books was often abandoned in the movies, but hits like the Casino Royale remake reflect the Bond character in the books with accuracy.
John McClane - Die Hard
It’s hard to imagine Bruce Willis’ iconic John McClane character on the pages of a book. That’s where he came from though. Roderick Thorp’s Nothing Lasts Forever was renamed Die Hard, and it spawned a movie franchise that is still going today. Nothing Lasts Forever was a sequel itself, with both books featuring Joseph Leland AKA John McClane.
Katniss Everdeen - The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games trilogy has taken the world by storm, and with good reason. It features an all-too-rare heroine who is just as strong in the books as she is in the movie. Katniss is tough, especially for a young heroine, and it will be interesting to see what future movies do with her character.
Jason Bourne
Amnesia driven action hero Jason Bourne was bourne (get it?) from the mind of Robert Ludlum. The Bourne Identity was released as a book in 1980, and Matt Damon’s Bourne character didn’t see the screen until the early 2000s. The plots have stayed remarkably true to Ludlum’s vision, and it is certainly worth experiencing both. These movies have some of the best action scenes in recent films, and Bourne is a sincerely likeable character even when you find out his past.
