Every month brings new book adaptations to big and small screens, and we’re dedicated to recommending the very best for readers. In 2024, for example, we sang the praises of Nickel Boys, a powerful and immersive movie version of Colson Whitehead’s Kirkus Prize–winning 2019 novel, as well as the sweeping first season of Shōgun, the FX series based on James Clavell’s iconic 1975 novel, which won a record 18 Emmy Awards. Here are eight of our favorites from this past year:
Dog Man (streaming on Netflix)
This wacky and wise movie draws on multiple volumes of Dav Pilkey’s bestselling children’s book series. It stars an upbeat police officer with the head of a dog and the body of a human, who protects an unnamed city from the machinations of feline criminal mastermind Petey, among other threats. The books, which are framed as the lively comic-book creations of two enthusiastic fourth graders, are spinoffs of the author/illustrator’s wildly popular Captain Underpants series, and the film, written and directed by Animaniacs’ Peter Hastings, captures all of their wildness and weirdness—as when, at one point, a number of buildings come alive and wreak destruction. However, the film thoughtfully balances the chaos with surprisingly affecting scenes between Petey (voiced by a very funny Pete Davidson) and his goodhearted kitten clone, known as Li’l Petey (talented newcomer Lucas Hopkins Calderon).
The Monkey (streaming on Hulu)
Stephen King’s novellas have yielded a number of excellent adaptations. Two from his 1982 collection, Different Seasons, for instance, inspired the Oscar-nominated films Stand by Me (1986) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). The Monkey, from 1985’s Skeleton Crew, is the basis of this strange and wonderful film, written and directed by horror master Osgood Perkins (Longlegs). It expands the story of a mysterious toy monkey—which causes bizarre deaths every time someone winds it up—and twists it into a film that’s by turns madcap and meditative. Theo James (The White Lotus) skillfully portrays the adult versions of identical twins Hal and Bill Shelburn, whose lives are upended after they discover the toy during their childhoods. It’s all played for laughs, at first—more than one victim literally explodes—but later, the brothers touchingly search for meaning in the meaningless, leading to an unforgettable ending.
Queen of the Ring (available on video-on-demand)
This ambitious biopic of champion professional wrestler Mildred Burke, directed by Ash Avildsen, is based on Jeff Leen’s deeply researched and compelling 2007 biography, The Queen of the Ring: Sex, Muscles, Diamonds, and the Making of an American Legend. Burke gained considerable fame during her heyday from the 1930s to the ’50s, and she helped to popularize women’s professional wrestling worldwide. She was a fiercely determined woman who never let life’s setbacks—including those caused by her unfaithful and abusive husband, pro wrestler Billy Wolfe—keep her from pursuing her ambitions. Arrow’s Emily Bett Rickards is riveting in the starring role in both the brilliantly staged wrestling scenes and in quieter, dramatic moments, while Josh Lucas offers a nuanced performance as Wolfe. Francesca Eastwood also shines as uncompromising wrestler Mae Young, as does Adam Demos as famed showman Gorgeous George.
Bonjour Tristesse (streaming on Starz)
In her directorial debut, essayist Durga Chew-Bose (Too Much and Not the Mood) offers a hypnotic take on French author Françoise Sagan’s 1954 novel. Lily McInerny (Palm Trees and Power Lines) stars as teenager Cécile, who’s spending a lovely, aimless summer in the French Riviera with her wealthy, devil-may-care father, Raymond (played by Dracula’s Claes Bang). Chloë Sevigny appears as Anne, an old friend of Raymond’s who suddenly becomes a much bigger part of his life, complicating Cécile’s easy existence. The girl hatches a plan to separate the two, with unforeseen results. This languorous, gorgeously shot film highlights the serene beauty of its setting, while also giving its fine lead actors plenty of room to spin out engagingly layered conversations. French actor Nailia Harzoune is also wonderful in the smaller role of Elsa, Raymond’s lively and perceptive ex-lover who becomes part of Cécile’s scheme.
Fear Street: Prom Queen (streaming on Netflix)
Four years ago, Netflix released three films, directed by Leigh Janiak and loosely based on R.L Stine’s long-running series of YA horror novels. This fourth film entry, based on Stine’s 1992 novel,The Prom Queen, lacks the ambition of that centuries-spanning movie trilogy, which made the list of our favorite book-to-screen adaptations of 2021. Instead, it opts for simpler, old-school slasher-movie thrills. It’s a story, set in 1988, of a masked killer stalking prom-queen candidates—a setup that may remind horror fans of the 1980 film Prom Night. Director Matt Palmer also includes entertaining references to Halloween (1978) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), but his nostalgia never keeps him from cranking up the suspense, and the film’s ending is a welcome surprise. The Agency’s India Fowler, as prom-queen candidate Lori Granger, is an appealing protagonist, but Katherine Waterston steals the show as the terrible mom of Lori’s mean-girl rival.
The Life of Chuck (available on video-on-demand)
Like The Monkey, this film is based on a Stephen King novella—in this case, from the Kirkus-starred 2020 novella collection, If It Bleeds. Also like The Monkey, it thoughtfully addresses themes of grief, fate, and the meaning of life. Both the novella and film, directed by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep), employ a tricky three-act structure: In the first act, a world comes to an end, complete with a coastline falling into the ocean; in the second, an accountant impulsively dances in public with a stranger; and in the third, readers learn that accountant’s backstory, which features, of all things, a strange cupola, unlike any other. Tom Hiddleston, as the adult Chuck, only has a few scenes, but he absolutely nails them, and the story’s disparate elements ultimately weave together with surprising ease, resulting in a sad but life-affirming work of quiet insight.
The Thursday Murder Club (streaming on Netflix)
Richard Osman’s Kirkus-starred 2020 mystery-series starter inspired this light, entertaining film, directed by Chris Columbus, about a quartet of quirky amateur detectives living in Coopers Chase, an English retirement village. They include retired nurse and ace baker Joyce Meadowcroft (Celia Imrie), ex-spy Elizabeth Best (Helen Mirren), former psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif (Ben Kingsley), and ex–union organizer Ron Ritchie (Pierce Brosnan). They’re all part of the titular club, which attempts to solve cold cases for their own amusement—once a week, every Thursday. Their routine changes, though, when the retirement village’s construction manager is murdered. There’s a goodcozy mystery at heart of this film, but the interplay between the four main actors is the main draw: All are at the very top of their games, making for a fun watch that any fan of Agatha Christie–like cozies will surely enjoy.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (in theaters)
The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White stars as Bruce Springsteen in this intriguing, contemplative biopic, based on Warren Zanes’ 2023 nonfiction book about the making of the musician’s haunting 1982 album, Nebraska. At the time, Springsteen was best known for symphonic rock songs like 1975’s “Born to Run”; Nebraska’s songs, recorded on a four-track recorder, were very different, telling quiet, sparse, and often disturbing stories. The title track, for one, is told from the perspective of convicted murderer Charles Starkweather, who awaits execution while speculating about “a meanness in this world.” At the time, Springsteen was struggling with mental-health issues, and the film effectively captures how he, and those around him, were affected by them—and how the artist eventually embraced the benefits of therapy. White’s performance is solid and convincing, and Succession’s Jeremy Strong, as Springsteen’s manager and close friend, Jon Landau, also does inspired work.
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.
Photo credits, above from left: Sumerian Pictures, Macall Polay/20th Century Studios, DreamWorks Animation, Alan Markfield/Netflix, Giles Keyte/Netflix, Neon
