"The book is always better than the movie" is a common opinion, but there are times when a movie is definitely better than the book it was based upon.

Check out this list of movies that were considered better than the books, which includes a few that may surprise you.

Shutter Island

In this case, the movie is pretty faithful to the book, but Leonardo DiCaprio's performance and the excellent visuals elevate the story to new heights.

Photography: Paramount Pictures

Forrest Gump

While Forrest was a bit of a jerk in the book, the movie version played by Tom Hanks turns him into one of cinema's most likable characters in history.

Photography: Paramount Pictures

Jaws

Steven Spielberg took a rather bloated novel, trimmed out a lot of scenes and subplots, and made a creature feature for the ages.

Photography: Universal Pictures

Shawshank Redemption

The original short story was written by Stephen King, and it's good. But, the movie is frequently cited as one of the best films of all time.

Photography: Columbia Pictures

Captain America: Civil War

The film version of a major comic book storyline did something the print version couldn't: make all the characters in the huge conflict sympathetic.

Photography: Disney

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

The book, "Who Censored Roger Rabbit?" was published in 1981 and wasn't very popular. Seven years later, the movie became the 20th highest-grossing movie of all time at its time of release.

Photography: Buena Vista Pictures

Jurassic Park

It's kind of unfair to compare a book to a movie when Stephen Spielberg is directing it. Jurassic Park's stunning visuals and unforgettable score help it outshine the novel that was released 3 years prior.

Photography: Universal Pictures

The Shining

Stanley Kubrick's vision - which differs notably from Stephen King's novel - produced an all-time great horror film. The 1980 film featured trailblazing visuals and spine-chilling performances from Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall.

Photography: Warner Bros.

Bird Box

The movie version of "Bird Box" ratchets up the suspense and even rounds out the book's one-dimensional characters.

Photography: Netflix

50 Shades of Grey

While the movie wasn't exactly going to win any Oscars, viewers still tend to agree that it's much more entertaining than the book, which was criticized for being repetitive.

Photography: Focus Features

Ready Player One

Again, this movie just proves that Steven Spielberg can make anything better. Like it or not, the movie has some fantastic scenes and tones down the non-stop fan service and nostalgia of the novel.

Photography: Warner Bros.