Whether you’re a book lover, a movie buff, or a little bit of both, it’s always interesting to watch films that are based on novels, short stories, or kids’ books. If you’re looking for entertainment experiences that bring the best of the written word to the silver screen, here are a few of the critics’ favorite contenders.

The Harry Potter series. Although purists and super-fans may have a few quibbles with the movie versions of J.K. Rowling’s young-adult fantasy series, the films do a remarkably impressive job of bringing her imagined world of witches and wizards to life on the big screen.

The Shining. An A-list Hollywood pedigree—including director Stanley Kubrick and leading man Jack Nicholson—helped translate this horror classic from Stephen King to the silver screen.

Pride and Prejudice. The original chick-lit novel from British author Jane Austen has been made into several different film versions; most critics prefer the 1996 A&E miniseries starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.

The Shawshank Redemption. This uplifting prison-break drama starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman started out as a Stephen King novella entitled, “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.”

The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This critically acclaimed fantasy epic first came into being as a series of World War II-era novels written by British professor J.R.R. Tolkien.