Ray Bradbury is a famous name in literature, specifically science fiction, although his work touched on more than just this one genre. Several of his novels and short stories have been adapted for the small and big screen, and he had a hand in writing some of the most iconic science fiction and fantasy of the 20th century.
Not every adaptation has been perfect, of course, and even when the movie or show is a decent product other things can go wrong to make it less than successful. Bad publicity, a low budget, or disagreements between the director and studio can bring a whole production down even if the story and cast are on point. Bradbury's work as it appears on screen can go either way depending on the viewer's personal opinion of the original, and the author himself didn't mince words when offering his own thoughts on the matter.
6 The Martian Chronicles (1980)
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This BBC miniseries had all the marks of a successful adaptation, at least in the beginning. It had a cast with big names like Rock Hudson and Bernadette Peters, an original soundtrack with more than 30 songs, more than decent production values, and it was an adaptation of a novel of the same name by a popular author with literary clout.
However, things started to go awry when Ray Bradbury himself described the show as "boring" at a solo press conference. Although he and screenwriter Richard Mathieson had worked together on the adaptation, Bradbury was disappointed with the result, which deviated significantly from his original story. Even though the show was finished in 1979, this poor marketing was enough to delay the release for a year, but fans and critics ultimately gave The Martian Chronicles a positive reception.
5 It Came From Outer Space (1953)
An early science fiction movie that broke a lot of new ground when it came to special effects, It Came From Outer Space was adapted from a story Ray Bradbury wrote but never published. The premise of a story about a UFO crashing in the desert and the unlucky folks that catch the first glimpse of it seems cliche now, but at the time it was a novel idea, and it mixed the popular horror genre with science fiction elements.
Critics had a lukewarm response to the movie, but reviews were still more positive than negative. The film resonated more with the general public, and it was not only a box office success but also earned lead actor Barbara Rush a Golden Globe. A made-for-TV sequel, It Came From Outer Space II, which was released in 1996, was a bone-fide failure that hardly anyone even knows happened.
4 The Picasso Summer (1969)
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Ray Bradbury wrote the screenplay of this movie as well as the short story on which it is based, "A Season Of Calm Weather." It's a psychological drama that doesn't have a science fiction or fantasy angle at all, other than perhaps some magical realism in the main character's midlife delusions, which is also why Bradbury wrote it under the pseudonym, Douglas Spaulding.
It's adorned with Picasso paintings, is mostly filmed in France, and stars Yvette Mimieux, which makes it worth watching. Overall, though, reviews of the movie are mixed. Fans of Bradbury who like his science fiction should check it out to see another facet of his work, and it's also a good choice for those who prefer drama over fantasy or science fiction.
3 Dominus (1990)
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One of the lesser-known adaptations of horror from Bradbury, this Russian film is based on two of his short stories, The Black Ferris and The Scythe. It's told in a two-part anthology style, one for each, and could also be shown as a miniseries.
Despite the low budget and limited release, the movie has a solid fan base and critics have praised its artistic style. The Black Ferris had been adapted previously under two films with the title Something Wicked This Way Comes, but The Scythe was new to the concept of on-screen adaptation.
2 Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
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The best-known of Bradbury's works, most people study the original book as part of their high school English Literature curriculum, and often this film was also included as part of the overall novel study. The screenplay was written by Jean-Louis Richard and François Truffaut, with little input from Bradbury. However, he would say later on that he was pleased with how the film adaptation turned out except for certain casting choices.
The screenplay doesn't go through any major changes from the novel, with the main storyline and plot staying mostly intact other than a love affair between Montag and Clarisse. The film received mixed reviews in its time, but today it's critically acclaimed, and could be the best overall adaptation of Ray Bradbury's work.
1 The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
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Monsters under the ocean aren't entirely a Japanese concept. Plenty of writers wrote about the horrors of the briny-deep awakening after an atomic blast to terrorize the earth. This movie predates Godzilla by more than a year. The screenplay is based on Ray Bradbury's short story, "The Fog Horn," which was published in 1951.
The character referred to in the title is a fictional dinosaur called Rhedosaurus, which is awakened from its hibernation by an explosion that's set off as part of a test in the Arctic. Critics weren't impressed with the story, but the public loved it, and the financial success of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms was one of the pop culture tentpoles that made the trend of bog monster disaster movies possible.