The Movie or the book?

So what do you prefer, reading the book or watching the movie? I usually prefer the book, but in cases like Twilight and Lord of the Rings I preferred the movies. Although with Harry Potter I much prefer the books as a lot of the details were left out in the movies

 

I basically agree with you, in the case of LOTR the first movie was better at enhancing the view we had over these magical worlds created by Tolkien. Although to be honest I really preferred reading the Hobbit than actually watching the movie. Can't say much about Harry Potter because I never went beyond half the first book. It's frequent though to hear that movie adaptations leave out many important details that make the books more enjoyable. With writers like Nicholas Sparks I usually like both the movie and the book equally because most details are in fact explained in the movie. This might be the exception to the rule because he'll probably write a book while at the same time thinking about the movie script as well. This must be also true on books like Twilight.

 

I like both, reading a book and watching it as a movie. Though, I prefer movie. While reading a book however the story is, I imagine like the story is happening in real time. Sometimes it is more exciting than the movie, but sometimes it is not. It depends on the story and how it is written.

Anyway, every story can be a book or a movie. To determine which one is good, we have to consider the Author/Director.

 

So far so good, all books that have been made into a movie adaptation never live up to the expected expectations from the book readers. Harry Potter story-lines were changed, vital information were left out. Twilight, the first movies, were kind of bleak compared to the thrill you get from reading the books. Then the casting, sometimes the actors/actresses chosen for the roles don't know how to act and grasp the given roles to their full advantage, not capturing the feelings and emotions properly e.g. 50 Shades of Grey. Or the movie becomes boring, because you know what to expect and somethings are better off in your imagination e.g. Insurgent. Now I've made it my goal not to read books that will have a movie, for example The Maze Runner, going in blind makes the movie thrilling and very intriguing, because what I have learnt from experience, if you've read the book of a movie before seeing it, get ready to feel a bit of disappointment or a lot of it.

 

I like both, however, there is a usually a lot more detail in the literary version. Some authors just really don't translate well when it comes to movies. Stephen King comes to mind as a specific example for this. His books are amazing but they are so full of small details that make the story that the movies are frequently poorly conceptualized.

 

I prefer the book to the movie. The movie more often than not tells more about the story than the movie. For example in the case of 50 shades, I personally haven't watched the movie yet but I have heard that the book is so much better. Some of the times though, the book and movie complement each other, so whats missing in the book, is shown on screen, and what's missing on screen is told in the book. But I still prefer the book over the movie.

 

Reading is undoubtedly better than watching the movie because the book
allows the imagination of the reader to run
free, not bound by anything. in my case, after seeing Twilight the
movie, i feel that it did not do the novel
justice. I thought that they could have
done a much better job.

 

Well i prefer the movie over the book, because in a movie you can actually see the characters instead of imagining them. The movie i believe is much more interesting as there is live acting involved. Its best to watch a movie with the family rather then reading a book. As movies are much more interesting and fun to watch.

 

I agree with you 100%. I make it a general rule to never watch the movie if I've read the book! But just like you it took a lot for me to get into the Lord of the Rings books but the movies were very satisfying. The Harry Potter movies don't hold a candle to the books. Whereas the books were very detailed the movies tend to skim over really important areas and change things that shouldn't have been changed. Over all I'd much rather read a good book

 

I prefer both. First, I like to watch the movie, and get some perspective view about the whole story. I think the movies are kind of incomplete, and you lose some details on it. So, you can watch the movie to see if the story is interesting. Next, I use to read the book because I am curious, and I like to know how the story actually unfolds. Besides, when I read a book after I have watched the movie, I already have a formed image of the characters, I do not need to imagine how would they be. In contrast, I do not disappoint me as I would do if I read a book before, and I go to watch a movie and my favorite character is not how I have imagined.

 

I personally prefer watching a movie rather than reading the book. My reason lies in the fact that I will understand the movie better when I watch it than reading the book. While watching, I will engage my whole mind but in reading at times I might not fully concentrate.

 

As I was picking up Mario Puzo's ''The Godfather'' last week, my partner asked me: ''Hey, you saw that movie ten years ago. You watched it again on TV couple of months back.'' I said: ''Yes, You are right. And I going to read the book a second time!''. She was surprised. It led us to a discussion about the same topic: ''The Movie or the book?''

Having read the book and watched the movie twice, let me confess - I never got the thrill that I experienced when I read the book the first time. The movie failed to give me any such feeling. I can only attribute it to one reason. During my first read, as the story unfolded, the characters and the events were automatically turning into distinct images in my mind. I imagined each and every scene. Michael Corleone grew up in front of me. Sonny Corleone made love to Lucy Mancini, but I experienced the orgasm! I thought up Luca Brasi as so fierce that I myself wasn't comfortable in his presence. The Don, to me, was short and stocky with a soft but commanding voice. I visualised every one, every locale, every tiny bit..., with absolute flair and freedom. It was easy, because I could ''think outside the typical movie frame''!

But the celluloid version was different..., not that I didn't like it. What I saw was totally different. In a way, it was stifling to watch, because it had too many restrictions, constraints, compromises. Like how my mind flew, the movie couldn't. It was like the bird in a cage!

That, according to me is the real difference between a book and a movie.

 

Ha Ha the books are always better maybe because they make you thank. But the movies are great and us lazy people that doent like to read they are better then the books.

 

I prefer the book, due to the large amount of content. Movies are sometimes limited by their budgets. The movies also sometimes change or don't include key characters.

 

I agree with valanchar - first the book than a movie. Only thing is you usually get disappointed with a movie when you see how much they usually cut out or differ from the book.

 

I personally prefer reading the book first before watching the movie. Maybe movies are more pleasing to watch; making characters into living and breathing- but books let you not only experience the emotion, it also let you to fantasize and use your own imagination and interpretation.

 

I love reading the books first!!! For the books gives you more, then the movies. Or them movies changes things or does not add what the author has written.

 

The movie is much more preferable to the books. This is because no matter how good you are in comprehension, you will be tempted to imagine scenes and actions to hyperbolic level. Watching the movies help one to get a better picture of the imagery that you once imagined. Moreso, a lot of suspense and sound effects that help one comprehend storyline, may not be there visibly in the books.

 

I've always thought the books I've read have always been better than the movie. The book allows you to conjure up or create your own characters, picture your own small town, etc. When the movie does come out after the book's been written, it doesn't hold a candle to the book! I do have to say that one must be a fan of reading, otherwise the movie will always be better.

 

Well, for me, it is two different things and it is interchangeably. I would read first the book and then see the movie. I would be comparing my reading with the movie shown if is indeed followed. And in the other way around, if I saw the movie, I would secure the book which the movie is made. Again, I have compare them. The movie or the book, for me, it all depends.