Book vs Movie

[Shelby Potter]

Are you the type to read the book and then watch the movie or do you choose your next book based on the movie?

[Debra Juarez]

I prefer reading the book before watching the movie. Of course usually when I watch the movie I am a little disappointed because it is really difficult to make a movie as good as the book.

[Jasmine Crabtree]

It depends. I personally like to read the book first as long as I know there's a book that's been made into a movie. If I've already seen the movie first I usually didn't know there was a book.

[Mohamed Vajeeha]

I like to read the book and then watch the movie. Because i don't like suspense that the movie gaves but i loves to read the books with suspense and revealing the knots from reading is more excited then watching movies

[Lorna Walters 1]

Usually, it's one or the other. I rarely read a book and seek out the movie. I rarely watch a movie and look to see if there is a book.

[Annika porter]

I love getting to read a book first if there is a movie based on it. When the Dune movie came out, I managed to get through a couple months of no spoilers while I obtained and read the book! I personally just really love getting to read the author's intentions and original writing before seeing how directors and actors are able to bring out those intentions in a different art form. So I guess sometimes I choose my next book based on the movies that are coming out, but I try not to watch the movie before reading the book!

[Shagun Chauhan 3]

I do both things differently.
I don't look for movie if any made on the book I just read and vice versa

[felixfuracao]

Usually the book first and then the movie, but that's because I prefer enjoying a story at my own pace. Though this often means I don't enjoy the movie as much because I'll keep comparing it to the source material.
It depends, but I feel like it's rare for movies adapted from books to be equal to or better than the books themselves.

[FelinaAlpuertoPittman2859+]

I would read the book first and watch the movie version later. The book would contain and hold the most intricate details of the story. In that way, when you watch the movie, you can understand the adaptation better as far as how it was interpreted on screen.

[FelinaAlpuertoPittman2859+]

I would read the book first and watch the movie version later. The book contains the most intricate details of the story so when you watch the movie, you can better understand the adaptation as it is interpreted on screen

[Ashley M Murphy]

I don't always know that a book was adapted to a movie, and I don't always know that a movie was based on a book. If I know before reading/watching, then I usually try to read the book first. When I find out that a movie was based on a book after I've already watched it, then I don't always read the book. I love both books and movies. They each have their strengths and their pitfalls. If I really liked a book, I'm almost always sure that the movie won't do it justice. I've only come across two exceptions to this: Holes (by Louis Sachar), and Bridge to Terabithia (by Katherine Paterson). Both of those movies stuck very closely to the books, only deviating when absolutely necessary. If I watch a movie first, I won't read the book if I thought it was a great movie. The reason for this is because I don't want to sully the movie experience by reading a book and then feeling like something was left out of the movie. Sometimes, the movie adaptation is so vastly different from the book that you need make sure you separate them in your mind (such as The Giver movie adaptation from the book of the same name by Lois Lowry).

[Cierra Labillois]

I used to always read the book before watching the movie, but it was so frustrating when half the details were left out on screen. So, I started doing the opposite—watching the movie first—and honestly, it's been great! Of course, I already know how it ends, but I actually prefer that. I’d rather rewatch movies I love than risk being disappointed by something new.

One of the best experiences I had with this was The Fault in Our Stars. I watched the movie first, and it left me wanting more. Then, when I read the book, it added so much depth and detail that the movie couldn’t fit in. It felt like I got to hold on to the story a little longer, and I’d highly recommend doing it this way!

[Irene Sejas]

I am that annoying person that always has to read the book before watching the film/TV show. I just can't read a book after seeing it brought to life, because to me everything feels fake, almost tainted. I can't imagine the protagonists in a way that makes sense to me based on their descriptions because I can only think of the actors' faces, or the places they chose to film... Honestly, I think everyone who has read a book and then seen the adaptation has somehow been disappointed in something (casting, clothes, voices, setting...). I'd rather be annoying like, "in the book her eyes are green, not brown", than lose the experience of getting to know a character directly through the author's work.

[oceanqueen7]

Depends. Sometimes if I read the book (even years ago), I'll be curious enough about the adaptation to go check it out. Other times, I've gotten interested in the book after seeing the movie, like with Jurassic Park, since I saw some of the movies before I read any of the books. I also don't mind if they change things around, as long as it captures the spirit of the book, it's close enough for me (I've never been any kind of book purist, or any purist, for that matter, since I don't mind changes, as long as it's interesting).

Can you imagine if The Council of Elrond was as long in Peter Jackson's version (which is the only version I've seen, so I can't comment on the older adaptations) as it was in the book?! It would have put some people to sleep (perhaps even me, and I consider myself a very patient person).

[Melissa Katherine]

I typically prefer to read the book before watching the movie, especially with newer movies. But sometimes I watch the movie first, mainly with older movies. Sometimes this is because I didn't know the movie was based on a book until I watch it and it says in the credits "based on the book." But I usually like to read the book first so I get more information because movies typically leave out a lot from the books. However, this does take some enjoyment out of watching the movies after reading the book because I can't help but compare the two and think this isn't how something happened or they didn't include something.