Reading has always been a major part of our lives. From our parents reading to us, to checking out books from libraries, books have helped shape us. As we get older though, the instinct to save a few hours by watching a movie adaptation grows.
Movies don’t have it all though. Books allow us to visualize the content and world the author has made for us to get lost in. We have control over how that world appears in our heads, and we get the chance to imagine how the characters are acting. This allows the reader to take an active role in the story, rather than just being a spectator.
Now, don’t get me wrong. There are some movie adaptations that blow the source material out of the water and make these stories even better than if they stuck to the paper. Some of these examples include “The Hunger Games” series, “Harry Potter” and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
But even with these amazing adaptations, there are countless instances where the movies seem like they are just making random scripts and throwing them at whatever actor studios are already biting for the bait.
Movies often make the characters do the exact opposite of what readers are expecting, which gives readers whiplash when they do watch the movies. In the “Harry Potter” series, Hermione has always been interpreted to be a fearless and headstrong character, someone who can handle herself. Yet in the earlier movies, she is seen to be very soft spoken and never puts her two cents in, letting her friends speak for her.
For many, including myself, movie adaptations like “Twilight” and “The Maze Runner” are unwatchable due to the quality of the acting and the unfaithful writing of the plots and characters.
There have been many book-to-movie adaptations that have done good in the box office but had reviews from readers that would say otherwise. These movies disappointed fans and readers because of their blatant attempts at cash grabbing.
Three such examples include “Jurassic Park,” “Eragon” and the “Divergent” trilogy. While yes, these movies brought in a lot of money, they take beloved series and completely twist them, discarding essential plot moments and themes that drew readers to the series in the first place.
Part of this is due to the medium itself, as movies just aren’t capable of capturing the complexity of a 400-page book in two hours or less.
With that said, I can understand why some people will choose a movie over a book. Books are hard. Sometimes there isn’t enough time in the day to read, or it’s hard to try and grasp what the author wants to covey.
But with all that books offer, and with all that is impossible to show in film, books will always be a more fulfilling experience for an audience. Maybe they aren’t always convenient, but the joy comes from making the story your own.
The books. Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash.