Books vs. Movie Adaptations

Which is better – The book or the movie ?

So, it has always been this dilemma: which is better – the book or the movie ? I guess it’s different strokes for different folks, that simple.

Personally, I prefer books to movies.

Some examples:

• The Girl on the Train (my review) – reading it right now. Refused to see the movie, although it received positive reviews. Loving the book so far

• The Life of Pi – read the book, loved it. Then, after 4 years, I was forced to see the movie. I liked it, but it was nothing compared to the book.
• Before I Go to Sleep – excellent thriller. Read the book. Did not want to see the movie, although the cast was great.
• Gone Girl – great thriller, as well. In this case, I chose the movie first. I guess the book was equally great. I do not regret it one second. The movie is a masterpiece.

I love reading, it’s a big part of me. I’ve always read books, since my childhood. I am constantly reading a book. At times, I read 2 or more simultaneously.

My golden rule: read the book, don’t see the movie

For me, it’s easy. I choose the book in 95% of the cases. And when I read a book, I try as much as possible not to see the movie. Reading a book lets you imagine all sorts of things, it’s so prone to interpretation, which makes it wonderful for all readers. You create an entire universe around the book, seen through your own mind and based on your life experience. Seeing the movie after reading the book takes all that away. It erases everything like a sponge. It gives you new imagery, it replaces all the colors, the faces, all the aesthetics you imagined.

Silver lining

Still, there is one silver lining to this: having memory loses. Generally, it’s a bad thing. Terrible. Exactly like “Before I go to sleep”. But, in this case, it helps a lot. With a short memory, if you let 3-4 years pass away, the memory of the book will have been gone, almost completely. Now, you can start fresh, watch and enjoy a great movie adaptation, as well.

Win – win situation.

What’s your take on this?

Do you watch a movie after reading the book ? I think this is a juicy subject 🙂