Have you ever gone and seen the film adaption of a favorite book? Of course you have. Did the movie disappoint? There's a good chance it did. Or maybe you see the preview for a movie and know it's based on a book and scramble to read the book before seeing the movie? Or have you seen a movie, found out it was based on a book and added the book to your TBR?
Why the blazes am I asking all these questions? Well, you're in luck. I'll tell you. I've done every one of the above mentioned things and started wondering which is better, watching the movie first or reading the book?
Of course this implies you've neither seen or read either. So let's play that hypothetical game, shall we?
When you read the book first it can be fun to see all the characters you love brought to the big screen; watching to see who's being cast as who and debating whether that was the best choice. And when Hollywood gets it right it's glorious. Or you see the movie and it's a train wreck. It feels rushed and they leave out all the good parts or, worse, they completely change everything, and not for the better.
When you watch the movie first and enjoy it; learning there's a book is like finding a twenty dollar bill in your pocket you'd forgotten about. You get to enjoy the story all over again and get the story from it's source. And the book is always so much more detailed than the movie. Of course, sometimes you find the book a little too long and detailed, or maybe you agree with the changes Hollywood made (I'm looking at you, The Bourne Identity).
So say you've seen the preview for a movie based on a book. What do you do? Do you hurry and read the book in preparation or do you watch the movie as a sort of preview of the book?
I think I've finally decided. I prefer watching the movie first. It takes two hours to watch a movie and (for me) much longer to read a book. If the movie is bad or rushed compared to the book but I haven't read the book than I can't do any comparing. That way, I usually enjoy the movie and then read the book and when it's way better than the movie, which it often is, I get to enjoy them both. Make sense?
What about you? Which do you prefer?
I always read the book before I see the movie. There have been very few book-based films I've liked more than the book itself, so that's my general rule of thumb. That being said, I'm going to see Ready Player One without reading the book because I've tried several times and I just can't get through it. I've heard the movie cuts out all the detail and focuses on the action + it's at the dollar theater, so score! Even if it sucks, I'm only out a couple bucks.
ReplyDeleteExactly. That’s how I feel. That’s why I watch the movie first...mostly.
DeleteI used to be a purist and always tried to read the book first, but now I'm just busy and tired, which means if the movie ends up being really good, I sort of feel like I no longer have to read the book. (ie, Room, The Maze Runner, etc.) ;D
ReplyDeleteYeah, it’s a time saver for sure.
DeleteIf it looks like a movie that has a book that would interest me I will read the book first. If it sounds like something I am on the fence about, I will watch the movie first. There have been a few times that I thought the movie was better but usually the book is better no matter if it is read before or after the movie.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. There are a few movies that are way better then the books which surprise me but it happens.
DeleteI think there is good and bad to both. What if the movie is terrible and the book is awesome? I prefer reading the book first.
ReplyDeleteTrue. There’s no easy answer.
DeleteIf I don't read the book BEFORE the adaptation, I will never read it. I think they probably included the major plot points from the book, so it's kind of spoiled for me. I try not to set my expectations of adaptations too high, and I sort of enjoy finding the differences between book and adaptation.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can see that. I’ve never minded being spoiled so it doesn’t bother me much.
DeleteI used to think I should read the book first before watching the movies but nowadays I'll watch the movie first and if it looks good I'll probably follow the book.
ReplyDeleteYay! That’s what I’ve finally decided works best for me too.
DeleteThis is such an interesting discussion! I do a mix. I like reading the book before seeing a movie most of the time, but there's something so special about watching the movie first and then diving into the book and learning more! :)
ReplyDeleteRight? It’s a hard decision and even though I prefer wathing the movie first I still keep reading the books first on certain stories.
DeleteThis is such a difficult decision! Personally, it varies a bit for me. Like some of the other commenters, I used to be a purist and would only read the book and delay watching the movie. However, I didn't do that for Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings and it turned out really well! Watching the movies first actually gave me a bit more of a visual and helped me enjoy the movies more. I think I maybe just got a bit lucky with that, though, because if, for example, I had watched the Percy Jackson movie before reading the book, I would have never picked up the series. I suppose if a movie looks like it has a good premise, I'll watch it first and then read the book. I guess it just doesn't matter too much to me anymore. If I have an opportunity to watch the movie or read the book, I'll take it, regardless of the order.
ReplyDeleteLaura @BlueEyeBooks
That's true. If the movie looks bad or is bad it's not very enticing to read the book. Ugh! There's just no easy answer.
DeleteIf it's a book I like then I'm always glad to have read it first- that way if the movie is good it's a bonus, and if it's bad I can just say well that sucked and move on lol. But... when I see a movie first sometimes that works too. Divergent was that way for me, and I went and read the book and enjoyed it just fine. So I gues it depends... ideally I'd read the book first, but if not *shrug*. I have seen a few movies where afterward I had no desire to read the book, I felt like the movie covered it for me, if that makes sense...
ReplyDeleteIt does. It's a tough decision and either the book or the movie can sometimes ruin the chance of us checking out the other. Sigh!
DeleteI've almost always read the book first... but in truth that does usually make the movie worst for me.
ReplyDeleteReally?! I usually end up hating the movie if I read the book first. Or at least being really disappointed.
DeleteI prefer reading the book first, because sometimes movies will hint at things that happen in the book. For example... in one of the Harry Potter movies the snake knocks him into a really strange room that doesn't get mentioned again within the movies. However, that room holds a lot of significance in the books. It's nice to look for those small things in movies, because there's no way they can include everything.
ReplyDeleteA lot of times the movie is a huge disappointment, too. Percy Jackson, Eragon, etc. I felt like they didn't do their books justice.
L @ Do You Dog-ear?
Yeah, there's been some really horrible movies made based on books and if I'd seen them first I don't think I would have read the book which would be a shame.
DeleteI always read the book first, if possible. If I'm not interested in the book, I'll watch the movie probably not necessarily first, but only.
ReplyDeleteI find myself reading the books first a lot, even though I've said I'm going to watch the movie first. I guess it depends on the story. I'm probably making this far too complicated. Sigh!
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