Reading the real book versus Watching the movie

[extreme]

what do you think?? i have read some books and seen some movie. 1 example is harry potter. the book is excelllent but the movie is ahem and the lord of the ring. volume 1 is boring but the other 2 volune is nice including the movie for part 2 and 3.

[Caprio]

Personally, reading a book is always better than the movie which is adapted from the book. Most of the scences are trimmed off due to time constraint. Therefore, to truely appreciate the beauty the story, reading the book is always a better choice.

[celestial_sacred]

I agree that reading the book is much more better, but I'm not the one that loves reading. >_>

[Herlene]

Reading is definitely better! When you read a book, you can appreciate the beauty of the language and you can really feel it as your imagination stretched and flow together with the stories.The same cannot be be done with movies, though.

[ayja]

what do you think?? i have read some books and seen some movie. 1 example is harry potter. the book is excelllent but the movie is ahem and the lord of the ring. volume 1 is boring but the other 2 volune is nice including the movie for part 2 and 3.

Same goes for the Da Vinci Code

and Memoirs of a Geisha (ps..her eyes are of a different colour!!)

[Herlene]

When reading the book,we'll get to know the characters better as we know about their feelings,thoughts etc.However, if you are watching the movie,certain elements like inner conflict cannot be portrayed well no matter how good is the actor or actress.And it is not quite possible to follow each and every details in the book for adapted film without turning into a boring and long-winded movie.

Hence, I think it would be better to read the book first before watching the movie...

[syamil_1]

reading the book is definitely better but there are some exceptions. Like I prefer LOTR movies over the books. PS I Love You book rocks but the movie sucks.

Im a big fan of Jodi Picoults and Ive read The Pact few times as well as some other of her books. The Pact has been made into motion pictures but I couldnt find them anywhere.... I saw it selling on E-Bay but they dont ship to malaysia... Any idea where I can get the DVD? or VCD doesnt matter.

and The Alchemist should hit the cinema by next year! cant wait.

[ling ying]

Watching a movie iscertainly better.It has visual and audio effects.

[Gabrielle90]

i think reading is better... u'll get to know the story line, characters, sprightliness of the story and bla bla bla better... some movies didnt go as the stories in the books... even the movies are going as the stories in the books, certain parts of the stories in the books are removed... but i do agree watching movies gives better picture regarding the story...

[schem]

reading is better coz we can imagine the characters on our own....i mean, by reading, we can decide the scenery, the way the characters talked and how they look like. I was rather disappointed to see the character in PS I LOVE YOU in the movie is not as handsome and beautiful as I imagined..haha..

[Glassylicious]

In my opinion, whether people prefer movies or books largely depends on the strength of their imagination and imagery skills. Interpret that as you will. =P

[vimal06]

Yeah i agree with glassylicious but for people who with avid imagination that can practicallly vision the characters and the story will actually feel rather disappointed when the movie comes out. Haha.. For me, Harry Potter movies havent managed to step up to the image of their respective books..

[phoenix1892]

Reading the real book is definitely better, coz there are limits to what they can do in movies, but in the book, there're isnt. It all depends on the imaginations of the authors and us readers. Anything can happen in books, but not in movie. Plus, in movies, they have to cater to the casual viewers, so sometimes a lot of changes are made in the movies...

However, sometimes I prefer the movies. For example, Narnia, I can't stand the books, but I quite like the films...

Yeah i agree with glassylicious but for people who with avid imagination that can practicallly vision the characters and the story will actually feel rather disappointed when the movie comes out. Haha.. For me, Harry Potter movies havent managed to step up to the image of their respective books..

I agree, the movie versions of Harry Potter are bad...except GOF. Let's hope HBP and the 2-parts Deathly Hallows will turn out to be as true to the books as possible.

[Caprio]

Reading the real book is definitely better, coz there are limits to what they can do in movies, but in the book, there're isnt. It all depends on the imaginations of the authors and us readers. Anything can happen in books, but not in movie. Plus, in movies, they have to cater to the casual viewers, so sometimes a lot of changes are made in the movies...

However, sometimes I prefer the movies. For example, Narnia, I can't stand the books, but I quite like the films...

Yeah, it depends.

For instance, watching the movie Iron Man is definitely reading the book since it is action packed.

[extreme]

i think the best way to feel nice is if you wanna watch the movie then never go read the book. if you wanna read the book don;t bother to go see the movie.

pheonix1892 i don;t wuite a gree with you i read the book it's better than the movie. the 1st narnia movie is so boring. though i only read a part of the book but it's still better than the movie. just for narnia though.

[cuteranger]

for harry potter movie i am quite disappointed with the characters as it didn turn out from wat i imagine in the book
haha for example i imagine cedric to be very handsome but he turn out looking OK only:P
just my opinion and one more thing i imagine sirius to be handsome too >.<

[castle]

reading books wastes too much time for me because i just hate sitting down and read and not move a muscle for hours at times...its just too unhealthy for me,id rather go skate.so,a two hour movie is preferable for me rather than months worth of books.

[SoHaiNoob]

Read is totally better lohh...... Movie sien oh... I hate go movie wan oh~~~ Everytime sure sleep wan~~~ Poeple like me cannot go date with gf watch movie wan... Confirm sleep wan..... If book ahh... Wahhh...read till morning also can ohh.....

Baru book.. if DOTA, 1 week non stop also boleh... MUHAAHAHAHAHAA.. how i wish there is a story bout DOTA... Cool ohh... Sentinel Vs Scourge.. Maybe i write 1 for myself and post it in the Net~~~ LOL... owning~~~

[extreme]

there is story about warcarft not 100 percent towards dota la. you can go www.blueserver.org if i'm not mistaken. go to the story corner there. there really are story about warcraft. quite interesting but i so long did not go read liao lor.
;-)

[syamil_1]

reading books wastes too much time for me because i just hate sitting down and read and not move a muscle for hours at times...its just too unhealthy for me,id rather go skate.so,a two hour movie is preferable for me rather than months worth of books.

i read while walking, cooking, pooing, when got stuck in the traffic jam, eating, I read just about anywhere. Once you get used to it youll find it entertaining.

[SoHaiNoob]

there is story about warcarft not 100 percent towards dota la. you can go www.blueserver.org (http://www.blueserver.org) if i'm not mistaken. go to the story corner there. there really are story about warcraft. quite interesting but i so long did not go read liao lor.
;-)

Thx dude for the info.....

[Miracle_seed]

I'm quite reluctant to start reading a book, but once I start I'm going to finish the book in shortest time possible, unless the book is really plain...

By the way, I heard that the movie trilogy of Lord of the Rings is much more interesting than the books, my friend told me you'll fall asleep very soon if you read the book...

[syamil_1]

I'm quite reluctant to start reading a book, but once I start I'm going to finish the book in shortest time possible, unless the book is really plain...

By the way, I heard that the movie trilogy of Lord of the Rings is much more interesting than the books, my friend told me you'll fall asleep very soon if you read the book...

yeah thats what happened to me

[senksiang90]

This is very subjective as it depends on one self's own thoughts. In books, we need to fantasize how a character looks like, the settings of the scenes, and so on.. As humans have different levels of imaginations, those who fantasize less will think that movies are better than books while those who fantasize a thousand and one things from a plot will say reading is much better. Hence, there will be difference of opinions whether movies or books are better. For me though, I find LOtR movies absolutely thrilling and exciting compared to the books. As for Harry Potter, i enjoy reading more than watching the movie. Other movies like the Golden Compass and so on.. the movie just tries to show too much until it loses its originality. However, no one is wrong or right in wanting to read or to watch. As long as we enjoy what we do, that's what's the best for us!!

[Caprio]

I'm quite reluctant to start reading a book, but once I start I'm going to finish the book in shortest time possible, unless the book is really plain...

By the way, I heard that the movie trilogy of Lord of the Rings is much more interesting than the books, my friend told me you'll fall asleep very soon if you read the book...

Yeah, strongly agree.

The books are very long winded and to the extent, boring. Perhaps due to my relatively poor command of English, I was struggling to finish the books as I encountered infinite words which are beyond my comprehension.

[extreme]

Yeah, strongly agree.

The books are very long winded and to the extent, boring. Perhaps due to my relatively poor command of English, I was struggling to finish the books as I encountered infinite words which are beyond my comprehension.

haha 1 way to overcome it would be to understand the whole sentence. don;t care much about the single word that you do not understand.that way you can still enjoy the book.

[Caprio]

haha 1 way to overcome it would be to understand the whole sentence. don;t care much about the single word that you do not understand.that way you can still enjoy the book.

The problem is that there are too many single words that I don't understand, they are hard seen in daily writings.

[extreme]

The problem is that there are too many single words that I don't understand, they are hard seen in daily writings.


hmm.. like that ar. you might as well have a walking dictionary beside you la. don;y choose book that are too hard for you la. see your ability lor. if not you must search dictionary which will make you bored. ;-)

[eve88]

LOTR is quite a difficult read... especially for a 1st novel! - firstly because of its length, also because the writer is being descriptive and that kind of imagery takes a rather large vocabulary, plus all the regressions - poems, songs, history, backstory...

(but the simillarion is worse, it reads like a history textbook - im staying away from that).

I recommend reading The Hobbit first, just to get used to JRR Tolkien's writing style, and see whether u like how he writes.

As for watching movie vs reading... well, i like to do both (yeah, sitting on the fence here) but i prefer reading first - then the movie makes more sense - especially if lots of things are edited out - and i get to, um... compare my interpretation of events/ppl with the movie.

other books to read which there is a "movie" version :
The jungle book (and the jungle book 2, for the whole thing) by Rudyard Kipling, which is both easy and hard. Easy, because the storyline is straightforward, hard, because ... well... Kipling wrote it ages ago so the vocab will be quite different. still easier than LOTR.

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (Northern Lights/The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass). um... havent watched the movie The Golden Compass, but the books are fairly interesting. Its fantasy, but not really the typical "sort" of fantasy (not the generic elf/dwarf/magic/dark magic/sorcerer fare).

my rm0.02.

[music_freak28]

reading the real book is definitely better because it's up to our imagination to interpret the book in the way that is suitable to us. Like movies are actually what others, like the director or producer might have imagined and it may not be what you really expect so that kinda ruins the mood. Plus, movie likes to cut off details, sometimes very important one making the story a little weird. Harry Potter is the best example for this. The book is many times better than the movie.

I don't know about LOTR though.I mean, I enjoyed the movie. I never really manage to read that book because it was soo thick and the first book was dull even if i skipped the poem part of it.

Basically, I think most of the time the movie will turn out "nice" if we haven't read the book.So definitely,reading the book is better

[hajar]

I'll say that movies rarely do justice to the books. Albeit, certainly this relies heavily on the individual's interpretation of the book.

[PeiWen]

Most of the time the endings for the movies are different from the books. Somehow or rather, the producers are still concern on the society's wishful endings as a whole.

[ayja]

I'll say that movies rarely do justice to the books. Albeit, certainly this relies heavily on the individual's interpretation of the book.

I so agree with you! The book describes every single detail so you can have a mental picture of the situation. And when you watch the movie you are truly dissapointed by the fact that the details don't match, and the worst, the storyline totally differs. Sighs.

[clep]

Reading a book is a more personal thing than watching a movie, because you get to shape your own perceptions of the characters and scenes. I guess it depends on individual preference, though - I'm all for the book, though I don't deny that some movies better their paper counterparts. Also, books can contain more details than a movie, and thus be a 'richer' experience, simply because they rely on your imagination, and they don't have time constraints on them. E.g. Philip Pullman's HDM trilogy would be hard to translate to standard-length movies, judging by the amount and intricacy of themes in it.

I think the best way to experience a book or a movie would be to walk right into it without knowing anything about it beforehand, so nothing is present to affect your experience. One afternoon when I was in primary school I wandered over to the fiction section of the library, pulled out Fellowship of the Ring, and finished the rest soon after. Nobody told me it would be a humongous read, have convoluted vocabulary, or that it was LOTR, so I read it with an open mind. On the other hand, I read a lot about the movie versions and was terribly disappointed with them when I finally watched them, especially the second and third, because I had been hearing rave reviews and the like.

I'm also for books if they are the original versions of the story, especially long and detailed ones, because I can rarely stand to see scenes omitted/added to cater to mass audiences, or characters turned upside down to fit the general public perception.

[Li Shan Shung]

Reading the original unabridged book is tonnes better than watching the movie. Some bad examples would be Eragon, Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia.

In the novel we can use our imagination to interpret the book. Readers decide how a character looks like based on description given while movies just bombard viewers with what the film company thinks they look like.

The movie need to squeeze 400++ pages into 2 hours so they omit the most interesting parts. Not to mentioned they even changed the storyline. After the movie, it's "poof". The End. But we get to enjoy the book again and again. Each read reveals something we missed out before.

Personally, I think that books-based on movies and movies-based on books are not as fun as the original run.

[kid]

well, i juz watch d hery poter HBP trailer,quite promising lol., hope the movie is as good as the book...

[chopiex]

One thing you can be sure, if you read Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, you will find that the movie version is exactly based on the book. It is not such a disappointment to read and watch Kite Runner.

But my suggestion is, u read the book first, then watch the movie. Why? That's because the movie is taken directly from the book, thus, when you start to read the book afterward, you will know what happen next in details because the movie has interpret the exact storyline.

Please kindly read my brief review on kite runner in my blog and give comments :))

http://chopiex-ffntasy.blogspot.com/2008/06/pathway.html

[poutingdoll]

I prefer reading the book first before watching the movie (: But of course, not everyone is pleased with movies adapted from books. I think the directors or movie producers or whoever is in charge should gather informations, ideas or maybe surveying the readers to get their opinions or thoughts about the books before making a film. Like what scenes should be there, what scenes can be removed.

**rant alert**

I remembered the watching the last H.P movie, everything was nice except for the dual scene == It was so crowded and so fast and I think it lasted less than 5 minutes only, UGH!! The elaboration on each dual is not enough unlike the book...The same goes to Twilight!!! The crucial love chit chat and the point where they attempted to understand each other in the meadow IS NOT THERE!!!!! Klah, got a bit, but there's no conversation and only gay music is played! All my friends who never read the book was so confused in the end, because everything is rushed and all.

---

I think the director must read the book first and try not to alter too much if it's "adapted", unless they just wanna buy the copyright of the characters and start their own story (Like Wolverine, Superman and all) That..I don't mind lah, other than that it's best for them not to change anything, best selling books are not best selling movies (:

[Boyz_Zoo]

I prefer reading books before the movie as books is more specific. It tells the whole story the way it is unlike movies which is a synopsis of the story as the length of the movie has to be short.

[nickvl]

Yeah i prefer reading the book before the movie...movies rarely do justice to them...take da vinci code...if u did not read the book by then end of the movie pening because it's hard to follow the storyline in the movie.

Besides that characters in movies seem rather one-dimensional whereas in books the characters are fleshed out and sometimes the good guy is flawed and the bad guy is..still bad..haha (some have almost justifiable motives) but in books the lines between good and bad is blurred and presents a lot of grey area which leaves a lot food for thought.

Likewise, once i've seen a movie, i rarely read the book too...

[ponyo]

Take Confessions of a Shopaholic for example. The story's screwed up in the movie! Like the part where Rebecca's supposed to debate with Luke (was it Luke?) on financial stuff, in the movie they changed it to something else.. Something like they went to this one show TOGETHER, not as a debate :notrust

I believe novels are better by itself rather than being transformed into a movie.

UNLESS you read books like Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons that needs time and patience and even difficulty in breathing while you're reading, I bet watching the movie is satisfying enough :P

[BattleBoyz]

UNLESS you read books like Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons that needs time and patience and even difficulty in breathing while you're reading, I bet watching the movie is satisfying enough :P

Hey, reading the books are much better than watching the movie... Many interesting parts of the novel are cut in the movie.

By the way, I heard that Harry Potter 7 movie is being seperated into 2 parts. If its true, then maybe the movie will be much better than those previous ones. :P Still I prefer reading books more than watching movies.

[popiouiuyuio]

I love reading and books so I would definitely say Books > Movies

I feel the reading the book brings you closer to the characters. There are a lot of things in words that you cannot truly express in visuals within a limited time. You can pause anytime and wonder what would have happened if he said it a different way. You don't need to stick to what the movies have dictated to you.

[blessusall]

i think it is better to watch the movie first then the book. that way, the movie can't really let you down.

however, there are some movies that i like better than its' books. eg. PS I LOVE YOU

but almost always, the book is better than the movie.

[Leen]

Movies are not full representation of the books. In order to truly appreciate the story, books are definitely superior to the movies.

If the books feels challenging (like the Lord of the Rings for example), then I'll encourage people to watch the movie first and then go back to the books. That way, it becomes easier to digest the content of the books.

[shakira]

interesting thread~~ books wins hands down!
simple example is HP... the half-blood prince was more like a romance movie!
the revelations in the book was extreme.. yet it was not shown in the movie..