TheApple

I have never been one to read fictional romance novels but I recently saw the movie “Twilight” and am now interested in reading the book.  When it comes to books that have movies, in general, do you prefer reading the book or watching the movie?  Is it better to read the book and then see the movie or the other way around?  Do you ever show movies in your class either before or after reading the book? 

mrcrisp says ...

In general the book is always better and the movie just ruins it (in alot of cases). 

Harry potter for one.

Harry Potter was another book that I started reading after seeing the movie.  I only read the first 2 1/2 books before I became bored of them, but I still enjoy the movies.

Usually I am drawn to the book because of the movie but in the case of The Chronicles of Narnia, I read the books first and viewed the movies later. I thought the movie portrayed the book fairly well...at least very close to the way I pictured it.  

When it is the other way around, (movie than book) it's because the movie left me craving more and I know that the book contains more detailed information.

However, I am not a big movie buff and most of the books I read are Informational in nature such as how-to books.

The last movie I saw was Slumdog Millionaire and though I enjoyed it...I did not run out to get the book.

bobblehead says ...

The last movie I saw was Slumdog Millionaire and though I enjoyed it...I did not run out to get the book.

The book is waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy better.... the movie is very loose in its interpretation..... Q&A is a masterpiece, Slumdog was kinda.... cheesy

Samantha,

I suggest reading book four and on in the Harry Potter series. That's where the book is actually better than the movie. Movies 1-3 where pretty much following the story in the book.

P.S. This may ruin some of the movies for you.

I read Twilight in less then a week (my reading record) and loved it.  I did not want to put it down.  It did what I wanted it to, it gave me additional information that the movie left me craving.  I am excited to read the next 3 books and see those movies as well.

 Dear mrcrisp,

Slight correction - the movie "Apocalypse Now" isn't really the film of the novel "Heart of Darkness:' the setting, time, characters and plot have all been "inspired by" the book, but there are MANY differences:

"Heart of Darkness & Apocalypse Now:

A comparative analysis of novella and film

In the opening scenes of the documentary film "Hearts of Darkness-A Filmmaker's Apocalypse," Eleanor Coppola describes her husband Francis's film, "Apocalypse Now," as being "loosely based" on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Indeed, "loosely" is the word; the period, setting, and circumstances of the film are totally different from those of the novella. The question, therefore, is whether any of Conrad's classic story of savagery and madness is extant in its cinematic reworking. It is this question that I shall attempt to address in this brief monograph by looking more closely at various aspects of character, plot, and theme in each respective work."

http://www.cyberpat.com/essays/coppola.html

But, as someone who was in Vietnam, I have to admit that, on the whole, the movie is pretty faithful to much of what I saw going on there (with some exceptions), and it's certainly MILES ahead of a travesty such as "The Deer Hunter", which was "Hollywood Vietnam", a film that many critics (who'd never been within 10,000 miles of the place) liked, but one which anyone who'd actually been there regarded as either a bad joke or an insult.

Coppola's idea to use Conrad's book to tell a story about Vietnam was, in my opinion, simply brilliant.

Nevertheless, to my mind, the BEST movie about Vietnam is Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket."

As for the subject of this forum, I'd say the book is ALWAYS better. I much prefer actively exercising my own imagination to passively accepting that of someone else.

 

 Dear taternutz,

Not if you have a library card.  (And you can get movies there, too.)

arrr me maties,

But your no Johnny Depp, then again even he got killed. 

I was thinking of an older movie, Stargate. the movie was good; so I bought the

book and after that I couldn't watch the movie because they butchered it so badly.

If you have never read the book read it,  it is a great and very quick read.

teacher_411-

Though I loved the movie, as I started and finished reading the books, my feelings about the characters in the movie are the same as yours.  The actors did not show as much emotion as I believe the characters did in the books.