Why movie is better than book?

While both books and movies have different advantages and are both attractive in their own way, the books vs movies battle keeps on going.

Book to movie adaptations have existed for more than a century. The first one was done by Georges Méliès back in 1899 when he released a Cinderella adaptation of the Brothers Grimm story and “King John”, the first movie based on Shakespeare’s works.

As you can see, the books or movies dilemma is a lot older than one might think.

The general consensus seems to be that yes, books are better than movies. Of course, that depends a lot on who you ask, because some may have another opinion and they will have some examples to back up their claims as well.

Many consider the fact that most teenagers these days would rather watch a movie than read a book to be one of the signs of our society’s downfall. And there clearly is some truth there.

Reading has incredible benefits for our mental development, it can make us better people, more empathetic and a lot wiser beings. A society that doesn’t value reading is a stain in our history and can turn out to bring out the worst in most of its members.

That being said, anyone who reads a book instead of watching a movie has a lot more to gain from the experience, even if both the book and the movie tell the same story. So one thing that’s clear in the “reading books vs watching movies” discussion is that reading is a lot better for us.

Now, comparing a book with its movie adaptation is a different story. Most will agree that books are always better than the movies made after them, but there’s more than one side to that story.

There’s a couple of very valid reasons why books are better than movies. Here’s the most important ones.

Let’s think about it: how long does it take to read a book and how long does it take to watch a movie? Clearly, books will keep you entertained for a lot more time. While most movies will be over in two hours or less, you can enjoy a book for several days depending on how much time you spend reading.

This gives you more time to absorb the story, to fall in love with the characters, creating the story more real, getting you more involved and allowing you to appreciate it better. Not to mention that the author’s writing style, the descriptions and metaphors considerably spice up the experience.

They allow the reader to imagine what the characters look like, how they sound, where the action takes place. Visualizing is a big part of the reading experience and plays a huge role in our mental development.

Being able to create your own image of each character, imagining what they sound like makes reading a book a much more personal experience than watching a movie. Our own interpretation becomes our mental property and is unique for each and every one of us. Movies just aren’t the same.

While the record for the longest movie ever made stands at a whopping 35 days (857 hours), we all know that the standard film duration ranges between 80 and 120 minutes.

Regardless of how accurately the writers, director, producers would like to transpose the book into a movie, squeezing hundreds of pages of details into 90-120 minutes is practically impossible.

That is why reading a book instead of watching a movie will give the reader a much more complete idea about the action, the characters and the story.

Most book lovers believe that no book should ever become a movie. And the reason for that is rather simple: most movies can never meet the standards and expectations the books are setting.

There’s always important details that are being left out in movies, certain lines (or most of them) are changed and the venues sometimes look nothing like what’s described in the book.

Not only that, but what’s even worse is that any movie adaptation comes at a huge cost for the movie producers. And in order to make a profit, they usually need to make the movie “commercial”. This always hurts the final product and forces producers to put the book in a different perspective in order to get as many people to pay for a movie ticket as possible.

It might seem like a completely pointless question at this point considering all the amazing information we presented above about books.

While the general consensus is that books are always better than films, like with anything else, there are exceptions. There are instances where certain movies are better than books, as you will see further below. Watching a movie is never better than reading a book though.

Movies do have their advantages though, and some adaptations are actually done with great respect and love for the book that started it all.

First, let’s agree that some movies are pieces of art. Not all movies are commercial productions meant to bring in as much cash as possible. Creating a movie is as much of an artistic act as it is to write a book. And there are instances where the movie creators were better artists than the writers of the books the movies were based on.

Movies do come with certain advantages for the ones who are enjoying them and there’s a reason why they are so popular nowadays. While it’s definitely not something that happens very often, here’s why movies are better than books sometimes.

We’re all living busy lives and we know how precious our free time is. With movies lasting around 90-120 minutes, they are a much quicker way of exploring a story than reading the book.

While it’s clearly not the best way to do it, whenever you need to quickly find out what a book is about, watching a movie is a bit more useful and more fun than reading the book summary online.

For those of us who lack imagination, movies can turn out to be much more pleasant experiences than reading a book. Imagination levels vary from one person to another and while some of us can create vivid images in our thoughts while reading, others are having a hard time visualizing anything other than bland images.

For those with lower imagination levels, movies do the work for them. There’s no need to imagine what a character might look like when he’s portrayed by an actor on a screen in front of you.

Speaking of characters, we have to admit that the actors that play them in the movie adaptation can make or break the film. While some deliver subpar performances which decrease the value of the end result, others can turn things around and transform the projects into masterpieces.

Here is a couple of movies that are clearly better than the books they are based on:

Look at the examples I presented above. Nobody can ever imagine Forrest Gump as being anyone else other than Tom Hanks and who can think of Don Vito Corleone without picturing Marlon Brando’s performance?

The apport good actors can have on a movie adaptation of any book is hard to explain into words.

While the books vs movies discussion is clearly one which is far from being over, one thing we know for sure. Reading is a lot better for us than watching movies. While not ignoring the advantages of watching movie adaptations of your favorite books, we strongly encourage you to read the book first and watch the movie afterwards.

If you’re having a hard time getting motivated to read the book, knowing that you are just a couple of clicks or taps away from watching the movie adaptation, the good news is that there are some solutions to increase your appetite for reading.

Basmo is a reading tracking app designed to help readers of all ages and levels be more organized with their reading habits, to help them find the time to read every day and to reach their personal goals.

You can use Basmo on iOS and Android and here are just a couple of the amazing features you will be able to enjoy if you give it a try:

So tell me, who has time go through 600 pages of a Harry Potter book? I mean people do not read anymore, and even if they do, trends in reading have changed. They prefer to read a summary or may be watching a video on the topic, but no one would be crazy enough to read a 600-page book just to know what Marauder’s Map attributes were? Time is money these days, and after such hectic schedules, people hardly get time to read.

Yes there are E-Books to cover that part, but then there are still many crazy book nerds who “love to collect books”. They go crazy as soon as a book is launched. I mean, it’s better to watch a movie rather chopping of trees to publish one. Create a movie collection rather than having so much bulk paper which will rot away one day!

You can only read a book alone! But when you watch a movie, the experience is different and amazing. You can plan out movie day with friends and family, order great food and watch. Now, have you ever seen or heard having a book day out? Plus book reading is a sacrosanct exercise. There are no two people reading together a book. Even if there is, then there are book clubs for discussion. Otherwise, people always prefer to read alone.

It’s tough to read the same book again and again. Whereas one can watch a movie again and again, as many times as the person likes. There are some classic movies like Shawshank Redemption which I may have watched almost 5o times but never got bored of it. And not just Shawshank, imagine Godfather series, reading the book Vs movie series. Yes, the movies the freaking amazing and they have made up my many lonely weekends. But one would avoid reading Godfather book series on the weekend.

Honestly, books are too much detailed. For even a simple object as a sky, a book might have a 4-page introduction for it. This can make any one crazy! Movies, on the other hand, don’t get into too much detailing. But that doesn’t mean movies ignore it too. They only showcase the most important and exciting parts in 2-3 hours. And that is all the beauty! Everything crisp, to the point and in fact covering all the main areas of a book too. Harry Potter series hardly missed much out in their movies. Some of the areas were tweaked to fit in 2-3 hours, but if JK Rowling is not complaining, what’s your problem?

If there were no movies where will you get those peppy dance numbers or those amazing romantic songs which you sing and dance on? Books can give you ideas and words and profound insights into humans, but not peppy numbers which you believe it or not, are a necessity these days! Have you ever set ringtones or downloaded background scores of Game of Thrones out of a book? You just proved how important role movies play in filling up your shuffles and mp3 players.

Book readers claim that while reading, they imagine the words taking form in front of them which in-turn makes book reading enjoyable. Some people are imaginative and can imagine Hazel saying goodbye to Gus in Fault in our Stars. But we prefer that Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort enact that scene for us so that we can cry too, just like book nerds claim to when they read the book!

Overall, people have their preferences. We never judge book nerds, but then let’s not create a ruckus if a great movie is being made out of a great book. You can also check out why books are always better than movies and series article as well.

Watching a movie is much more easily consumable way rather than reading a book. A motion picture is more visual and easier to remember, compare with written works like books. Reading can push your imagination cause you'll be a part of the story, yet a movie helps you visualize the situation easily.

The Mountain Between Us, It, Murder on the Orient Express, Wonder, My Cousin Rachel. These films released in 2017 have one thing in common, and you may have guessed it already: They were all books that were later adapted into movies.

Similar to its affinity for sequels and remakes, it seems to me like Hollywood is increasingly looking to books for inspiration for the next blockbuster hits. From a business standpoint, it makes total sense because producers can draw on the popularity of a certain book and use that to their advantage when it comes to marketing the film’s release.

As an avid reader, I am always excited at the news that a book is being adapted as a feature film. My mind is occupied by thoughts of who the actors/actresses are going to be (and if I approve), if the film will stay true to the book, and most importantly, if the movie will be just as good as the book. The thought of finally being able to visualize what has only previously been limited to my imagination is always an exciting prospect.

However, I am usually underwhelmed after watching a certain film based on a book, and if you asked me a year ago which one I would prefer: the movie or the book, I would have immediately chosen the book.

Hands down. No doubt. However, within the past year, I have come to appreciate movie adaptations of books more because I have realized that comparing books to their counterpart movies isn’t fair; at the end of the day, the two mediums of storytelling have different advantages and different qualifications for what makes them good. Like Stephen King once said, comparing one to the other is like comparing apples to oranges. They are both great sources of entertainment, but they aren’t comparable. For those still reluctant to accept this theory, I’ll be delving more into this age-old question: “What’s better: books or movies?” I’ll make a case for each argument and let you make the final call.

The popular belief is that books are often a hundred times better than their movie counterparts; if you need any further proof, just take a look at the following Washington Post visual.

Books are great because they allow the reader to be a part of the story; we are the observers that have insight into the character’s thoughts and feelings, and all the nuances that create three-dimensional characters. With books, there’s just more. More detail, more focus on character development, and more depth to the meaning of the artwork. It’s also the more time-consuming form of the two, and after finishing a novel, after a couple of hours of being immersed into a different world and mind space, it seems like you have suddenly been thrust back into reality.

On the other hand, the great thing about movies is their ability to show, and the overall experience of watching one. While reading a book, I often have a movie reel playing in my head. I can map out the setting, I can see the characters’ expressions, and I can empathize with their emotions.

However, watching the same story unfold on the big screen is a different experience. While reading spurs your imagination, a movie helps you visualize all the elements of the books that were previously confined to your imagination. It immerses you into the story in a different way than a book.

For example, instead of reading about the magical world of Harry Potter, while watching the movie, I can actually see what J.K. Rowling means by “He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild – long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of dustbin lids and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins.” To put it simply, movies make it easier for us to just lean back and enjoy the show.

An added benefit of movies is the music and visual designs that enhance the experience of watching a film. Imagine, for example, that you are watching an emotional scene. It’s the climax of the story, and in the background plays a gentle orchestra, that eventually swells into a big crescendo as the story reaches its resolution. In that moment, you feel exactly what the characters feel, and your heart races along with the melody of the music. So although (in some cases) the audience might not have a play by play of the characters’ thoughts and emotions, movies have another way of conveying the emotion and tone of a certain scene.

If you feel like further exploring this age-old debate personally, come down to Media Services to check out movies even the worst critic would have to admit are just as good as the books. Don’t know where to start? Try Pride and Prejudice, Psycho, Jaws, The Godfather, etc.

Until next time! RE

Robiati Endashaw is a sophomore studying public policy analysis in KSB with a minor in Economics. In her spare time, she enjoys reading non-fiction and watching crime documentaries.