Movies vs Books

Do you prefer to watch a movie first and then read the book, or vice versa?

I’ve done it both ways. Here are some movies I’ve watched that have spurred me to get the book: City of Ember, Legend of the Seeker, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and the Alex Rider teen spy series, beginning with Operation: Stormbreaker. Even my husband has enjoyed these books, most of which are YA novels.

Legend of the Seeker, on the other hand, is based on Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth epic fantasy series (see Wizard’s First Rule to get started). After seeing this show on TV, I was delighted to learn there were twelve books waiting for my reading pleasure. It didn’t matter that Disney altered the storyline to suit their audience. Both were equally enjoyable in their own right. Terry Goodkind is about to release a new book about his beloved characters. I can’t wait to read it.

Now we’ve discovered I Am Number Four after renting the DVD. This is book one in a proposed series, and a movie sequel is already planned. I recognized the hero of this film as being the same actor who played the lead in Alex Rider. Coincidence, huh?

Harry Potter stimulated me in the opposite direction. I read all the books, then devoured the films. I’d say the same for Jane Austen movies. I love those classic romances. Who hasn’t watched Pride and Prejudice multiple times? Ditto for films based on Charles Dickens titles. And another remake of The Three Musketeers will soon appear on screen.

There’s one novel I am not rushing out to read, and that’s the one based on Castle, the witty TV show starring Nathan Fillion as a bestselling mystery writer. I can pass on the book supposedly written by his character because I’m not fond of movie or TV tie-in stories. I’d rather read original works by an author, where the world building originates in his imagination. Thus I’m willing to read books after watching a film based on the work, but I won’t run out to buy a book solely derived from the movie.

What about you? Do movies excite you to read the original book, or would you rather read the book first and then watch the film?

About these ads