Books To Movies

Welcome Back Bookworms

It's been quite some time since I posted and that is because I just haven't felt like reading in a while now. GASP! I know it's crazy isn't it; not reading despite running a book blog. But I was starting to feel bad for not updating this blog so I came up with a post idea and I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 

Books are often transformed from words on a page into visuals on the big screen. The transition from book to movie can either enhance a story or leave the things you enjoyed about it out of the picture. It's always a difficult decision about going to see a movie for a book you absolutely loved. So that poses the next question:

Do you see the movie before or after reading the novel?

I've gone both ways with this one and I'm still undecided as to which way is better. Let me break it down a little bit as to why that is. 

There are series I've read, such as The Hunger Games or Divergent, where I knew the story before seeing the directors depiction of said stories. In the first case, that of The Hunger Games, I was glad to have read the novels first because I had a greater understanding of the dynamics of the Districts and the Capitol; I felt as though I knew it was going on, which is something I wouldn't have achieved if I'd see the movies first. However, in the second case, that of the Divergent series, I was left at a loss because of changes to the original plot. In most cases they were minor details, but they were still deviations from what I was expecting, which made watching the movies more painful than enjoyable.

On the flip side, I've watched movies that I really enjoyed that I later discovered were based on books, so I of course went back and read them. One example of that is If I Stay which I absolutely loved, despite some people saying it was too cheesy or it moved at too quick of a pace initially with the development of their relationship. After watching the movie, I knew I needed to go back and read the original story, as well as the sequel. I loved falling in love with the characters again, but this time through words on a page and not pictures on a screen. I don't know if it would have gone so well the other way around. I also recently just watched Me Before You, a movie that I haven't yet read the book for (though it had been on my list to read). Having watched the movie now, which I thought was adorable, I'm not sure I want to read the book because the movie seemed so perfect. 

The Final Dilemma? 

Reading a book before the movie means you have more insight into what the author thinks about the characters or the plot, but this means you have higher expectations of the movie and become disappointed by mistakes. Watching the movie before reading the book means you have clear images of what the characters and places look like, but it can become frustrating if you later discovering something wasn't replicated correctly which ultimately ruins both the book AND the movie. 

So, I pose the following to you: which do you do first?