Books V.S. Movies

There is a huge spectrum of fans for a book series. You have those who hold the book series on a pedestal and call it canon and any movie that dares to ruin this perfect image you have in your head is basically blasphemy. You have the fans who never read the books, watch the movies, and then claim the books are boring because they aren’t as “action-packed” as the movies. You have the people who look up the book’s plot summary on Wikipedia, watch a movie trailer, and then proclaim themselves experts on the entire story universe (news flash, these people are commonly referred to as “posers” and should be educated on how to watch/read a story properly.) And then you have the casual book/movie-goers who enjoy both and don’t sway either way in the book-vs.-movie wars.

Personally, I believe that books and movies are completely different mediums and cannot be compared to one another. They can both be enjoyable in their own ways. But let’s highlight the main differences between the two.

1. LENGTH OF TIME: Think of it logically. Books have hundreds of thousands of pages to describe their worlds. Movies have, at best, a two-hour runtime and, at the absolute best, a series of movies that goes on and inevitably splits the last book into 2-3 parts.
2. ACTION SCENES: Let’s face it, a moviegoer is bound to have less patience than a book-reader. When you read a book, you know that you’re going to have to get through five pages to describe a swordfight. If a swordfight in a movie went on for five minutes, you’d probably be checking your watch and wondering when somebody would just get run through already. That’s why action tends to be “slower” in a book. The movie is the condensed version!
3. IMAGINATION: Whether you’re more of a fan of the book or movie, there is probably at least one character in that series who you “fan” over. They’re the one you’re rooting for. In the books, you get to make this character look like whatever you want them to, within reason. But, in the movies, actors can sometimes jeopardize that perfect imagery you had in your head. Don’t take it out on the actors, but try to enjoy their take on your favorite character as it is. Remember, worse comes to worst, you can just read the book if you’re unhappy with an actor’s performance.
4. REACTIONS: If you’re in a movie theater, the entire crowd ends up leaving you with a sort of bias on how the movie went. If people are cheering at fights and “awwwwwing” over cute moments, that might change your perception of how the movie went. In a book, you’re usually the sole reacting person. Take it as it is.
5. FANS: Fans of a book unite at book clubs. Fans of a movie unite at the theater. Fans of both unite at conventions and have so very much to discuss.
6. SPECIAL EFFECTS: Movies have CGI that may or may not age well over time. Books have your imagination that only ages if you decide to be less imaginative. Poor CGI. Maybe one day it will be just like our imaginations. Maybe not.
7. MUSICAL SCORES: Movies have them. Books usually don’t. Unless you have a symphony in your brain… which if you do, then that is seriously impressive.

And that’s the main few differences I could find. Comment below whether you’ve experienced any of these things or know anybody on the spectrum-of-fandom. As always, happy reading/ movie-watching everybody!