Do You Read the Book First, or See the Movie?

[Kirstin]

This can go either way for me. When I've enjoyed a book and I find out there's a movie, I'm always excited to watch it. If I've seen a movie and find out it's based on a book, I will want to read the book. The latter is less disappointing.

I watched a couple of episodes of GOT before I read the books too. I'm glad I did. It helped me to remember all the characters.

[Kandice]

As an added note, if I watch a movie and am at the theater, as opposed to on my couch, I always stay for the credits and if I see that it is based on a book I feel compelled to find it and read it so I can compare. Same goes for television shows. That just happened with both Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy and Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman on Netflix, even though in those cases I was on the couch!

AND fill in any blanks, like Malina said.

[Malina]

Kandice wrote: "As an added note, if I watch a movie and am at the theater, as opposed to on my couch, I always stay for the credits and if I see that it is based on a book I feel compelled to find it and read it ..."

I also read Orange is the New Black after watching the series! I will admit I like the show better

[Susan]

Anarchic Rain wrote: "generally, I prefer reading the book and then watching the movie... I've always liked my imagination over another's and I don't like when movies force the appearance of characters on me...maybe it'..."

I agree that I usually like the book better but sometimes am pleasantly surprised by the movie.

[Read me two times]

Susan wrote: "Anarchic Rain wrote: "generally, I prefer reading the book and then watching the movie... I've always liked my imagination over another's and I don't like when movies force the appearance of charac..."

yeah, that's true...sometimes movies aren't so bad...but they're rare cases to me XD

[Susan]

I honestly prefer the book first. This is because when I watch the film, the characters are kind of stuck to me, I already have an opinion or image in my head and when I read the book afterwards, its just more difficult to separate it.
For instance, I read reasently "Different seasons", and I just couldn't help comparing the stories with all three adaptations (I don't think " The breathing method" was filmed). "The body" especially, cause its one of my favourite movies, but I must say I was satisfied with it :P.

[Kandice]

Susan wrote: "I honestly prefer the book first. This is because when I watch the film, the characters are kind of stuck to me, I already have an opinion or image in my head and when I read the book afterwards, i..."

I agree for the same reasons. I want to picture the characters MY way first. I know readers who don't really picture characters, and I understand that, but I do. Very detailed, so I don't want an actor infecting my idea until I've imagined it alone first.

[Vex]

I read books before seeing a movie or seen movies before reading a book.My conclusion is see a movie first.Because movies are always worse then book.Maybe you get some spoilers but it won't ruin your reading pleasure.I read boooks and was very angry how bad movie was and gave up after 30 min.I never managed watching a movie after I read book.Books after watching a bad movie is like sunshine after months of rain.Movies tend to skip foward to most important parts of book but mostly change vital points of story that help you understand things between lines and on the end miss whole point.For example is book The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo and the movie (american and foreign version kf movie are eqally bad).Any person read a book and seen a movie will know exacly why I gave this as example.

[Nick]

Veka wrote: "I read books before seeing a movie or seen movies before reading a book.My conclusion is see a movie first.Because movies are always worse then book.Maybe you get some spoilers but it won't ruin yo..."

Actually Veka, You are generally right, but I think movies and books are different art forms, the director of the movie interprets the story in his or her own way. That's why I can live with the film and book versions of The Shining (though the book was better) still King is a genius and so is Kubrick. Examples of books that are better than movies? Forrest Gump; Pinocchio, Frankenstein (the borris karloff - version.) But generally you are right.

[Jeff]

I like to read the book generally. It was super important to me to read Inherent Vice before the movie comes out. I only wish I had read the Shining before I could see the movie. And I agree with Nick in that the Kubrick version is not the book version, but merely the same general idea presented not only in a different media, but also from a different perspective.

[Vex]

Nick wrote: "Veka wrote: "I read books before seeing a movie or seen movies before reading a book.My conclusion is see a movie first.Because movies are always worse then book.Maybe you get some spoilers but it ..."

I agree with Shinning.I always mention The Shining as book is equally good as movie.But known fact that Stephen King didn't like Kubrick's The Shinning.
Actually I read a book before seeing the movie. I was in high school and I read The Shinning,and The Green Mile.
But I forgot books because 10 and more years later I saw movies based on these books.

[Nick]

Veka: Right. The Green Mile is pretty good too... as is Christine (but in that case) not quite as good.

[Margaret]

Generally I prefer to read the book first , but every now and then, it happens to see the film before I read the book. Usually the book is better, but I can live with a decent movie. What makes me furious is when characters , motives, ideas are changed. And I won't ever accept a different ending. Sometimes it alters the whole philosophy of the book.

[Nick]

Margaret wrote: "Generally I prefer to read the book first , but every now and then, it happens to see the film before I read the book. Usually the book is better, but I can live with a decent movie. What makes me ..."

I agree Margaret, but then Disney became a great success doing that. Maybe because some of the original stories his writers adapted were just too monstrous.

[Terri]

I prefer to read the book first. I have been known to boycott a book because I have allready seen the movie.

[Tanja]

I tend to read the book first,if at all possible. I've read a lot of books way before they were made into films,and that excitement about seeing someone else's vision of the same thing is priceless to me..I like to compare them with mine,see if they work better or worse than mine. Although there is a risk of being disappointed with the film,I still prefer to read first.One of the books that made a great impact on me was I Am Legend, and the end of the book is pure genius,as opposed to the film,which I liked,the atmosphere in particular, where I was just sad because they'd rather make up alternate endings than stick to the ending proposed by the book,and author himself.

[Leah]

I actually prefer to watch the movie before reading the book. Watching a movie doesn't really effect my enjoyment of the book. For that matter, I have never really minded the changes made while adapting a book into a movie. Movies and books are two different mediums. Movies are never going to be exactly like the books so, my view is why compare them. In fact, the only movie adaptation that ever bothered me was Secret Window. I absolutely loved that short story but I can not stand that movie. But I'm not sure why.

[Sheila]

Leah wrote: "... Watching a movie doesn't really effect my enjoyment of the book. ..."

While it personally doesn't matter to me in which order I do it, book first or movie first, I do completely agree with your statement. Likewise, I've read books that, in my opinion, have been horribly written but have such a captivating premise that I've thoroughly enjoyed the film or television program that it inspired.

[Romina]

Normally I'll read the book, which is what I'm currently doing with Under the Dome, but I'm saddened to see that it's not attracting me like SK books normally do. I've heard so many good things about the series I really want to read it before watching.

[Kandice]

Craig wrote: "I started to watch The Stand on Youtube in tandem with reading the book and apart from slight changes here and there it's pretty good so far. I usually prefer the books over film or tv adaptations ..."

I don't use them very often, but ATMs always make me think of that scene. :D

[Suburbansteve]

I try to read the book first as there's so much more depth to a book than a movie, that's not to say I haven't really enjoyed some of his books translated to movies ie: Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Salems Lot and quite a few more but my choice is book first.

[Ashley Marie]

I try to read the books first, in regard to any adaptation. However, SK's books/adaptations seem to be the opposite for me -- the only book I've read prior to seeing the film was Pet Sematary (both fantastic, I thought), but I've also seen Misery, the Shining, Cujo, It and the Green Mile. And Shawshank.

[Thomas]

Book is primary. I don't really care for movies too much anymore in general

[Dee]

Book first, then the movie to compare.

[Masa]

reading it first. nothing is better than the book.

[[deleted user]]

Ordinarily I don't want to see the movie first, because I don't want spoilers. If I read the book first, then I'll just enjoy the acting and cinematography of the movie.

However, I just got this graphic novel in the mail today: The Dark Tower, Volume 1: The Gunslinger Born and I might read these before reading the novels. I just read the first paragraph of the novel and it's beautiful writing. So maybe they're both awesome.

[Kandice]

Eryk wrote: "Ordinarily I don't want to see the movie first, because I don't want spoilers. If I read the book first, then I'll just enjoy the acting and cinematography of the movie.

However, I just got this g..."

For some of us that have been King readers for decades, it was just so thrilling to get a visual for the DT series. The graphic novels cover a lot that isn't brought up in the books. Extras, if you will. They are well worth the read and the illustrators are all marvelous.

Jae Lee is one of my favorite illustrators of all time.

[Susan]

book first

[Ron]

For me, I try to read the book first. I enjoy seeing how a director interprets a good book.

[Cody]

Mostly read the book first, but not always. There are times when the movie is better though, like with "The Silver Linings Playbook". In my opinion anyways.

[Ron]

Cody wrote: "Mostly read the book first, but not always. There are times when the movie is better though, like with "The Silver Linings Playbook". In my opinion anyways."

Now that was a good movie. I didn't read the book, so couldn't compare.

[Kandice]

I thought Silver Linings were both (movie and book) amazing, but in different ways and for different reasons. They were like two different things.

Kind of like King's The Shining and Kubrick's The Shining.

[Cody]

"Silver Linings" the book just didn't have the same magic (for me) as the movie did... Maybe if I read the book first it would be different.

[Ron]

Truth be told, I hadn't even heard of the Silver Linings book before the movie.
I thought the Gone Girl book came off a bit better than the movie (the ending really angered a lot of people I know).
I'm thinking Kandice is right about The Shining. But it's one of his books I never read because I saw the movie. I plan to go back and read the one's I missed.

[Susan]

I think, as lots of people on the group said previously, The Shining book and the movie should be treated as two seperate entities, rather than a direct interpretation. Just like J-f, I loved the film, and then I read the book, and the movie lost all the magic. Better to think of it as two different stories.

[Kandice]

Cody wrote: ""Silver Linings" the book just didn't have the same magic (for me) as the movie did... Maybe if I read the book first it would be different."

I like all of Matthew Quick's work. It has this kooky, but believable charm, and even the less than believable stuff (ahem, The Good Luck of Right Now) I love because his characters are so defectively charming.

The movie cashed in on that, but presented the story in a more mass appeal sort of way.

[Aditya]

I prefer to watch the movie first because I usually find the book with its more detailed plotting is more often than not the superior version of the story. Let's put it this way if a book is good the movie may be either good or bad depending upon how it's adapted to the screen but if a book is crap the movie is sure to be a mess.

The few exceptions where the movie was better than the book - The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist, Fight Club.

[Paul]

If it's a work by one of my favourite authors, I always try to read the book first. If it's by an author I'm not too worried about, I don't mind which way around I experience the story.

It's rare but there are films that have been better than the source material, in my opinion.

[Miriam]

Aditya wrote: "I prefer to watch the movie first because I usually find the book with its more detailed plotting is more often than not the superior version of the story. Let's put it this way if a book is good t..."

I agree with you. I like to see the movie and if it's good I read the book. I always find the book better than the movie even though I enjoy the movie.

[Andrea]

Depends on the buzz about it. When a movie is about to come out it becomes pretty easy to decide where it's better to read the book first or let it slide and go to the theaters.

Last time it happened to me was with Gone Girl and I'm glad for having read the book first...

[Aditya]

Andrea wrote: "Depends on the buzz about it. When a movie is about to come out it becomes pretty easy to decide where it's better to read the book first or let it slide and go to the theaters.

Last time it happe..."

I had the exact dilemma with Gone Girl and read the book first. I liked the movie but it felt lacking compared to the book even though David Fincher is one of those rare directors who almost follows the book scene by scene.

[Nick]

There's an old saying in Hollywood, "Good books make bad movies, bad books make good ones." After giving a pretty harsh review to the book, The Notebook, I decided to check out the film... definitely better, not as sappy. The screenwriter was much better than old Nick Sparks, especially at dialogue and narrative. The movie did change the story quite a bit, (There's an old saying it hollywood that goes something like: "Hey, it's a different medium.") Generally most of what was good about the story was maintained though a few of the book's better ideas were omitted. Can't really recommend either the book or the movie... unless you're trying to seduce someone over the age of 80.

[Ron]

Nick wrote: "There's an old saying in Hollywood, "Good books make bad movies, bad books make good ones." After giving a pretty harsh review to the book, The Notebook, I decided to check out the film... definite..."

Got to admit, I had a crush on Rachel McAdams in that movie.

[Andrea]

those melòs they always sound way better on film than on paper....

[Andrea]

Aditya wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Depends on the buzz about it. When a movie is about to come out it becomes pretty easy to decide where it's better to read the book first or let it slide and go to the theaters.

Las..."

I liked the movie but unlike it happened with another Fincher movie, the girl with the dragon tattoo, I felt that knowing everything took something away from the movie..

[Nick]

Ron wrote: "Nick wrote: "There's an old saying in Hollywood, "Good books make bad movies, bad books make good ones." After giving a pretty harsh review to the book, The Notebook, I decided to check out the fil..."

Rachel McAdams is wonderful, and beautiful, actually everyone I've talked to liked the movie, cried at the end, etc. The part of the story that's left out of the movie tells how Ali became an international success as a painter before she contracted Alzheimer's. The fact that SHE wrote the notebook isn't in the novel (I'm pretty sure.) That was a very nice touch.

[Ron]

Nick wrote: "Ron wrote: "Nick wrote: "There's an old saying in Hollywood, "Good books make bad movies, bad books make good ones." After giving a pretty harsh review to the book, The Notebook, I decided to check..."

I also read the book, but just can't remember its details. I'm sure you're right Nick. Movie beats book on this one. One of Sparks books that I did enjoy (or most of it) was Three Weeks With My Brother. It's a non-fiction book.

[Nick]

Ron wrote: "Nick wrote: "Ron wrote: "Nick wrote: "There's an old saying in Hollywood, "Good books make bad movies, bad books make good ones." After giving a pretty harsh review to the book, The Notebook, I dec..."

I'll check it out, Ron.

[Meliss]

Do you think you should read the book or see the movie first?

[Rhian]

I always try to read the book first and I actually avoid some books because I've already seen the tv program or film