Books vs Movie-versions

[Sam]

It doesn't really bother me when movies are loosely based on books as long as they are clear and open about it.

The thing that bothers me are those people that don't bother to read the book because they've seen the movie, like it means they don't need to read the book and the movie tells them everything they need to know. Now that drives me up the wall, especially when you try to explain that the movies aren't the same and they often change things around and leave bits out...but no, apparantly it still counts as having 'read' the book!

Sorry, rant over.

[Sam]

Oh I don't mind that Judy, I'm the same with some genres where I'll only try the book after I've seen the film and it seems more my taste than I thought :-)

The ones that get me are those ones who replace the book with the movie and think that they are the same, the classics are an excellent example of that.

[Janice, Moderator]

If I really like a movie, I will generally read the book because I want to get the real McCoy, so to speak. Often, I will like the book better, although that is not always the case.

The movie that I felt adhered to the book the best was "The Green Mile", but then Stephen King was involved in the screen adaptation. He may have even written it.

[Kat]

Janice wrote: "If I really like a movie, I will generally read the book because I want to get the real McCoy, so to speak. Often, I will like the book better, although that is not always the case.

The movie tha..."

I've even read the book of a movie that I didn't like, but had the feeling the book may be better. Almost always that was a correct assumption :)

But as a rule, I try to read the book first, because I find that if I know how the movie ends, I find myself thinking 'I already know how this ends' all the way through the book!

[Alison]

Im going to see We have to talk about Kevin tomorrow. I dont think Id ever get round t reading the book as it sounds too grim.

[Kat]

I read We Need to Talk About Kevin earlier this year and thought it was great - not nearly as grim as I thought.
Let us know what the movie is like!

[Kate]

I can't wait to hear about it Kat. I read it several years ago (because I'm married to a guy named Kevin) and I agree with Kat - not as grim (but I'm not a psychological kind of reader so it disturbed me on that level). I didn't even know that the movie was out!!

[Alison]

Well its quite a strange movie - all sorts of things being shown in flash back - I don't know if that's how the book is written. There are long passages with very little dialogue illustrating what Eva's life was like before and after kids and before and after the incident. I think Lynne Ramsay is a great film maker. It's very atmospheric. The kid playing Kevin whe he's young is also really good. I'd recommend the movie.

[Diana S]

I liked the movie a lot more than I did the book. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.