And dare I say it: is there any movies that are actually better than the book?

With the number of movies produced, it is inevitable to come across a movie or it’s trailer that is on your to read list of books. Perhaps it’s those classic stories, that you have promised yourself you will read one day. Or a new book that has been so successful, it gets made into a movie before you’ve had time to get on with reading it.

It is bound to happen; the statistics speak for themselves:

“In the past 10 years, film production has doubled, going from 4,584 in 2005, to 9,387 in 2015.”

Quora: How many films are produced each year? Answer by Zachary Brown

And this number will only increase with coming years.

Therefore, when faced with temptation, is there any benefit to watching the movie first? Does the universal rule still stand true that: you shouldn’t watch the movie till you have read the book? Should you always force yourself to read the book first, alone, while your friends enjoy the experience of a thoroughly good movie? Interesting questions that have always created a heated debate, here is my take on this.

Benefits of watching the movie first:

• You can decide if you actually want to read the book, based on whether you enjoyed the movie. There is no disappointment if the movie doesn’t live up to the book.
• You can enjoy the movie for what it is, instead of continually comparing it to the book in your mind. You won’t miss out on the social aspect of seeing a film with others. You will be able to discuss your favourite character, actor, drool over the hunky man/ sexy woman and get blown away by the soundtrack and cinematography.
• You don’t have to read the book. Time is precious: a movie condenses the book into a two hour romp, whereas a book can take many hours and days to read.
• The movie is not spoiled when you realise that what you are seeing never happened that way in the book.
• If you do decide to read the book after, you can visualise the actors from the movie in the book, instead of having the dissatisfaction of seeing actors on the big screen that do not reflect your imaginings. It will also help to navigate the book better when characters appear and you already have an image to a name.  

Benefits of reading the book first:

• More detail – obviously! A film only has a short space of time to convey its own message or/and the author’s message and story line.
• You are your own creative director, not the film maker. In a book you can live, breathe and become the characters that you imagine inside your mind, instead of viewing them in the external third person.
• You will get what you want out of the book, rather than a movie spoon fed version of the Hollywood message/interpretation of the story.
• You will not be influenced by a bad movie or movie reviews into not reading, what is actually, a very good book.
• Your own imagination turns the book into a reality in your mind, but a movie is someone else’s imaginings of the book.

“Books let you feel everything and LIVE everything.. You can be anything and everything. There are no limits. No restrictions. Nothing is impossible, nothing is out of reach…. And that…that is why books are always better.”

The Guardian: Are books better than films? by BookAddictGirl

Reading through this list. Both options have their benefits. Honestly, I have never read the book after watching the movie adaptation. Though I have watched movies of books I have read and felt a disappointment when they haven’t followed the story.  Some have even added in story lines that did not appear in the original book (Hobbit). However, particularly in fantasy adventure stories, the stunning imagery of battle sequences and places have enraptured my senses and I have been swept away in the breath-taking cinematography.

 I have also watched films that I thought were far better than the book. Me Before You: I was far more emotionally engaged with the actors than the characters in the book and Breaking Dawn Part 2, Twilight Series: I had to watch at the cinema twice because the ending was spectacular, bringing Alice’s vision to life in a way that I couldn’t in my mind.

Perhaps with films it depends on genre, artistic expression, and how far the director veers away from the original story as whether you should watch the movie first. Or perhaps it also depends on your own mood, feelings, maturity, situation you are in, location and emotional responses at that time, when reading a book or watching a movie.

Everyone has their own interpretation of every film they have watched or book they have read. However, all films whether books or screen plays are basically words on a page brought to life.

What are your thoughts? What is your preference? Would you watch a movie before you read the book? Do you have any films that you thought were better than the book?

Ultimately: Films allow you to enter their world, books let you become their world.