[juzzza]

"Not as good as the book". Sound familiar?

15 years ago or perhaps not so long ago thinking about it, movies did not have the technology to match our imaginations. Books were always far more powerful, with cheesy monsters, such as crocodiles with spines stuck on their backs appearing in movies.

Now though things are different.

The Matrix
Minority Report
Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
X-Men

Are books still that much better than movies? I am finding it harder and harder to find the time to read and must be honest, I would rather see an epic movie with all the surround sound and gobsmacking visuals hollywood can muster!!!

Let me know what you think using the poll and by posting your opinion.

Thanks

[Nevyn]

It is a question that I have asked myself only recently , but still came to the same conclusion that I do every time = books far outstrip movies for storyline and feel . For me it is all the thinking that goes with decision and actions that make the story , something that cinema will never be able to achive. Movies tend to leave out too much of the inbetween eg. the building relationship between Gimli and Legolas in LOTR .

I do enjoy a good movie , but prefer a well written book . On the other hand I don't think reading Toy Story or Shrek would have done them any justice at all :D

[kahnovitch]

It depends a lot on the genre of the story being told. Fantasy and particularly SF are becoming synonymous with special effects and CGI and obviously films are easier on the schedule than books. Even lengthy ones like LotR.
Books are still fantastic for their simplicity though. You can take them/read them virtually anywhere and they will always go deeper into the story and characters than a movie ever can.
A lot has to be said for (or against) the director and cast for films too. Many stories with huge film potential have been completely ruined by bad casting or confused screenplays etc.

Books for me (despite not having read one for years :o )
But some films (if well done) can add new dimensions to the story.

[Dominus]

Originally posted by Nevyn

I do enjoy a good movie , but prefer a well written book . On the other hand I don't think reading Toy Story or Shrek would have done them any justice at all :D

I'm in total agreeance!:) Movies are good for quick entertainment, and maybe some thought afterwards, but a well written book is hours of enjoyment (roughly), where you interperet what the author says, and make the world and characters you own.

[Richardb]

I would hope to not have to give up either... but given a choice between reading and going to see movies, reading wins. There is a richness of experience that only the imagination can truly capture. In movies, directors make it their job to tell us what to thing, to show us what emotions we need to understand, and to generally orchestrate the experience. A book is more like life, the experience is what YOU make of it, and is based on how you respond to the words and give them meaning.
Movies = wonderful
Books = magical
Show me the magic.

[kater]

Books, I enjoy the visual but imagining my own pictures is much more fun, also some books can never be translated to film( Ender's Game damn it all) well enough to do credit whereas the reverse is not true.

[kegasaurus]

I;ll use the medium of radio to further RichardB's point. In the early nineties a teacher of mine brought a tape with him into school, just to show us what an active imagination could do. It was a ficticious news report on the draining of Lake Superior and replacing the water with something else (Think it was chocolate, but can't remember)

Anyways with the paorew of suggestion and the magic of sound we were taken to the Lake and those of us we great imaginations could see the works going on through the sounds of the labouring pumps, the machinery and the like. I know you could do this now in the movies, but it would never have the same magic and scope that only the imagination can truly give you.

[milamber_reborn]

Can't choose. Books and movies are both great in different ways.

[I, Brian]

No special effects can match imagination.

[fluffy bunny]

There's no both option

I'd say film, books and comics are all totally different medium and the choice of the medium used depends on the story and what the author is trying to convey.

Books- easier to convey a person's thoughts and feelings. Easier to convey vast concepts not suited to the other 2.

Comics- in between. Making still images flow and seem to move is an art form in itself. A lot of modern comics however fail to make use of one of the medium's best story telling devices- the thought bubble. A picture is said to be worth a thousand words.

Film- less concept conveyance. A feeling of up close and personal but easier to convey short action sequences etc. Closer to the action if done right. I prefer horror and comedy in film to book. Not neccesarily (eg donnie darko, memento, twelve monkeys) but generally less work on the part of the viewer. It's a totally different experience (in a similar way I'd say theatre was different from film, and radio plays are different to theatre).