Many movies remain very true to the book. Others only follow the core of the book's story, while mostly taking poetic license with the plot and the characters.



There are many reasons that make these movies what they are. For example, the length of the movies is set to be between one and a half to two hours, while books come in different lengths, from short stories to long 600-page books spanning several generations. In the past, full length movies were about an hour and a half. They even had an intermission in the cinema to allow people to take a break and buy some refreshments. Nowadays, full length movies take up to two hours without intermission.

Many descriptions in books, such as scenery, can be presented in a few seconds in a movie. In books, this may require many words. In a movie, one picture is indeed worth a thousand words. On the other hand, many feelings or thought descriptions are not as easy to present in a movie.

While reading a book, the reader has the freedom to imagine the characters as they like while in a movie, the director and the casting crew will make that choice for the viewers. This often leaves big gaps between the choices. There is a whole industry of casting whose job is to find the actors that are most likely to fit into most people's imagination of the characters, but even the best selections cannot fit everyone's style.

When comparing books to full length movies, there is always the dilemma about which parts to include or omit. In films like Eragon, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, the books included many details that the movies did not. This is a typical situation as books always contain more details and descriptions and the chance that the reader and the director or the script writer will choose to include the same details are low.

People can be divided to two groups, the ones that like to see the movie first and read the book later and those who like to read the book first and watch the movie after. Watching and then reading gives you all the details, but takes away the surprise, because you already know the main plot and the ending by the time you read. Watching after reading allows you to experience a different interpretation of what you have read, imagined and experienced but may result in disappointment from the movie.

Most people like both reading and watching to have a complete experience. All they need is to take into consideration that there are advantages and disadvantages for each option: reading and watching or watching and reading.

One particular challenge for the book-first approach is that by the time you are finished reading, the movie may not be showing in cinemas anymore. Fortunately, Internet technology has made it much easier to get your hands on any movie whenever you like. Every person with a computer and access to the Internet can easily download full length movies and watch them at the comfort of their home. While in the past, going to the movies cost money (for tickets, travel and perhaps babysitting) and took time, today, people can download any movie they like and watch it whenever they like for close to nothing.

If you're going to read your next book then stop and download that movie from the internet.