Has it ever happened to you that you read a really good book and then when you saw the movie version of it, you felt it wasn’t enough? Well, I have. I don’t watch the Harry Potter movies as I almost always point out the differences and then I get shushed up by my friends. I didn’t like the adaptation of namesake either, although it really was a very well made movie. While reading a book, I see them in my mind’s eye just as they should be. Then, when the movies are made, it’s as if the directors are telling you this is what a character looks like and this is what a house looks like. It suddenly proves all your imaginations false.
For most readers, reading a book isn’t just reading. It’s as if we are a part of every character in the book. We travel through the pages and we build relationships. We know each character well and we know how they look and what they do. When someone else tells us that this is how it all happened, it’s not a very good feeling.
For people who just watch the movies and have never bothered to read the books, it isn’t an issue at all. They just enjoy the well narrated stories that they see on screen. For the many others like me, it’s a not so pleasant experience. Still, the movies sell, and win awards and all the readers watch them if only to compare and criticize.
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