Book first or movie first?

[lololove29]

I try to read the book first. I prefer books to movies anyways, and like to have my first impression of a story come from the written form, not the theatrical form.

[SqueakyWilliams]

I'd say I like reading the book first, but it's not always my favorite thing. I'd love to be one of those that can sit and read and then go to see the movie and enjoy it. But not me. I don't like going into a movie expecting what's in the books. You like to convince yourself you don't, but after spending hours growing close to the characters, you can't see that movie with a blank slate of emotions and thoughts. So I prefer to watch and then read. Rare is it that I find a movie to be far superior to the book, so it's more an affirmation of yes, go read it!

[Lindaleemom]

I typically like to read the book first. There is so much more character development in the book and you feel like you "know" them better. Also detail, a movie will leave out details because of time constraints.

[mewsmash]

Always the book first, so I can see if the movie lives up to the book. If I see a bad movie before I see the book, I might not want to read the book anymore, whch would just be a waste.

-- 16 Jan 2017, 10:11 --

Always the book first, so I can see if the movie lives up to the book. If I see a bad movie before I see the book, I might not want to read the book anymore, whch would just be a waste.

[Mrshunter+]

Book first so i can see what they did with it.

[scarletterayneauthor]

Hello everyone! This is always a fun question to answer. Because I have done both...read the book, then watched the movie...or vice versa. Books that I have read first then watched movie: Memoirs of a Geisha, The Shining, Atlas Shrugged, Girl on the Train, The Stand, The Firm, and yes...the FSOG books! Now the vice versa: Girl with The Dragon Tattoo Series, The Dexter series (even though that is TV), Fight Club, American Psycho. I am sure there is more on either methods, but that is what I can recall at this moment. I have to say, each has their pros and cons: I love the idea of having a blank canvas in my mind before I read the book. I picture the characters and places the way I want as I read. But when I see the movie, I am quite disappointed because it's so different. I am constantly trying to look for the similarities and differences from the book as I watch the movie. But also I am sometimes surprised that some of the details I imagined from the book is spot-on in movie. When watching the movie first then reading the book, I am limited to what I can imagine because all I can see is the actors from the movie as I read the book, but this doesn't bother as much. In short, I don't have a preference. If I happen to do either or first, that's just a product of circumstances. I have fun with it either way.

[Fatema5253]

I always read the book first, because if I see the movie first I just can't read the book as I kind of know the plot and then it makes the book seem uninteresting, even though the book is always better than the movie. And honestly if I read the book I'll never watch the movie afterwards as the movies based on books always suck compared to the books.

[Mark Johnson]

Usually the book first, although sometimes you see a movie and you wonder if it was a good book. Or maybe someone mentioned after you saw a movie that the book was way better.

[CrystalSnow]

Definitely book because in reading you can fashion your own reality of the book. You also often get a closer look into the characters minds which can better your understanding of the storyline, and it is left out a lot in films.

[Cowgirl888]

Without a doubt the book first.

[christacarb1]

I usually read the book first if I know that the movie is based on a book. Sometimes, I am late to the party, like I was with Maze Runner, and saw the first movie before reading the books, not knowing it was a book beforehand. After reading the books, I like to watch the movie when it comes out to sort of compare and contrast and understand why the movies changed certain things or left things out.

[rogersjeffrey]

I've always felt disappointed with the movie if I've read the book beforehand. More times than not, the movie is really good. However, I find myself less engaged in the movie because I have a good understanding of what will happen. My suggestion will always be to read the book first. Watching the movie first will bias your mind's ability to creatively imagine the settings, the characters, and the internal suspense of what may happen next in the story. Just my two cents.

[kandscreeley]

For me, it all just depends on which one I stumble across first. For the Harry Potter series, I saw the first movie, and that made me want to read the books. So I read all of the rest of the books before I watched the movies.

[cjohns105]

Always book first. Anytime I think a particular movie looks good, I go out in search of the book it's based on. Sometimes there isn't one, but most times there is. The same goes for TV series. For examples I made myself read all the Game of Thrones installments before allowing myself to start the HBO series. I'm doing similar things with series like Outlander and The Last Kingdom right now. I definitely think it's worth the time spent.

[sakini]

As many of the other posters to this question, I too prefer to read the book first. If I find out that a book is being made into a movie, I try to find a copy of the book as fast as I can. I have done this for A Monster Calls and Ready Player One. I often get annoyed when I see a film and then discover that there is a book. If I really enjoyed the movie, then I will read the book. I will say that I am less inclined to read the book if I have seen the movie, which is how I feel about reading Gone Girl or The Lovely Bones.