Book first or movie first?

[rik17]

This is a very tricky scenario. Sometimes it seems watching first and reading after that is a better option because then you can have a deeper understanding of what the characters felt in the film by reading the book.

But there are other cases in which reading the book first is always a better option. For instance, The Girl on the Train movie will definitely ruin the book for anyone.

[Fliesie01]

I love to read the book first. There is only so much detail they can put in the movie, and the author's voice can get lost with the changes they make for the movie. With books, it is the author's hard work that you can see, and you feel so connected to the author. There is a lot more detail in books than in movies.

[AuthorAbhishek_]

I prefer books over movies. I watch a lot of movies but I read books more than movies. Because book gives you the insight, complete story that can't be shown in movies.
Consider Harry Potter series. There is lot more in books than movies, and that makes me sad as many scenes are in the books but not in movies.

[underthe_cloudyskies]

Personally, I prefer going through the book first usually to exercise supremacy of the phrase "In the book they actually.."
But speaking as a reader I like to judge that whether the movie was a good adaption of the book or not, and I want to become familiar with the characters and their thoughts throughout the story (which cannot be conveyed easily in the movies).

[Chiagbanwe]

I always love to read the book first before watching the movie. Let's say, the movie will be the perfection of all the imaginations I had running through my head while reading the book.
Besides, let's admit it. Sometimes, movies are preferred to books. Sometimes. So, the bad wine goes first to make way for enjoying the new wine.

[EmmaZ]

If possible, I'l always read the book first. I love to imagine the world the story is set in along with it's characters on my own before I get to see them in the film. Also, most books are a lot better than the film adaptation so I prefer to read the book first to that I can judge the quality of the film by what I've read.

[keiyoshi]

Definitely movie first! Reading the book after watching the film just adds depth to the story and in the end will make you feel better and satisfied, whereas reading the book first will only leave you disappointed for the lack of details in the movie.

[azidy]

In most cases, I would read the book first. There's usually so many details left out in the movie that might help me understand the characters or the plot so I would feel like I had to rewatch it after reading the book. The times when I prefer watching the movie first is if I'm unsure whether I'd like the story or setting and watching a movie takes less time. The disadvantage to reading first is that I have specific images of characters and places in mind and I tend to get disappointed with the movies, but I'd prefer to know all the details.

[Joel_Samuel]

If there's a book to every movie I would definitely go for the book first. Because in the movies they'll edit and also add more scenarios to make it look better, just be viewed more.

[tafta]

I prefer to read the book first have my imagination going, it is always a perfect escape from reality for me. When the movie comes, it is just a bonus.

[shamayelnur]

I feel book first. And after reading the book I might not even watch the movie. The book usually seems to connect with me better and I can feel every sentence in my own mind. This doesn't usually work with the movie for me. So yeah, definitely book first then maybe the movie.

[sydneyk25]

Its a toss up for me. If i am aware of the book before the movie, (like when Harry Potter and Twilight were big franchises) I will always make an effort to read the book first because I like to let my imagination fill in the images to go with what I am reading. Then, when I get to see the movie, I can enjoy how someone else has imagined it. That someone being the director. Its somewhat comforting knowing how the story is supposed to play out. Being able to understand and explain to others why a certain character does something or what is going to happen ultimately is satisfying. It is also sometimes enraging however. When a director or the writers completely veer off from what happened in the book, it can totally screw with your sense of accomplishment in knowing whats going on. I have also seen movies before knowing that books existed. This is also interesting to me because it is the opposite of the experience with book first. Watching the movie first gives me images of characters and visual memories to be able to compare the movie to the book. For example, I read Jurassic Park and The Lost World by Michael Crichton recently and both books were far better than I could have imagined. Going into reading them, I had my entire childhood of watching those movies over and over again to help me navigate the books. I wont spoil anything for potential readers, but the books are DRASTICALLY different from the movies. There are much scarier scenes that were left out of the movies for being to terrifying. Even some of the characters either are different or aren't in the movies at all. The second book's plot line is not even close to the movie's plot. Long story short, both ways can be amazing. If i had to chose one or the other for the rest of my life, I think i would go with book first.

[Sminnich]

I like to read the books first. I found that typically when a book is made into a movie they change events or even names of characters. This annoys the living daylights out of me! The book is authentic and that's what makes it better than the movies.

[Purneemaa]

Without a doubt, Books first!! I always have a feeling that not many movies can do justice to the books from which there are adapted. There are a few exceptions but I stick to the fact the books always come first.

[Zainabreadsnow]

Book first. I really enjoy knowing what is going to happen before watching a movie but if i already know what is going to happen i will probably not read the book.