Book first or movie first?

[Melissa Best]

I would have to say reading the book first is usually the way to go, mainly because of the freedom it gives to your imagination. If you watch the movie first, scenes will already be printed in your head and it may take away some of the magic that comes with reading. That being said though, there are a lot of classic movies that people don't even know started out as books, so reading the book first isn't an absolute necessity!

[RonnyCollins27]

This is a loaded question. Some books are best read first. Take Game of a Thrones. I am so grateful I read the. books first because the ending that was created on screen would have turned me off. I know it was a series, but its a good example of read before hand.
Then you have The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I read the book first then watched the movie and I wish I would have watched the movie first.
I believe it depends on the movie, who wrote the book and which one came out first.

[Charlotte Marie]

It usually varies. There are certain books that I'll want to read first before watching the movies. And there are also some movies I'll want to see first before reading the book.

[Allyana]

I would read the book first to understand the plot, then I would watch the movie.

[Shane Lucey]

This is a loaded question. Some books are best read first. Take Game of a Thrones. I am so grateful I read the. books first because the ending that was created on screen would have turned me off. I know it was a series, but its a good example of read before hand.
Then you have The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I read the book first then watched the movie and I wish I would have watched the movie first.
I believe it depends on the movie, who wrote the book and which one came out first.

Interesting. I'd have preferred that The Dark Tower movie didn't exist at all!

Reading the book first is usually recommended, if possible. That being stated, I have discovered a few excellent books thanks to their film/tv adaptations.

Other than books generally being of higher quality - reading first gives the reader more imagination when translating the author's written descriptions into mental imagery. This is hard to achieve after you already see a given character, setting, etc. on screen.

[Jakub Bystrowski]

I really don't have a preference. So long as they are both interesting. I don't mind. I just want to have a good time and enjoy myself.

[Blackstenius]

I like to read the book first and then follow it up with the movie to see how the plot is being put into action. It's like first reading the script, then seeing its execution.

[Hannah Neely]

I love to read the book first! Comparing and contrasting the book to the movie and seeing characters come to life is awesome! One example of a job well done was The Hunger Games trilogy. The screenplay wasn't too different from the books and I can't picture any of the book character different than the actors in the movie.

[Tameka P]

I prefer to read the book before seeing the movie. It doesn't matter how good the showrunner, producers and actors are: one can only do so much and no more with a few hours on a screen. That is why more often than not, the book is better than the movie. The book tells the story in detail, and the film is a condensed version of the book. Not to say that some movies have not done the respective book justice. Especially when the actor reads and connects with the character in the book and the author works closely with them to have the story brought to life in the best way possible.

On the other hand, Shadow and Bone was a happy accident.
I binged watched it in one night. After watching the last episode, I told myself that the story feels like a book. I was right!
Fast forward to today - I've read every book in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy (Well, everything in the Grishaverse: Six of Crows and King of Scars included).

So I've tried both orders (movie first and book first). I enjoyed both.
However, Shadow and Bone is a tv series (not a movie). Therefore, they didn't have to condense the story as much as they would have if it were a movie.

[Meatballs022]

"The Godfather" is a classic movie about a Mafia family in New York City. The head of the family, Vito, is targeted and his son Michael takes action to protect their family. It's well-known for its outstanding acting, storytelling, and themes of family, loyalty, and power. It's considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.

[Mandy Pfister Lee]

I almost always read the book first before the movie. Although, if a movie is already out, I do like to see the cast so I can have a visual of the main characters in my head. I love books and movies, but usually prefer a book version over a movie version any day. So much detail and emotion are often lost when placed on the screen.

[Francisco59]

I would ever prefer to read the book first. Movies cater to audiences and to stories. Key concepts captured by a given book are often at risk of being watered down in favour of more inconsequential details for TV. I only see the movie when I am done reading the book, did same for The Lord of the Rings and did not regret it one bit.

[Francisco59]

I really don't have a preference. So long as they are both interesting. I don't mind. I just want to have a good time and enjoy myself.

Haha, you’ve betrayed your bias even without stating it. When speaking of having a good time, books really don’t compare to movies, that is, for the average person. That’s the risk in seeing the movie first. For example, most of those who saw the LOTR movie are so carried away by the classic fight scenes, the ghostly look of the orcs, and the fine physique of the elves, that they miss out on the ethereal depths of all that. They don’t step in the shoes of their favourite character, they don’t try to feel his or her pain, they don’t laugh for the glory of the laughter when he or she laughs, they don’t sing along when he or she launches into verse, they don’t even roar with fervour when battle comes with a storm, let alone join in his or her spiritual musings at moments of great confusion. That’s no fun, and any cheer or chuckle loses three-fourths of its value. Reading the book first prevent all of that, and vets the reader against the banalizations of TV adaptations.

See?

[Flora Posh]

Sometimes I prefer watching the movie first. That way, I can go back to the book and digest all the details absent in the movie.
Other times, I would gladly finish on the book before I see the movie.

[Anna_Hernandez]

100% book first. I am one of those readers that basically creates a movie in their head whilst reading. I love it, and I feel like it helps me better remember the details in all the books I read over a longer period of time, I can pull the movie clips and remember the book in a way. If I see the movie first it kind of ruins my experience of reading the book, and vice versa reading the book first in a way ruins the movie because the book holds so many more details than the movie, so they will never match up.

Just my preference