Books have been around for thousands of years and have helped us learn, relax, or stay entertained for generations. movies, on the other hand, despite being much more modern, have gained massive popularity in the last couple of decades.
While both books and movies have different advantages and both are attractive in their own way, the battle between books and movies continues.
You are reading: Books better than movies
Book-to-movie adaptations have been around for over a century. The first was made by Georges Méliès back in 1899 when he premiered an adaptation of Cinderella from the Brothers Grimm story and “King John”, the first film based on Shakespeare’s works.
As you can see, the book vs. movie dilemma is much older than one might think.
Are books better than movies?
The general consensus seems to be that yes, the books are better than the movies. Of course, that very much depends on who you ask, because some may have a different opinion and will also have some examples to back up their claims.
The fact that most teenagers these days would rather watch a movie than read a book is considered by many to be one of the signs of the downfall of our society. and clearly there is some truth to it.
Reading has incredible benefits for our mental development, it can make us better people, more empathic beings and much wiser. a society that does not value reading is a stain on our history and can end up bringing out the worst in most of its members.
That said, anyone who reads a book instead of watching a movie has much more to gain from the experience, even if both the book and the movie tell the same story. So one thing that’s clear from the “reading books versus watching movies” discussion is that reading is much better for us.
Now, comparing a book to its film adaptation is another story. Most will agree that the books are always better than the movies that came after them, but there’s more to that story than that.
why are books better than movies?
There are a couple of very valid reasons why the books are better than the movies. here are the most important ones.
1. books give the reader a more complex experience
let’s think about it: how long does it take to read a book and how long does it take to watch a movie? clearly, the books will keep you entertained for much longer. While most movies will finish in two hours or less, you can enjoy a book for days depending on how long you spend reading.
This gives you more time to absorb the story, to fall in love with the characters, making the story more real, involving you more and allowing you to better appreciate it. Not to mention, the author’s writing style, descriptions, and metaphors liven up the experience considerably.
2. books encourage readers to let their imaginations fill in the gaps
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allow the reader to imagine what the characters are like, what they sound like, where the action is taking place. visualizing is a big part of the reading experience and plays a very important role in our mental development.
Being able to create your own image of each character, imagining what they sound like, makes reading a book a much more personal experience than watching a movie. our own interpretation becomes our mental property and is unique to each and every one of us. the movies just aren’t the same.
3. books will always contain more details than a movie
While the record for the longest movie ever made stands at a whopping 35 days (857 hours), we all know that the standard length of a movie is between 80 and 120 minutes.
Regardless of how accurately writers, directors, and producers would like to transpose the book into film, it’s virtually impossible to squeeze hundreds of pages of details into 90-120 minutes.
This is why reading a book instead of watching a movie will give the reader a much more complete idea about the action, the characters and the story.
why shouldn’t books be movies?
Most book lovers believe that no book should ever be made into a movie. and the reason for that is quite simple: most movies can never live up to the standards and expectations that the books set.
There are always important details left out in movies, certain lines (or most of them) are changed, and places sometimes don’t look anything like what is described in the book.
Not only that, but what’s even worse is that any film adaptation comes at a huge cost to filmmakers. and to make a profit, they usually need to make the film “commercial”. this always damages the final product and forces the producers to put the book in a different perspective in order to get as many people as possible to pay for a movie ticket.
Are movies better than books?
It might seem like a completely pointless question at this point considering all the amazing information we presented above about the books.
While the general consensus is that the books are always better than the movies, as with anything else, there are exceptions. there are cases where certain movies are better than the books, as you’ll see later. however, watching a movie is never better than reading a book.
However, movies have their advantages, and some adaptations are made with great respect and love for the book that started it all.
why are movies better than books?
First, let’s accept that some movies are works of art. Not all movies are commercial productions meant to generate as much cash as possible. creating a film is as artistic an act as writing a book. and there are cases where the creators of movies were better artists than the writers of the books the movies were based on.
Movies have certain advantages for those who enjoy them and there is a reason why they are so popular today. while it’s definitely not something that happens very often, here’s why the movies are better than the books sometimes.
1. it takes less time to watch a movie than to read a book
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We all lead busy lives and we know how valuable our free time is. with movies running between 90 and 120 minutes, they are a much quicker way to explore a story than reading the book.
While clearly not the best way to go, whenever you need to quickly find out what a book is about, watching a movie is a bit more helpful and more fun than reading the book summary online.
2. movies are more visually stimulating
For those of us who lack imagination, movies can be much more pleasurable experiences than reading a book. Imagination levels vary from person to person, and while some of us can create vivid images in our thoughts as we read, others have difficulty visualizing anything other than smooth images.
For those with lower levels of imagination, the movies do the work for them. there is no need to imagine what a character would look like when he is played by an actor on a screen in front of you.
3. the actors can bring the characters to life
Speaking of characters, we have to admit that the actors who play them in the film adaptation can make or break the movie. while some offer mediocre returns that diminish the value of the end result, others can turn things around and transform projects into masterpieces.
what are some movies that are better than the books?
here are a couple of movies that are clearly better than the books they are based on:
look at the examples I presented above. no one can imagine forrest gump as someone other than tom hanks and who can think of don vito corleone without imagining marlon brando’s performance?
The contribution that good actors can make to a film adaptation of any book is hard to put into words.
conclusion
While the discussion between books and movies is clearly far from over, one thing we know for sure. reading is much better for us than watching movies. without ignoring the advantages of seeing film adaptations of your favorite books, we recommend that you read the book first and watch the movie later.
If you’re having a hard time motivating yourself to read the book, knowing that you’re just a couple of clicks or taps away from seeing the movie adaptation, the good news is that there are some solutions to increase your appetite for reading.
basmo is a reading tracking app designed to help readers of all ages and levels become more organized with their reading habits, to help them find the time to read every day and achieve their personal goals.
you can use basmo on ios and android and these are just some of the amazing features you can enjoy if you give it a try:
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