The one thing that has always annoyed me about films is that even if a film is exceedingly popular the books are often neglected. It is very common for truly fascinating books to be converted into a film series such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. However, films just don’t capture the same magic that books have. Maybe they’ll cut your favourite scene, or they won’t quite portray it in the way you wanted. I’ve always been sorely disappointed when watching the films of my favourite books.
Books make you work
I believe that the main issue about portraying books in a film is the imagination factor. When you read a book, the pictures in your head is what keeps the story flowing and it’s like you are in a different world. They leave more open to imagination, you see it the way you want to see it rather than the way the producers expect you to see it. This process is also important for the development of young minds (https://whytoread.com/imagination-why-reading-makes-you-more-creative/ ). Words just captivate things far better than the pictures ever will. With books, the reader has the tendency to lose themselves in the world the author has created, particularly with great works of fiction. It’s like you become one of the characters in the book. This is how attachment grows. I personally find it hard to engage the same way with films as I do with books. The story moves far too fast and sometimes I must rewind it just so I can understand what’s going on. It’s over before it’s hardly even started. Granted, that’s nice when one wants to simply finish the story as soon as possible, but isn’t it much nicer to savour the experience, to take in every detail?
A richer experience
I often find myself having to pause what I’m watching in order to explain the intricacies of a plot to someone who has not read the book. Everything just clicks into place when reading a book. In addition, reading has many benefits including improving English skills and mental stimulation (https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-reading-why-you-should-read-everyday.html). So, in conclusion, reading has far more benefits than motion pictures so why not stick to the traditional form of entertainment?