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What’s Better: the Book or the Movie?
What do Goosebumps and Charlotte’s Web have in common? They were books before they were movies! So which version is better? It depends on who you ask. In a survey done by the Washington Post, books were the big winners, ranking higher than movies 74 percent of the time.
Some book lovers argue that movies leave out too many of the details that make their favorite books special. They also think it’s more fun to imagine what characters and places look like. Many say it’s disappointing when the screen version is not what they pictured in their minds.
But others point out that special effects and good music can make the movie version of a story even more exciting. And some people like that a movie relays the story in about two hours— much less time than it usually takes to read a book.
Here’s what two of our readers think.
Every book I’ve read has been better than the movie because it has more detail. Words help describe things better than just seeing them on the screen. In the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry, Hermione, and Ron play chess. The details let me imagine the huge chess set, the danger, the strategies. I felt like I was playing with them! The movie wasn’t the same.
Plus, books help us sharpen our reading skills and become better writers.
Movies are better because they help you visualize the story and bring it to life. In the movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, you see a giant, blood-chilling snake on screen. This helps show just how relieved Harry feels when Fawkes the phoenix saves him.
Also, movies are meant to be seen with others, while you usually read books alone. What’s better than laughing with your family and friends during a funny film?