Read the book before you see the movie
More and more movies seem to be based on books. I take this as a good sign in many respects, but I often wonder if people are actually reading these books. Did everyone read Ludlum’s Bourne Ultimatum before scurrying to the theater last weekend to see Matt Damon? (As an aside, could the careers of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck be any different?!) Now, I haven’t seen the newest Bourne, but then again I rarely see things in the theater now that I have a toddler. However, I haven’t read any of the Bourne series thus far, and can’t see myself doing so prior to seeing the latest installment.
But that doesn’t mean that I don’t see the merit in reading a book before seeing the movie. There are a number of books that you simply must read before you see the movie. It would be a crime if you watched Breakfast of Champions before reading the book. Actually, it might be a crime to simply watch that movie. Look at what Kevin Costner did to David Brin’s The Postman … if you can. And what of any of the Philip K. Dick movie translations?
There are some movies which can stand on their own, that you wouldn’t need to read the book to enjoy. The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus, III jumps to mind, but I’d be one of those who would annoy theatergoers and say ‘but the book was better.’ I’d be right though.
So as the editor of the lifestyle category for the Vizu network, I ran a poll that asked the question: If based on a novel, do you like to read the book before seeing the movie?
- 45% said it would depend on the book/movie
- 31% said yes
- 19% said no, they’d just see the movie
- 5% said no, they’d just read the book
I was pleased that only 19% said they’d just see the movie, and think it bodes well for the continuing power of the written word. Out of nearly 500 responses, 4 out of 5 indicated that they would read or consider reading the book before seeing the movie.
I’d fall squarely in the ‘it depends’ category since I wouldn’t read a Grisham before seeing a movie adaptation, but would certainly read Everything is Illuminated prior to seeing that film. I’ d like to see Jarhead, but won’t until I read the book. Some, I won’t even see the movie because I don’t want the version I’ve created in my head to be in any way changed. A recent example of this would be The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
So let’s get some chatter going, what movie adaptations would you never see? Which ones would you need to read the book prior to seeing the movie?
