the bird on fire

This week, Alyna and Levi tackle the age-old question: Which is better, the book or the movie? I have recently crossed over from the movie side to the book side, making this an interesting article for me. Who knows, you might change your opinion, too. — Super Editor, Jesse Denyer

By Levi Kassinove, Movie Critic, and Alyna Rei, Book Critic

Levi: Look, I know that this sounds pretty cut and dry. Reading has been shown to make you a better writer and generally stimulates your brain in a healthy way. Movies strain your eyes yet simultaneously require less attention to get the point. But, guess what; I don’t care. Watching movies is so much better than reading a book. For starters, you can get the whole plot of a story in under two hours with a movie. If you were reading a book, it would take maybe a week. And besides, who wants to read “She slapped him across the face” when you can just watch the slap? It requires no imagination, and that’s the fun part! And, as far as the “the sequel is bad” phenomenon goes, that’s your own fault for watching a movie with a bad sequel. Lots of books have bad sequels, but you don’t hear me complaining. Here’s another thing: Would you rather rely on your own imagination and perspective to paint the picture of the story, or watch the actors’ and directors’ take on it? They can turn a book into something special with each individual actor adding their own spin to the characters. Do you want to have to stop and imagine “He sheepishly ordered his Chipotle” every single time the author tries to describe something? It’s much easier and faster to just watch an actor’s facial and verbal expressions. 

Alyna: If I were to choose, I would choose to read the book. Don’t get me wrong; I do like to watch movies, but since I love reading, I would choose to learn a story through words on a page. I would say though, if you have a short attention span and are a visual learner, maybe watch the movie. Don’t waste your time. But, if you prefer going through the extra time to learn more detail, I would definitely recommend reading the book. Books have a way of showing more details than movies and allowing the reader to envision so much more than can appear on a mere movie screen. 

Movies and books have a lot of differences. For example, consider your imagination. When you’re reading a book, the process lets you use your own imagination. It gives you a larger scope of what the writer is explaining–and beyond. Whereas in a movie, you’re not using as much of your imagination because it is already presented to you–dictated by the director, set designer, CGI, and the actors. The movie only takes the highlights of what the book represents. 

Okay, maybe the plot of the movie can almost be the same as the plot of a book. But what about the actors? The book can describe what the characters are like. What does their hair look like? What does their face look like? What do their features look like? I wouldn’t say this is the hardest part of making a movie, but I would say this is a challenge. Finding the right cast of characters is hard since the character would have to be very identical to the character in a book. If an actor can’t show or interpret what the writer is depicting in the book, that can ruin the whole meaning of the story.

The book is open to different perspectives. When you are reading a book, you are put into the character’s shoes, even if you are the narrator. You can see what the character is feeling and can switch from each character’s point of view. 

I don’t feel as content at the end of a movie than at the end of a book. With a movie, it ends there with you thinking about the plot that is already determined. With the book, you can think of the outcome or you can think further. I’m not sure if people do that with movies, but I do that with books. I think of what could have happened if one thing was different. 

If you do like watching movies, I’m not stopping you. But if you come at me with the excuse of saying “books are boring” or “books take a long time to read,” I say you are wrong. Not every book is boring, and it won’t take a long time to read if you were to read an actual interesting book.

Books Alyna thinks are far superior to their movie:

• Easily, the Harry Potter series.
• The Hunger Games
• The Maze Runner–the book felt more real than the movie
• To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

PVS on Books v. Movies

For me, reading is more of an immersive experience. The movie that I build in my mind while reading the writer’s words puts me more in the situation.

Ms. Coffey

Who is Percy Jackson? Did he write Fight Club? Or, was it Harry Potter?

Luke Sonderman

Why is Tom Hanks playing Da Vinci Code’s Robert Langdon? Langdon is supposed to be ‘Harrison Ford[-like] in Harris tweed.’ And, Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher?! Reacher from the books is 6’5”. Tom Cruise is . . . not.

Ms. Zachik