By Henry Stachera

The age-old question, something that cannot truly be answered. This will forever be an endless debate based entirely on every individual’s true values. Some people prefer reading books because it enables them to create their own fictitious space that might conflict with that of what a movie shows. On the flip side, others may find the movies more enticing for any number of reasons. The two go hand in hand, and the best way to go about answering our questions is “What do I like more?” 

Why would people prefer books over their movie counterparts? Think back to the last time you read a fiction book. Now, go even further back to when you read a fiction book without watching its movie adaptation beforehand. Did you have a different idea of what the characters and setting looked like than what the movie showed? More often than not, the answer is yes. A prime example of this is when people first read the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Rowling provides very detailed descriptions of what the characters look like; casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann for the movie franchise tried their best to match it but it still did not hold up to the fanbase’s book standards. Then you take a step further and look at the new adaptation for the Harry Potter series coming out on HBO. Now, people’s original ideas of what the characters looked like before the first film are being skewed even more by new actors taking on the same roles. People become attached to the books they read and the thoughts that enter their heads, they are almost afraid to step into the unknown. 

Now, for the other side, movies are cooler than books! So many people just got mad reading that line, but who cares? So many people agreed with it, too. But why? The vast majority of people don’t really read books anymore. Even when we as students are assigned a book by our English teacher, we aren’t likely to read the whole thing. It is also always just easier to sit down, watch a movie, maybe make some popcorn and take a quick nap than to turn your brain on for half an hour and read like a grandma on her Kindle. Let’s look back at our Harry Potter example. Most people introduced to the series in the last 10 years have likely seen all the movies but not read all the books, simply because it is not as encouraged anymore. It is something to think about that maybe the reason more people are watching movies than reading books is that the general adult population isn’t properly pushing the next generation to read as much. 

Take a breath, reread if need be and decide which values you hold deeper in your heart: reading and original creative ideas or being a consumer fed someone else’s ideas. All in all, the only answer to the question, “Which is better the book or the movie?” is up to each individual and “the only way to win is not to play” – War Games.

Courtesy of YouTube