Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.
MAY 14: BOOKS BASED ON GAMES/SHOWS/MOVIES/COMICS? (Suggested by DANI)
Prompts: “The book is better” is a common outcry amongst book worms, because the book came first…but what about when it didn’t? How do you feel about book adaptations of movies? Books based on video game worlds? Books that tell alternate stories from television worlds? Or even books featuring your favorite superheroes? Do you have any favorites in these genres? Is the book still better?
Okay, but the book is always better. Hahaha, just kidding. But as a book lover (I know it’s not mutually exclusive), but I don’t tend to watch as many shows and movies. I think I will always enjoy the reading experience more, and that inherent bias is hard to bypass.
I think Star Wars is one of those that existed as a movie first? That’s the only real example that I know. I definitely didn’t really like the books, but perhaps they were targeted for a different type of audience. Other than that, I don’t have enough interest in video games and television worlds to really read a book that was based on them. It’s almost always the other way around for me (books –> movies). And I must say, the book is almost always better.
Only so much can be packed into even a 3 hour movie. So many things have to be subtly hinted, or “montaged” or just explicitly said out loud, in order to fit within the time constraints. With books we can have an intimate look into people’s thoughts and logic, which really forms a large part of a character’s personality. It is hard for such things to come across on screen. Although, I’m sure the visual experience is something that movie lovers are looking for. Personally, I want the emotional connection to the different characters, and the use of my imagination to create these worlds.
With all that said though, I must mention that the case is different for comic books. Do comics even count as books (blasphemy??). I definitely, definitely enjoy the superhero movies based on all these comics so much more than I ever enjoyed comic books. I suppose this is because comic books don’t have the luxury of expressing as many of the thoughts of the characters in the limited speech bubbles. Seeing these characters come to life is much more exciting for me. Although this may also be rooted in my lower interest in graphic novels as a genre.
What do you all think? Books triumph over all? Or not necessarily.
I think when the focus is action and flashy superpowers, the real life portrayal in movie format is what I prefer. However, if it’s back to mysteries and thrillers (my favourite genres), the absence of the visual cues really adds something to the mystique and intrigue, something I find is very different when executed in movie format. Speaking of which, The Woman in the Window, a thriller that Andge and I both enjoyed, has its movie version coming out…today! Stay tuned for our side-by-side review of that soon! I have a funny feeling I will prefer the book, but I’ll get back to you all on that.
Down the Rabbit Hole 