Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

This again. "Do you prefer books or movies?" has been around for quite a while. Normally, people immediately say, "Books are better because movies skip all of the good parts." A two hour filming cannot capture every detail of the many hours or days throughout which the book spans, but a book, though invoking the broad imagination, cannot give the wham of physicality and literalness that movies do. So I guess it's a matter of story that determines the winning side in a specific case.
If the book doesn't appeal, the movie probably will be better, as the visuals and sounds may cause more excitement or mesmerism. as If it's about Twilight, I'm hitting the theatre instead of rereading Bella's drab and endless contemplation on her woe and her intimate love with Edward. Onscreen, we see the concepts brought to life in a separate interpretation, and we can appreciate the visual and audible sensations that make the characters seem so close and touchable. When it comes to High School Music, my mind would respond better with the music and the spoken words than with the simple text. And of course, regardless of a book's quality, I without a doubt love going to the theatre to watch epic fantasy/ magic/ animated movies including the Hobbit, Guardians of Ga'hool, Now You See Me, Star Trek into Darkness, Pacific Rim, the Smurfs, Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, Iron Man, Avengers, Jurassic Park, Pacific Rim (did I already say that?), Oz-- The Great and Powerful, Pacific Rim, Pacific Rim, and uhm... Pacific Rim. Just the epic feeling that courses through every neuron makes me want to watch it alone in a distant galaxy where I can hopefully be a Jeager co-pilot with Aang the Avatar. The EXCITEMENT.

Books are everything, self-interpretive, world-forming, thought-provoking, and portable. Whenever we want to do so, we can teleport to another galaxy where discrimination doesn't exist or where fish do fly, or where the hero is lovable and concept intriguing. We can live through Tris as she goes through the Dauntless initiation or travel with Miss Jane Pittman as she struggled with discrimination for color. Perhaps a visit to Dantes' estate would be nice. Just don't frame him for espionage or the tea might have a strange taste before everything blurs. Just pull out a book and, voila, feelings, thoughts, adventure, magicians, dragons, vengeance, forgiveness, gnomes, etc., and all not shortened nor confined by approximately two hours of film.

All in all, I cannot choose between these two broad arts. They work together to invoke feelings, profound tears, and excitement!