Movies vs. Books / Books vs. Movies

I am a huge fan of reading and a huge fan of movies. I love to be entertained! Don't we all? I have been an avid reader all my life. A book worm, you might say. I just love a great story. I love to picture the places, the people and the scenarios. So, I am always intrigued when I find out a film is coming out, based on a book I have read. I guess those are the key words 'based on'. Basically, that means, same name, same characters and usually the rest is up for grabs. Below are a few books that I have read recently and the movies that I have seen after the fact.

The first is Dear John. Again, I love a great story. Nicholas Sparks always has great stories of love and heartbreak and this one did not disappoint.

The movie on its own would have been pretty great, if I had not read the book. Sometimes it was right along with the book and at other times it was totally different, including the ending. So, I was a bit disappointed.

I really enjoyed The Blind Side. This was a great true story. After reading this I was really looking forward to seeing the movie.

They changed a few things in the movie. I am not sure why, but all in all the movie was pretty good. Plus, who doesn't love Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw?!

Next is The Lovely Bones. This was a tough book to get through. It's a different kind of story and it is not your typical happy ending.

I did not know how well this story would play out in a movie format. At first I was really pleased with the movie, but the more I thought about it, I changed my mind just a bit. The movie left a bit out too. I know that movies can not include everything, but I think if I had not read the book, I may not of understood a few things that were going on.

Last, but not least, is The Time Travelers Wife. This book took me forever to get through. Not that I did not enjoy it, but the way that the story goes back and forth and back and forth, it just took me a bit longer to read.

Steve and I watched this movie together. He found it to be strange and hard to follow. I had to fill him in on a lot of things, to help him follow the story. I wondered if I had not read the book, if I would have truly understood what was going on myself. Even though I even thought that they left some things out of the story, I really enjoyed seeing the characters come to life.

So I guess my final summation would be that the book is always better. I love to see the characters come to life, but there is just something about reading a story and having your own vision in your mind. Call it a nerd thing or maybe the bookworm in me, but I love the places that books take you, that the movie portrayals never can.