The Book is Always Better Than the Movie
Is it…? More importantly, why does that matter?
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Whether it’s Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or GOT, the debate of “The Book vs. Movie” will live on through as long as there is another format to take in the story from. For some odd reason, humans feel the need to constantly be in a state of “what’s better-ism”.
Presented for your consideration, how about the idea that this debate doesn’t really matter.
Mankind has always told stories. These tales are the connection we have to the past and their telling has been consistent through the existence of mankind.
Our earliest cave dwelling ancestors left their version of stories on the wall. Come to think of it; could we postulate that small children draw on the walls as proof that even our simplest functioning brains require that we “tell the story”?
Movies or books…
The medium in which we absorb the story shouldn’t be up for debate. Each one has its own virtues. The real point to be made is that the story does get told — That there is ultimately a person taking it in.
I’d imagine that if the great Library of Alexandria was still around into the 80’s and 90’s, they would have taken in VHS tapes and make copies of them. They would continue preserving the stories and arts just as they did back when they were copying books.
What is the real difference between a vast room full of books and a hard drive full of the same quantity of movies?
Just as a person can get lost in a great book and the story it brings, another person can get lost binging an entire movie series. Both reader and viewer can become invested in the characters and storylines.
Some folks like myself have a difficult time reading for extended periods. Always end up falling asleep 5 minutes in. Which makes it incredibly difficult to stay engaged. So I just watch the movie instead…
So if you ever feel shame or lesser because you prefer to watch the movie rather than read the book, just remember, all that matters is that you cared enough to get the story.
