Favorite Books Gone Movie

I know there are many out there who despise the popularity of taking best selling books and making them into movies to please the masses. I've heard all (or at least many) of the arguments against the movies based off books, but I haven't been converted.

I still enjoy seeing an interpretation of the characters I got to know in a really good book portrayed on screen. They're rarely very close to the image I created in my mind, but it doesn't ruin it for me. The same thing can happen when I'm discussing a book with a friend. We all imagine differently. And, of course, I think MY version is the best version of the character because it's what I wanted. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy seeing what someone envisioned when they read the book.

I'll admit that I've been disappointed to find portions of favorite books missing from the movies that were created based on their story/characters, but at the same time I understand the necessity of making that type of production decision when you're cramming a really great story into a 2 or even 3 hour segment. You just can't fit it all in. I even find that the movies that stubbornly stick to story elements even when there isn't time to include every piece of the puzzle often come off awkward and forced. Sometimes it's just necessary to adjust the story a little bit to make it work for the medium of film.

It's kind of like reading your favorite book in an alternate universe or within the confines of another person's mind. And it might be someone you don't know very well, that you don't understand, or that you don't even like. But no matter which alternate universe I find myself in...it's almost always interesting! And I've yet to find a book gone movie that actually took the place of the book in my list of favorite things. I might add the movie as a separate entry, but my favorite book isn't hurt by the alternate interpretation its movie provides.

So now it's in writing that I refuse to argue whether the book or the movie is better. Because while I will almost every time choose the book over the movie if forced, they aren't really comparable to me. It's such a different experience; both should be savored as often as possible!