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Very rarely can a full length movie truly capture all the excitement and information that an original book has to offer. Since the usual length of the movie is about two hours, it's almost impossible for a great book to be really depicted well. Therefore, the book is almost always better.

When I see a new movie coming out that is based on a book I have read and enjoyed, I'm always nervous to see it. I know that it will be along the same lines, yet I am usually disappointed to a certain degree. I imagined the characters differently, I pictured the settings differently, etc. But the way I pictured things isn't necessarily what is going to capture audiences. It may have been great in my mind as I'm reading, but for the masses that will see (and pay to see) the movie, creators need to be more general.

The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a perfect example. I liked watching the movie, but some of the scenes were altered to better fit the big screen. In the book, I never got the sense that the battle was as epic as was depicted in the movie. Again, fun movie, but not so loyal to the book in some areas.

All of the Lord of the Rings movies are great examples as well. If you ask a fan of the movies about the details of the story, they will give you very different answers than would a fan of the original book trilogy. Excellent movies, but very off from the novels.

Literature and films rely on different mediums to grab people. With writing, the readers are allowed to picture it all in their minds, shaping things to what they want them to be based on the information given. When turned into a movie, we are told what the major points in the book look like (but to someone else, their interpretation of it).

The only thing I can recommend when going to see a movie that is based on a novel is to keep in mind that you are going to see someone's interpretation of the book, and that it will have to be different to be on screen. So don't be disappointed too much if things are changed around a little bit. Just sit back and enjoy the movie.

Learn more about this author, Helen Garda.
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