The age old debate.

 Let's have a talk.

Those who know me, knows I am an avid reader. In fact, I've told my mom multiple times that my dream is the library from "Beauty & The Beast". As someone who reads for pure enjoyment and decided that I should work with books, there is always a huge debate in my mind. Should there be on-screen adaptations of book? They are both really different types of media and they are consumed in very different ways but, in a way, they are also really similar and connected in a way. So, with a cup of tea in my hand (as opposed to the usual coffee because caffeine is a real thing that affects me) I sat down to gather points.

To tackle this, let us first talk about books. Now, I am biased when I say there is no other feeling like reading a book. The world that it takes you to is a very beautiful one. For me, reading books is special for another reason. It takes me back to the time my dad used to read stories to me. That was what got me into reading and the art of writing. . In fact, we sometimes read articles together even today. But, thinking about it from an objective view, books are still a main stream of media for a reason. Books helps you get into your head and imagine the descriptions given by the author. For some, they get to imagine themselves as the characters. For some, they get to make up characters in their mind. But, there can also be downsides to books. For some people, books can just be words on paper. Take my house, for example. My dad and I are huge readers, but my mom can not read two pages without dozing off. And this is not the book's fault. It just means reading is not her thing. And this is true for many people. 

Movies on the other hand. Movies have an advantage that books doesn't have. Visuals. Movies can show you things in two seconds that books take 2 pages to describe. In fact, I think that is the beauty of movies. When you do not explain stuff but rather show it. Movies also bring together many different forms of art together like music, acting and many more. And in a way, movies nowadays are a testament to the advancement of technology we have seen. From black and white to color pictures to CGI, technology has developed so much in a few decades. 

But bringing these two together is always a hit-or-miss. They are never in between. You either love it or hate it. And when thinking why this happens, I came to the conclusion that it is because what works in books, doesn't work in movies. As a book lover, the main reason I don't enjoy movie adaptations of books is usually because for time constraints they usually cut out good plot points and cut out a few good characters. For me, what is worse is when they include new plot points that totally contradict the characters written in the book. But that does not mean movies that are made from books are always bad. But, I personally think it depends on the screenplay alone. Because dialogues are what brings characters to life, and screenplay is what makes a movie brilliant.

So, let's discuss. What do you like? books or movies? Also, do you have a favorite book to movie adaptation?

(P.S: Although I have seen good and bad adaptations, I have never seen one where the movie was better than the book. I don't think anything beats the superiority that is books. Thank you.)