We’ve all heard it before: books are better than their movies.
But there’s something about imagining characters and scenes from a novel in your head that makes you can’t wait to see what they’d look like on the big screen.
Aside from my full-time hobby as a novel enthusiast, I am also a devoted movie junkie.
Seriously, the one activity I enjoy almost as much as curling up with a book all day is watching a film in a dark movie theater.
And sometimes, dear readers, these worlds seem to collide, and we’re faced with the brilliant phenomenon of a book-turned-movie.
But while I’ve learned to have a love/hate relationship with these movies, I’ve noticed a bit of antagonism as of late.
At the beginning of the summer, there was a lot of buzz around “The Fault in Our Stars.”
I previously read the book in the winter after a few friends recommended it, and I have to say, I enjoyed it handsomely.
Now, as a movie nerd, I jumped at the chance to put another ticket in my movie stub diary.
I bought a premiere ticket early and went with a girlfriend from high school.
Surprised, we congratulated the consistency between the book and the film.
Needless to say, we enjoyed the flick.
Soon after, I noticed a trend in my social media feed where fans of the book critiqued newbie readers who belonged in the “band wagon” John Green train.
People intentionally posted spoilers to ruin experiences for those who wanted to read the book, probably from all the movie hype, before seeing the film.
There arose an air about this, where somehow original readers thought they were better than the crowd brought in by the movie trailers.
I hate few things, but one of them is spoilers.
I don’t even like to open presents before my birthday because I want to save the surprise.
So I boiled when I saw cryptic messages aimed at new readers.
Let me go on to say it doesn’t matter who started reading what first.
I don’t care if someone starts reading a novel with the intention of mocking it.
The reading experience remains delicate and sacred, and anyone who tramples on that doesn’t deserve to call themselves a fan.
I’ve recently seen a couple previews for the movie “Gone Girl,” which is a film adaptation of the book by ?Gillian Flynn.
I’m intrigued by the premise, which is that a man’s wife goes missing and he’s accused of causing her disappearance.
David Fincher, a director I hold in high regard, directed the movie, and I’m pleased to say I’m excited to see this film.
A few years ago I read “The Millennium Series” by Stieg Larsson, and Fincher’s film adaptation of the English version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was incredible.
Not only do I have my trust in Fincher, but Gillian Flynn herself wrote the screenplay for the movie “Gone Girl,” so I’m interested to see how this film will turn out.
This weekend, I’m putting all my attention toward Flynn’s novel in order to prep myself for this coming cinematic adventure.
Dear readers, we should respect those around us who desire to read, no matter the reason.
A popular novel almost comes with a guarantee nowadays that it will appear in Hollywood at some point.
Therefore, I encourage others to pick up books because a movie or upcoming film strikes your fancy.
We’re all the same here — we just want to read.
