Why the Book is Always Better than the Movie
Believing is more fun than seeing.
Though the last century of technological progress has rendered many forms of entertainment obsolete, the printed book has weathered the storm of time. Podcasts replaced radio, streaming took a bite out of network television and movie theaters, and independent digital media outlets (such as the one you’re currently reading) have all but throttled the physical newspaper. And yet, while live-action and animated television shows and movies are prominent, printed books remain as many people’s preferred way of consuming a story. When books are converted into a show or movie, reviews of the digital form often contain the admission that “the book was better.”
Why is that?
Simply put, writers have the advantage of accessing your life experiences, while filmmakers and producers are forced to show you theirs. When reading the printed page, your mind has the space to fill in the gaps with segments of your unique reality. If a character is described as: “Sarah was a pale woman with luscious, sand-colored hair that fell to her elbows,” you will likely envision someone you met that fits that description. Maybe they were a redhead, or perhaps they were blonde. Is the character wearing glasses? That depends. Did the person this description made you recall have glasses when you met them?
The same goes for feelings, motivations, and actions. “With his skin burning red and a fire taking his mind, Gerald swung at Sam, knocking him to the floor.” The scene you’re imagining when you read this will be based on the last time you saw someone (or felt yourself) grow furious. You’ll feel what Gerald is feeling and envision his punch akin to the last fistfight you saw (if you’ve ever seen one).
But when these stories are told through a visual medium such as a show or movie, the space for our lived experience is closed off. Instead of envisioning Sarah as the friendly classmate from college, we see the actress who was hired for the role. Well, I’ve never met this Sarah before! She doesn’t resonate with me. It’s like being told a cake is “the most delicious thing you’ve ever tasted.” You’re now remembering the best dessert ever to grace your lips and dialing it up a few notches. But when the desert comes out from the restaurant kitchen, it’s likely to disappoint given your high expectations. Not because it’s bad, but because you were envisioning something different.
The same goes for environments and physical descriptions. When Game of Thrones first aired, many avid A Song of Ice and Fire readers were underwhelmed by the show version of the Iron Throne. Described in the books as “a thousand swords melted by dragon fire,” readers envisioned something like this:
But given the constraints of a television set, the show version was this:
Hardly a thousand swords. Maybe three dozen? Regardless, it didn’t meet the fantastical expectations George R.R. Martin had created with his inspiring prose.
Books let our imagination run wild, with the only constraints drawn from the limits of our consciousness. Alternatively, screen adaptations give us the show-runner or director’s vision, which is limited by finances, time, and practicality. As 1,000 readers will imagine 1,000 differing scenarios when they read a scene, showing someone else’s interpretation will seldom exceed our own. To be fair, sometimes visual adaptation takes liberties with the story that expands the world or build upon a great work. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. But no matter how good, seeing is never as good as believing.
That’s why the book is always better.
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I appreciate your support! Good Reading — Joe
What's more likely is that stories are best told in the medium for which they were originally designed. People usually don't say the movie is better than the original book for the same reason they don't say novelizations of books are better than the original movies.