March 13, 2004

Book Or Movie First?
Eonwe

Hello all,

I think I would rather have seen the movie first. This is my thought not only for LotR, but for any good movie adaptation of a good book. For me it basically comes down to one question: which experience - reading a book or watching a movie - is most affected by knowing what is going to happen next? Answer: watching a movie. A movie is almost always best the first time you see it because you don't know what's coming and you're more in the moment. In fact, I've often thought how cool it would be to be able to see my favorite films again "for the first time" without knowing anything about the plot or characters. I don't really feel that way about books. In fact, I have reread LotR (as many of us have) with no loss in enjoyment compared to the first time. Knowing what was coming simply didn't matter.

Two more thing specifically about LotR. I think we all agree that the world of the books is bigger and richer than that of the films. So would you rather experience the richer environment first and then move on to the duller (though still interesting) one, or vice versa?

Just my take.
Eonwe