Books never fail to make the story clear and entertaining, while adapted movies just can’t compare.

Many of the best all time movies are based on books. According to IMDb.com’s “Top 250 movies”, Shawshank redemption is #1, which is based on the 1982 Stephen King novella “Shawshank Redemption”. “The Godfather” is #2, which is also based on the 1969 novel “The Godfather” by Mario Puzo. This just goes to show that none of the ‘best movies’ would be anything without the book.

A book is a timeless, intellectual form of entertainment that allows the reader to use their imagination to become part of the story. The “Harry Potter ” series, “The Chronicles of Narnia ” and “The Hobbit ” are all  childhood staples that transport the readers into fantastical worlds. Yet, the movies fail to capture necessary details from the novels. 

Without books, there would be no creative freedom. Movie adaptations leave nothing to the imagination, taking away all the creativity that comes with reading a book.

For example, before the 2001 adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” came out, everyone who read the book had their own idea of what Harry, Ron and Hermione looked like. Now, everyone associates Harry with Daniel Radcliffe, Ron with Rupert Grint and Hermione with Emma Watson.

  Another aspect that drives bookworms crazy is that movies are never able to fully encapsulate a story in the short time frame. Many plot points can seem rushed in the movie adaptations because there is not enough time to develop the entire setting. 

The 2010 adaptation of the book “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan received immense backlash from fans for the inaccurate plotline and characters. Riordan even said “the script as a whole is terrible ” in emails to the producers regarding the adaptation of his bestselling book.

Finishing a book leaves readers feeling accomplished and fulfilled. People can’t “mindlessly” read a book, like they can watch a movie. Instead, books take time, and readers invest in the story because they are on a journey with the main characters. Frank Herbert’s 21 hour audiobook version of “Dune” has been reduced to a brief two hours and 35 minutes in the 2021 film. 

Adaptations also  can’t show what is going on in the character’s heads, like books can. For example, the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is narrated by the protagonist Scout Finch, yet in the movie viewers get no insight into what Scout is thinking because there is no narration. Books written in the first person allow readers to experience every thought, action and feeling the character has, and without the narration it causes confusion..

A book will transport the reader into a world they will never forget. Movies are just a way to kill a couple of hours with mindless entertainment.