Books Vs Movies

It’s a little shocking to me how much movies and television have changed in the last twenty years. Movies that were rated PG-13 when I was a kid now wouldn’t even be considered worth a rating. And the rate that movies and TV are produced seems to have tripled; there’s literally an endless stream of things for us to watch. If we’re going to talk about the importance of reading, I think we have to address two adjacent questions related to movies and TV: 1) Why read a book when you can watch the film version? 2) What guidelines should we have for our children (and maybe ourselves??) in relation to movies and television that are based on, or inspired by, books?

Let’s address the first question. My husband still laughs when he tells the story of us going to see the Mazerunner at the movie theater. We were both currently in the middle of reading the three-book series and were loving it so far, and were curious to see what the movie adaptation would be like. I remember walking out of the movie theater and this couple is in front of us discussing the film: “I wonder if they will make more of these” the woman said; and the husband replied “Oh, I don’t think they could do anything else with that story; it’s pretty well wrapped up there.” To which I responded probably a little louder than I should have “I wish people would just read a stinking book!” These people had gone to see a movie literally having no clue that it was based on a book or that that book was the first in an entire series! Here’s the thing: while I don’t think the Mazerunner movie was one of the worst book-to-film adaptations I’ve seen, it certainly didn’t compare to the book, which is still one of the most unique YA fantasy novels I’ve read.

So why exactly are books so important if we can just watch the movie? I think there’s a few reasons:

1. Books provide character depth that a movie just can’t reach. Television has a little better shot at this, but it even falls short. My husband and I are huge fans of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series and were VERY excited to see it be made into a series a couple years ago; and while the producer is doing a good job trying to stay true to the spirit of Jordan’s work, they’ve made a lot of changes to the story because you simply can’t show the kind of character depth that Jordan writes on a screen. They have had to settle for a more dramatic storytelling that accelerates a character’s timeline, forcing the character growth, rather than letting it come naturally like in a story. Character depth is important: we need to see characters grow, stretch, and realize their faults, because it’s when this happens that we begin to see our own need for transformation, the transformation that only comes from the Holy Spirit.

2. Movies tell us what to see rather than show us what to see. This might sound confusing; after all, we often call movies and television “shows,” right? But realize that when you’re watching something you are employing ZERO PERCENT of your imagination. Those who made what you’re watching are in complete control of what you experience watching it, and you are simply a passive participant in it. Books are completely different: reading is active; you have to join forces with the author to imagine what is taking place. Imagination is so important for children; it’s how they stretch those creative muscles we’ve been talking about, and it’s how they learn to see things differently.

Now onto the second question: how should we approach the books vs. movies question for our children? This is where you (and your spouse, if you’re married) have to decide together how you will approach this as a family. I know this may rub some hard-core book lovers the wrong way, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to make a blanket statement like “we will NEVER watch the movie before reading the book.” In our home my husband and I have agreed that there are certain books we want our kids to experience before watching the movie or television show. The reasons for this honestly vary based on the book: some, like the Percy Jackson series, are ones we want them to experience in book form first because honestly the movie version is JUST. SO. TERRIBLE. This is a good learning experience for them to see how a book can be so much better than the movie. Others, like the Harry Potter series, we want them to read first because the movies are much more mature than the books themselves. It can be one thing to read about violence, but it’s often completely different to watch it. But there’s other stories that we don’t mind if they watch it first. We have only read the first two books in the Little House series, but we didn’t make them wait to watch the show until we had read further, even though the show is really based on later books. I watched both Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea before ever reading anything by L. M. Montgomery, and I still had a fantastic reading experience when I read the Anne series for the first time. Honestly, I think having watched the movies probably helped me understand the series at a younger age than I would have otherwise been able to. Many homeschoolers teach Shakespeare this way: they let their kids get familiar with the stories by watching them first, then it’s a lot easier for them to handle the difficult language that Shakespeare wrote with. This is one of those areas that I just think we have to strive to use wisdom to decide what is best for our children. There’s really no right or wrong answer.

Let’s remember that stories should be an integral part of our home, no matter what form they take. Let’s practice intentionality around not only the books we are exposing our kids to, but also what we allow them to watch and when they’re allowed to watch it. Go enjoy some great books and movies with your kids, mama!