Movies based on Books

Since I have become an adult and am no longer required to read certain titles for school, I have read a variety of different books.  From political non-fiction to romance and mystery, they have all sparked my interest in some way.  However, by far, my favorite books are ones that have been turned into movies.  I enjoy reading the book and then watching the movie and compare the two.  It usually turns out that the book is much better.  When reading a book, I like to use my imagination and try to envision the characters in my own way. When watching a movie, there is nothing left to the imagination, nothing mysterious.  Nonetheless, there have been a few movies that are almost as good as the book.  One that comes to mind is Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks.  Even though the events differed between the book and the movie, they were both worth revisiting again and again.  Another movie that was just as good as the book was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, mainly because the movie did not venture far from the details of the book.  Also, the visual effects in the movie were just as one might imagine them while reading the story.

Over the years, many movies have been produced from their written counterpart.  Many classic movies were taken from books, some of them not widely known until after the movie.  Some examples are Gone With the Wind and The Color Purple.  Some “new” classics that were derived from books are Forrest Gump and Silence of the Lambs, and Stand By Me.  From mysteries, romances, and dramas to comic books and even non-fiction stories, there have been more movies to count that have been based on books. 

So this weekend, if you are wondering what kind of book to read, try something different and pick up one that has become a movie.  Some of the newer ones are Marley and Me, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  And if you are looking for a something a little older, you can always go with the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. No matter what you choose, I encourage you to compare what you read to the movie and see the difference and decide for yourself which you like better.

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