Some of you may have read books on fantasy that have been made into movies like; Harry Potter series, Lord of the Ring, Alice in Wonderland...etc.
Choose one fantasy and compare both the book and the movie versions. Which version do you like and why? You may want to refer back to the topic on 'Visual Literacy'.
Lynnette Tan Hui Ling
ReplyDeleteSince part I of the final installment of the Harry Potter movies is opening this week, I shall compare the Harry Potter series (in general) and the Harry Potter movies (together as a whole). As mentioned in the Visual Literacy section of our coursebook, the two media are inherently different and it is thus really difficult to compare them both using the same criteria. I like them both; I like the books for the descriptive language, because there is just no replacement for words at times. Having said that, I feel that some of the movie scenes capture the mood perfectly, because the cinematography is top notch. Cinematographic tools such as the various shots(wide angle, close up, long shots, panning, tracking,etc.) lend itself immensely well to the action-packed stories.
This may sound like I am sitting on the fence, but I do not prefer one over the other, at least for the Harry Potter series.
Lee Ke Hin
ReplyDeleteI’ve read and watched both the first instalment of the Harry Potter series (The Sorcerer’s Stone) and I find that I like the book more than the movie. It is because the author uses a lot of descriptive language and I was able to use my imagination to create the scenes and understand the story. Sometimes, I love how the author uses the play of words and it makes the reading really enjoyable.
I personally believe that regardless whether the story is in a text form or a multimedia form, it do have its own entertainment values. For books, I believe that it is the freedom for us to imagine the scene from the words that entice us to want to read. For movies, it is the special effects and thrill of the experience (e.g. 3D) that lure us to watch it. For me, both forms are just as good and entertaining, and I would not want to bring down either of them because it will be unfair to both the author and the production team of the movie as I believe they do have their own limitations to face during the production of their work.
ReplyDeleteThe Harry Potter series is a very good example of how a good story can be translated into multimedia form. Personally, I prefer to read the book first before watching the movie, because it gives me more imaginative space. However, after I have read the book, it does not mean I am not interested in the movie anymore. Although the scene in the movie may not be as of what I have imagine when I read the book, but the visual effects are very attractive and it gives me a different experience from the reading. I can’t denied that sometimes the movie version may not be what we have expected it to be, but nevertheless, it is still a good production. Therefore, for me, I would still continue to read the books and watch the movies.
I've read the books and watched the movies of Harry Potter. I found it hard to pick a version because both types of media have their unique entertainment values and impacts on me. By reading the books, I'm able to use my imagination to visualise the scenes based on the descriptive language used by J.K.Rowling. On the other hand, the attractive special effects that we see in the movies create a different impact as these effects are hard to be conveyed by words. A pity that due to the limited time frame, not all scenes are included in the movie and hence for one who has not read the book, he/she may be unable to comprehend certain scenes and missed out certain details.
ReplyDeleteWhether the story is in a book or made as a movie, I feel that both media have their own bonus points. An example is the series of Harry Potter. I personally like both forms. When comparing these two forms, what I like about the books is that it allows the reader to imagine better with the descriptive words that are used by the author whereas for the movie, with a great sound system and visuals, it gives the audience a sense of thrill, thus it engages one to watch it. Therefore, I feel that both versions are equally engaging for me.
ReplyDeleteBridge to Terabithia
ReplyDeleteMany would say the book has more details as compared to the movie. As what Imah has said, the media and the book each have their positive points. The book will have a more vivid description of the setting, feelings and additional information whereas for the movie, there are visuals and sounds that the audience could see and hear.
For me I personally like the movie as I'm one who can't imagine based on the written story. Watching the movie will get me to know and also feel how the character is feeling in the situation. I remember crying towards the end of the story as it really moved me.
James and the giant peach is indeed a magical fantasy when a gigantic peach begins growing in the yard and James befriends the large insects who live inside it. He then made his way to New York City on the giant peach to escape from his wicked aunts.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I only read this story two years ago when I was doing my contract teaching at Naval Base Primary. It was a topic in My Pals are Here for Primary 4. I borrowed the book and thereafter watched the movie. Personally, I enjoyed the book better than the movie as reading does not restrict my imagination with regards to the characters and the setting. On the other hand, the movie controls my imagination. However, when it was screened in class, my students enjoyed the movie as the younger generation nowadays feel the need for more visual representation.
Charlie and the chocolate factory.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of storyline, both the book and the movie have the same storyline. 5 children (including Charlie) had won a ticket to visit the chocolate factory. They were allowed to bring their parents along. Charlie went along with his grandfather. As the group moves from room to room, the tour turns into a punishment for the bad children as one child after another falls victim to his or her particular vices and is removed from the tour. In the end, Charlie was the only boy left in the tour. Willy Wonka, the chocolate factory’s owner, wanted to give the factory to Charlie, but Charlie rejected the offer.
However, the movie expanded the storyline. It talks about Willy Wonka’s bad childhood days which are not mentioned in the book. The whole movie is like a musical (with dance movements), which is not found in the book. At some scenes, the story was exaggerated, which makes it rather comical.
I prefer the movie version. In my opinion, the movie provides more details than the book itself. The whole story is presented in a musical which makes it very light-hearted. The visual effect in the movie is rather well done, from the colourful chocolate factory to the computerised effect of the various machinery functions in the movie. Every detail is well illustrated.
I would like to compare Narnia.
ReplyDeleteCS Lewis does not use simple language in his books and hence, I feel then when reading, certain areas are a bit hard to comprehend.
However, in the movie, when you see the scenes come to life, you find that it is easier to understand what the original story was trying to say. At the same time, being able to see the expressions on the Characters' faces is much better for understanding the plot than reading an entire descriptive paragraph.
Despite this, I still prefer the book, I like the parts whereby Lewis depicts the internal struggle Edward has with the White Witch and the emotional turmoil the children experience as they battle and when they meet Aslan. I think there are certain parts of a book where you require words more than moving pictures to truly "feel" the story.
The Cronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love the book since young, I love the movie too! The movie version did justice to the literary book written by C. S. Lewis as it clearly follows the scenes and plot of the book. But now that I have watched the movie, I like the movie version better. Reason being to how the casting is able to bring the story to life. Watching the movie further enhances the visuals that I initially had of the book. Although the movie does not follow the book closely in every single detail, the movie did provide the same experience that readers went through when they read the book.
However, my advice is to read the book before you watch the movie so that you will be able to understand the storyline much better and appreciate the movie that will definitely fascinate you.
*The Chronicles of Narnia
ReplyDelete(error in earlier comment)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
ReplyDeleteAs a child, Roald Dahl was one of my favourite author. His books were always fun to read and it is written with such clarity that I was able to picture the story in my mind as I read his books.
My favourite book is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It has an interesting descriptive storyline with imaginary characters such as the 'oompa loompa'.
However, I prefered the movie much more than the book as it provides an impactful visual. The special effects, settings and the colourful props in the movie brought the story to life. No one would ever imagined seeing a chocolate river in real life or how one could just reach in the tv for a chocolate bar. I could feel myself being part of the movie and enjoyed every single scene in the movie.
The book James and the Giant Peach by Raold Dahl kept me totally immersed in imaginations as James goes through his adventures.
ReplyDeleteThe movie, however, changes the visuals of my imaginations so much that I do not enjoy watching it. There is a feeling of disappointment.
I feel that reading is more enjoyable as the text richly describes every scene.
Charlotte's Web
ReplyDeleteCharlotte's Web has an interesting plot and characters of talking animals. This story is about Wilbur the pig and his friendship with a spider named Charlotte. I only read this story book few months back.
I watched Charlotte's web movie and I find that the special effects, props , settings in the movie really brought this wonderful story to life.
Honestly, both the book and movie are equally engaging and interesting. But I personally feel that the movie somehow restricts my imagination on this animal fantasy book.
Sandy Tan
ReplyDeleteI had chosen the book called Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I would prefer the book version. The book entails a very interesting plot and creates an excitement for the reader to want to read more about the book. I personally liked the vocabulary words used in the book. I read this book when I was in primary school and it actually helped me a lot in writing fantasy stories during my composition. I could imagine the 3 children walking into a wardrobe and entering a new place where it was totally different from the mortal world e.g. snowing. The movie was released much later after I read the book. The movie version was less detailed as the book, but the images and scenes helped me recall what I had read and I could finally see how each character looked like. The movie enhanced the book and I had watched the movie a few times as the characters were being exaggerated. Without the movie, I might not know how each character looked like.
Charlie and the chocolate factory by Roald Dahl
ReplyDeleteRoald Dahl's stories are always full of imagination. It will brings the readers to another fantasy world.
For this particular story, I had watched the movie first before reading the book. Even after reading the book, I still prefer the movie version of the story.
The movie has added colours to the story itself. It brings viewer into a fantasy world of chocolate; the chocolate factory itself with its worker, the chocolate river, the jelly boat, the inventory room ... Things that not realistic.
The movie itself has a powerful impact on the viewer. With its special effect, visual effect and sound effect, viewers are able to see with for themselves the fantasy world other than just reading and imagining about it.
Twilight
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the book and watching the movie Twilight, I felt that the movie appeals to me more.
Although the book was more decriptive and had 'better' scenes as compared to the movie, I enjoyed watching the movie more because I could better appreciate the different emotions portrayed by the characters as compared to reading how the characters feel at that point of time. It also does help that the leads are both pleasant to the eyes, making the movie experience more enjoyable for me.
Harry Potter series
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the books and the movie Harry Potter, I felt that the movie appeals to me more compared to the reading the book. I enjoyed watching the movie as there were many effects and the background music was good. I was able to appreciate it. However, in reading the book, I did not experience that fun.
Mahalakshmi Panneerselvam (TG03)
Lord of The Rings.
ReplyDeleteI've read all three books and watched all three installments of the Lord of the Rings. The movie differs alot from the the three movies. In terms of plot and characters. I felt that these changes were necessary to make the movie more palatable and not as draggy because Tolkien's books are very descriptive and rich and full of details and I doubt a 3 hour movie is enough to give a full picture of the books. However as much as it differs they still stayed true to the essence of the book. Hollywood did a good job in making the visuals I imagined real and when I was watching the movie I was going, "THat's exactly how I imagined it!" On a whole I loved the book more than the movie and I won't mind reading it over again.
I would like to make a comparison on Charlie and the chocolate factory.
ReplyDeleteThe storyline of both book and movie are similar. They talk about Charlie comes from a not wealth family and the dad works in a factory manufacturing toothpaste and both paternal and maternal grandparents stayed with the family. And a very lucky Charlie manage to bought a wonka bar with a golden ticket which won him a visit to the chocolate factory and gave him a chance to be the successor of willy wonka. He accompanied with other contestants entered the factory and discovered the mystery of wonka's worker and how did the chocolate making process took place. It was magic-like and a fantasy.
However, the movie mentioned about willy wonka's sad childhood life as his dad was a dentist, he was not allowed to take sweet stuffs and had to wear braces. Movie was mostly exaggerated. The musical part was rather disturbing too.
I prefer the book version. In my opinion, the movie is too exaggerated. I did not enjoy the humor it portrayed. It presented dark humor whenever the children are punished for not behaving well in the chocolate factory. Although the visual effect in the movie is vibrant and colourful which adds in the colour element that the book did not possess, however, i prefer reading the words and imagine my own colours as compared to the given illustration and colours in the movie.
i am a harry potter fan! both books and movies are great. however, i feel that i will prefer to read the book as it is in-depth and requires a lot of our imagination. i was exposed to the books first before the movies, hence i feel it was easier to understand the movie. i'm not sure if it'd be easier the other way round. but if i were to watch the movie first, i probably wont bother to read the book anymore. i just watched the part 1 of harry potter and the deathly hallows. i'm definitely gg to catch the part2 as well. (will finish reading the last book during the holidays!)
ReplyDeleteELIZABETH
Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
ReplyDeleteI liked the book version more, because the book forces the reader to tap into their imagination. Another reason for supporting the book version is that the pacing of the story is not constrained by time. In movie version, character development and plot development may get cut due to time and production limitations. Books reveals more depth of the story the characters' motivation and their inner thoughts which paints a clearer picture of the entire story. While movie version tends to show what the characters does but not what they thinks in their head.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who enjoyed the Harry Potter series, you will definitely remember the first book and the amount of craze that went into the series. I read the first book on the sorcerer's stone, it was fantastic. I went into the cinemas full of anticipation and saw many things mentioned in the books brought into life.
I can't make a decision on whether i like the movie more or the book. I thought it was a feat to squeeze so many details into a 2-3h movie. I guess it would be best to have them both. Afterall, fantasy requires imagination of both visual and non-visual!
I read Alice in Wonderland and watched the movie. The book was draggy and too long. I had to imagine all the settings. I was almost exhausted reading it. I did not have patience for it. It made me hate the book really.
ReplyDeleteThen I watched the movie. It was really vibrant and nothing like I imagined it to be. There were special effects, really colourful and the characters were animated. I actually appreciated the computer graphics interface and special effects. Of course, they changed some of the story line. I was ok with that.
I think it depends on what kind of a reader you are and what type of books you read. The Alice in the Wonderland book actually made me realise that I am not the type to read fantasy books. I am more of a movie go-er when it comes to fantasy. If it cannot fly in realy life, I just could not imagine it..
-Roziana Binte Rosli
I've read the Lord of the rings trilogy a grand total of 4 times in my 24 years of existence. Each time, it would take me only a month to plough through the tedious books, full of elvish and dwarfish references.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I find myself picking out new information that I didn't realise in previous few readings. From the vivid descriptions of scenery to the complicated plotlines, LOTR has never failed to amaze me.
The movie, similarly has only increased my fascination with the series. It was as if they managed to take a screenshot of my imagination and transformed it onto the silver screen. Furthermore, I could finally put a face onto the characters in the book as the cast was outstanding. Although a few plotlines were dropped by Peter Jackson, I believe that he managed to create a wonderfully epic trilogy from one of the best series ever to be written. And I can't wait to go to Middle Earth (New Zealand).
Muhammad Almanfalatih
I really liked all of the films and the books and loved the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince best of all.
ReplyDeleteI think I had no problem following the plot of the movie even when I had not read the book. But when I read the book, the deeper details are a different story.
So when I watched it again, I had a better understanding of the plot. However, watching the movies, with the visual and audio impact, gives you the an adrenalin rush and excitement that you cant feel and visualise with words.
As I read the HP book, there are instances when I felt disappointed that what I've imagined are not what is seen in the movies. The descriptive words found in the book relies on our imagination to make our own visuals.
ReplyDeleteBoth movies and books gave me the thrill of the story plot. However, reading may be take a longer time as you digest the words, unlike a movie where you receive what is shown in the big screen.