On someone else's blog this week (can't remember whose) they asked which books would they like to see as movies. Most people answered NONE, because they don't like their fave books butchered, as movies from books sometimes do.
I completely disagree. Yes, sometimes movies do butcher the books. I think my least favorite book turned movie was probably Confessions of a Shopaholic. I even liked the movie version of Eragon though most people don't. And when they turned Terry Goodkind's books into a TV show, I watched it religiously, even though they changed a lot of the major plot points from the books.
Most of the time, the movies actually make me like the book MORE. It's true. Movies bring on a completely different excitement for me. I can't really describe it, but there's something about seeing books I love come to life in a way I could never do on my own.
For example, The Hunger Games. I liked the books when I read them. Liked them. This time around as I'm rereading, I'm LOVING them. I'm super excited for the movie. I have ants in my pants waiting for Saturday night to roll around. While my hubbie thinks the movie is going to suck (I had to refrain from smacking him for that comment), I think it's going to be AWESOME.
Now maybe I'm just getting caught up in all the hype. Some would criticize me for this. But really, is that WRONG? I don't think so. Because of all the hype, because of my newfound excitement, I'm reading the books again, and I'm reading them with a lot more depth and focus. I'm appreciating them more this second time around. And I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who are rereading like me, or who will pick up the books for the first time because of the movie. How is that a bad thing?
When I go to The Hunger Games this weekend, I know things won't be exactly as I imagine them. I know things will be cut from a book. I know it won't be exactly the same. But that's okay. Because I'm getting to see a book I love come to life before me on the big screen. And that's an amazing thing.