There’s nothing I like better than curling up with a good book or watching a new film. So when it’s announced that a film adaptation of a popular novel is to be released, I make sure I read the book straight away.</p> 
Whilst I love film, I often find I prefer reading original stories because so often, despite the talents of the actors, I find they can’t convey the amount of emotion and empathy you can feel for a character when reading a book.<br> 
For example, nothing pains me more than people referring to <i>Harry Potter</i> as a film. Or than when people say they’ve never read the books but have seen the films. To me, watching a film, rather than reading the book it’s based on, limits you to being passive. On the very rare occasion that I cave in and watch a film before reading its source text, I find I don’t connect with the characters as well as I could have when I get around to reading the book and I don’t find myself rushing through the chapters in anticipation of what happens next. Instead, I find myself skimming through the pages without actually taking anything in; after all, I’ve already seen all the action unfold on-screen.<br>
Where I’m adamant that you should always read the source text first, I find it irritating when people define a book as 'rubbish' after just seeing the film. The most common case of this is with the <i>Twilight</i> saga. I remember being in Sixth Form when the film was announced and the whole common room was full of girls reading the novel; we were all completely captivated by it and would discuss how perfect Edward Cullen and Jacob Black were in our spare time. <br> 
Whilst Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner were, in my opinion, great in their roles, one thing ruined it for me: the protagonist, Bella Swan. The novel, by Stephenie Meyer, is told in a first-person narrative through the eyes of Bella and, as a reader, I loved being able to feel empathy for the character. For me, the best part of the novel was the fact that it was from her viewpoint; she was grounded yet extremely vulnerable at the same time. But on screen, Kristen Stewart doesn’t convey those feelings; there is only so much that eye rolling and lip-biting can convey and, without a narration of her thoughts, it is hard to find her portrayal of Bella very appealing. </p>
That isn’t to say I think all novels which have been turned into film franchises have ended badly. The recent adaptation of <i>The Hunger Games</i> was right on the mark for me. Although only one of the three books has been adapted so far, it showed promise of faithfulness to the book series. In the adaptation, only a few plot points were changed and most were for the better. It also added clever new twists that even hardcore fans had to agree were good. <br>
In my opinion, <i>The Hunger Games</i> may be the turning point in attitudes towards film adaptations. This is probably because of its appeal to both sexes and the fact that it isn’t just focused on romance: it has a more substantial plot than most recent franchises. The fact that it doesn’t have supernatural elements and is set in a dystopian future makes it far more believable, and not as easy to mock.<br>
These elements are a testament to the brilliant trilogy of books by Suzanne Collins. Her incredible writing technique keeps the reader constantly intrigued and the pace of action is truly incredible. With franchises, it is often the case that they are less faithful to the text with each film, but I really hope that isn’t the case with <i>The Hunger Games</i>. I think because there is never a dull moment in the novels, we may see a turning point where each film is, almost, as good as the book it is based on.</p>
Another thing that annoys me with film adaptations is the obvious influence of the ‘Hollywood’ film industry, especially in romantic comedies. David Nicholls’ <i>One Day</i> was one of my favourite novels of 2009. He created truly captivating characters – to this day Dexter is one of my favourites – and I think the time frame of the narrative was incredible: the way in which Nicholls would only write about the characters on one day of the year was incredibly innovative and it was very hard-hitting for the reader to see how much things can change in such a short space of time. <br>
When the film adaptation came out I was hesitant to see it. Although critics were saying Jim Sturgess’ performance as Dexter was incredible, they were also saying Anne Hathaway as Emma was an absolute disaster. At first I was bewildered as to why an American would be cast in a role that is so quintessentially British. In the film, Hathaway’s Yorkshire accent left much to be desired and I can only think she was cast to bring in international audiences. To this day, I think Emily Blunt was made for the role. Whilst Emma wasn’t the most upbeat character in the book, I feel Hathaway’s performance just didn’t portray the edge that the character had. </p>
I think some adaptations are done really well, for example I loved Kazuo Ishiguro’s <i>Never Let Me Go</i> and think Mark Romanek made a great adaptation but it took me a long time to convince myself to watch the film because I loved the book so much. I think to watch a film soon after reading its book is another thing that alters my judgment. I waited over a year to watch <i>Never Let Me Go</i> because I wasn’t sure how I would feel about seeing the characters I’d visualised so clearly on-screen. I think if I’d have watched the film shortly after reading the book I wouldn’t have been so satisfied. </p>
Sometimes I think it’s my own fault that I’m often left unsatisfied by film adaptations. If my standards weren’t set so high from reading the novels first, I would probably enjoy the films more. But as much as I love film, in my opinion, there is nothing better than imagining a character for the first time, or picturing the landscape of a carefully thought-out environment. However, more than anything else, there is nothing better than getting to a twist in a plot that hasn’t been predictably hinted at previously and being able to learn about these twists as the character does, being able to embrace their emotions and fears alongside them.
So if you’re quick to dismiss a film as rubbish, go and read the book. You might find your opinion changing.  

