Watching Movies Vs Reading Books: What’s The Right Pick?

Today’s times are those where a second has to be stretched to its maximum to make the most of it. Just look at our pastimes. They are mostly about luxury than about leisure and learning, if possible. Our previous generation had a different take on leisure, and we have a definition that’s entirely different from theirs.

Similar would be the case if we were to choose between two modes of keeping your mind active, an experience that’s sensory as well, while being an exercise to enhance the creativity of your mind as well.

Let’s compare a book and a film. While both are tactile experiences, they seem to largely depend on the personality of people who prefer books over a film or vice versa.

What sets both activities apart? There must be die-hard fans of books who wouldn’t want to watch a film (on the book or otherwise) unless it is REALLY good. But, there must be film aficionados who won’t want to read a book because the activity is either strenuous or lazy, and involves a lot of mind space. A quick film would be a better experience for such people who would want imagination served on a platter. Boy, does it get any better than that.

The jury will never be out on this and the verdict will always be hanging without favouring anyone in particular; at the same time, not disappointing either. Whether it is a film or a book is a ‘chicken or egg’ kind of question.

The whole decision depends on how much time you have on hand to invest in each of the activity. Both have their pros and cons that cannot be compared to make a definitive decision. However, if you are a parent – the decision is easy. Books are the best bet for those young minds that are opening up to the world. They see what the older generation cannot even imagine. Hence, it is important to help children ride their individual flights of fantasy over feeding ready-made studio-created animation images that will possibly curtail their potential to create their own images.

A book or a movie?

Unlimited powers
A book has unlimited imaginary powers and so does a film. But the only difference being a book can be a personal experience while a film has to be partially a social experience as well. It can be your escape route from the world, only if you are viewing it alone.

Freedom or escape?
With its long-winding sentences a book can take the reader into a world of mystery where possibilities are immense. A human mind can conjure up images that even the best of animation cannot produce. That way, a film may, just may limit the power of imagination. However, if the mind is as creative as it claims to be, a film can even produce myriad images in the minds of a spectator who will probably take off on another tangent altogether to create better images.

Pause and proceed
It is possible to ‘pause’ a book when you feel like savouring or contemplating on a particular scene, line, plot or just a word. The beauty of a book is you can travel with it as long as you want. When you re-read a book, you take a different journey altogether with probably even better imagination. It is like slowly savouring your favourite pastry or downing the most matured wine sip by sip and get warm from within.

A film may work differently depending on whether the person has an appetite for a rerun or not. And, most importantly, books need least technical support as against a film which needs a whole set up to keep it going.

Best ‘bonding’ agents
This ought to be true. If you meet another person who loves similar books as you, you can safely assume to have a similar ideology and almost stay on the same page as far as having a bond is concerned. However, if you meet a person who loves the same films as you, life can never be THAT hassle-free. You cannot really decipher whether the person loves a film for its story, performance, or technical brilliance. Some decisions can never be easy!

Image: theviewspaper.net