Disappointment

Why is it that books are so much better than the movies based upon them? I just finished reading, The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory which I enjoyed tremendously. The book transported me into that era; the tastes, sounds, colors were all vividly visible in my mind. I wanted to share this story with my husband and so filled in a request with Cinemail for the the movie version. I was really looking forward to it as #1 it starred Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman and #2 there was quite a bit of press on it when it was initially released (too bad I didn't read the reviews first). This movie was more than disappointing it was just...wrong. I found the film to be a very poor adaptation of the book.

We all have our own visuals when it comes to reading. The characters, the sights, the sounds, the colors, the experiences are all varied depending on the reader. That is what makes reading so magical I think. We all experience it in a different way. Some movies do a fantastic job recreating the book on screen but most of the time I find it is a huge disappointment.

I wonder how many movies have turned people away from the book itself and thus been cheated out of a wonderful reading experience?