Is it me am I weird, but if there is a book that a movie is based on, I refuse to see the movie till I have read the book. I mean with my limited time I don't see some movies that people think are great, but, I think I enjoy both if I read the original source material first. Alas I will not see the Narnia movies anytime soon since they are low on the book list at them moment.

I don't see that as being odd. Maybe prudent. I like to read the books first too. I did it with Harry Potter and I'm kinda glad I did. It's unfortunate Narina is so far down on your list. I was a lovely book, I enjoyed it as a child. I probably haven't read it in almost twenty years, but I still liked it.

The largest disappointment was Hitchhikers.

Sometimes I like reading the book first, but at the same time I find I enjoy the movie a lot more if I see it before I read the book because then I don't have any preconceived notion of how it's supposed to be.

The biggest disappointment for me was Eragon. They did an absolutely horrible job of adapting it. As a movie it wasn't bad, but as Eragon it was terrible. There is no doubt in my mind that if I watched the movie first, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

But really I think which you do first all depends on which is more likely to be more interesting. With something like Lord of the Rings, it probably be a better idea to read the books first because the movies are more interesting. But with something like Harry Potter, it would most likely be in your best interests to watch the movies first because the books are more involved and have more depth to them.

I definetly HAVE to read the book before the movie. It just makes more sense that way

I tend to feel the same, but I think the kind of book it is makes a big difference. If I know I dislike the genre, or if it's written in the first person, I might avoid the book completely. Or, if I know the movie is only loosely based on the book, I'll also avoid it.

But I really don't see many movies in the first place.

I prefer to read first, so I can make my own impressions on the books. I don't like to see a movie, then read the book and see the actors in my mind. It's more fun to draw your own conclusions and use your own imagination than to have it spoon-fed to you.

The problem is, sometimes I get mad when they don't do it right, so I would rather see some movies first. Not all, but ones where I got especially attached.

But generally, I'd prefer to read them first.

i prefer to read a book before i go to see the movie about it.. although i wont not see a movie just because i haven't read the book
like Narnia for example
i've never read the books but i saw the movie and i enjoyed it alot and i kinda wish i wasn't already i huge Harry Potter fan when i saw the first movie because the movies just don't do the books justice in my opinion

I prefer to read the book first, but it's not always a must. For instance, I haven't reread The Chronicles of Narnia in a really long time, so I have no memory of stuff that happens. I see the movies anyway, even if, as it is, I can't compare them to the book.

In alot of cases, though, I want to read the book first. I won't see Angels and Demons until I find time to read the book, same with the Da Vinci Code and Marley and Me. Bother, just a moment ago I was thinking of other movies I haven;t seen because I want to read the book, but now I can't remember. XD

I prefer reading the book over watching the film, but it doesn't really matter to me which comes first; sometimes, I read the book, then watch the movie, sometimes vice versa..
And when I first read and then watch, and the movie sucked so bad, I read the book again to get a good opinion of it again xD

Sometimes if the book was really good, I almost don't want to see the movie at all. I hold back as long as I can until morbid curiosity finally overcomes me. I mean, I do like to see the visual interpretation of what I've read, but I absolutely hate to see something ruined for the general consumption. The Harry Potter movies, for instance, aren't nearly as clever as the books.

Another aspect of it is that the movie representations often fail to come close to the images in my mind that I got when reading the books. I have a rich and colorful imagination, which is probably at least part of why I'm such a bookworm. I hate being disappointed.

I prefer to read the book first. Sometimes though, I don't know that the movie is based off of a book until after i've seen it. But then it makes me want to go read the book. :)

as for movie/book translations, I find it easier that even though you know exactly how the movie is supposed to look, you come in with no expectations. You'll find that you can enjoy the movie for the movie and not what it necessarily represents.