Book vs. Movie - Why Book Always Wins

I'm going to see Divergent tonight, and while I'm excited about the movie, I have low expectations. I always do when it comes to movie adaptations of books. Why? Because the book is always better.

There's one simple reason for this. In a movie, no matter how good the director is, you can't get inside a character's head. Books give you what the movie can't - depth, back story, inner conflict.

Don't get me wrong. I still love seeing my favorite books turned into movies. It's fun to see the characters brought to life. Sometimes the casting in spot on (Harry Potter, Hunger Games), sometimes it needs to grow on me (Twilight, The Mortal Instruments), and sometimes, I feel the cast and crew never read the book at all (Flowers in the Attic - worst film adaption of a book ever.) It's also cool to see how key elements in a story are converted into film. Remember the blank chapters in New Moon? The movie treatment was spot on - Bella slowly spinning in a chair while the world passed by outside her window. (That girl had serious moping issues, but that's another topic entirely.)

So, I'm excited to see Divergent. I hope they found the balance between fans of the book and first time moviegoers. How about you? Excited for the movie? What's your favorite book to film adaptation? Feel free to comment and let me know.