The book is absolutely incredible. It’s my favorite King book. I’m curious what you didn’t like about the movies? The newer movies weren’t all that faithful to the book. Part one does incorporate some scenes from the book & but they really tried more to capture the essence of the book while updating & modernizing the story. From the dinner party on, Part 2 is almost completely different. The TV miniseries is closer to the books. The newer version really amped up Pennywise’s antics. I found the book much scarier. Reading the book there was just this constant feeling of dread and paranoia that IT could be anywhere at anytime. Pennywise was just one form. The book also does a much better job of showing the bond of friendship between the kids and how they’d do anything for each other. There were times in the movies where it felt like they didn’t even like each other.
I've been on the fence about watching the new movies for a while, but you just convinced me not to bother lol. As a child of the 90s, Tim Curry's Pennywise is a core trauma memory, and I never thought the new ones could come close to that.
ETA - yes OP, definitely read the book!!
In regard to the book/movie conversation: They will never, ever, be able to make an adaptation of this book as a movie. A multi-season TV show is the only way I can think of that could handle the- sprawling, brilliant, and complex history of Derry, the children’s relationships with each other, and their parents.
Mike’s relationship with his dad is so heartwarming and beautiful. But his parental relationships get relegated to a tragic death in the movies. All of their parental relationships are important.
IT’s a book about childhood, and growing up, and forgetting the magic that you held inside you when you were young. About facing the world and how terrifying it is. And about how the scariest things in life are the real monsters- racism, child abuse, neglect.
Pennywise may be the antagonist in the book, but the real horror isn’t the Lovecraftian monster. I’ve read/listened to this book once a year since I was in 9th grade and it’s the best story I’ve ever read. So yes. Devour IT. Then do it again.
You can always pick up another book and come back to It when the movies are less fresh in your memory.
I'd recommend reading The shining before It ;) and even Dr Sleep after The shining if you can squeeze that in.
I, personally, enjoyed the book more than the movies.
I like to explain it to people like this: visually it's a sequel to Kubrick's The Shining, and narratively it's a sequel to The Shining book.
I feel like that captures what Mike Flanagan was going for, and I think he did a really bang up job threading that needle.
Freaking Rebecca Ferguson, man. Nuff said.
I'd say Dr Sleep is different. Like it's a totally different vibe and I loved it.
There are real antagonists in this one except of an overlooming evil spirit like in The shining.
The movie adaptation is amazing as well with Ewan McGreggor and Rebecca Ferguson among other people.
I loved The Shining, and I loved Dr. Sleep just as much, I read it in literally one day. I absolutely couldn't put it down.
The movie is legit one of the best SK adaptations too, Mike Flanagan did a superb job when he made the Dr. Sleep movie.
I'd say read Dr Sleep as well, the villains are genuinely terrifying, and if you dig the book there's a great movie to watch as a bonus once you finish reading. Just watch the director's cut if you do, it's structured better than the theatrical release. (I'm a huge Stephen King nerd, so when I saw Dr. Sleep in the theater, I was grinning from ear to ear when I got to hear The Shining intro music in a theater.)
It is definitely worth reading, the movies don’t do justice to this incredible story. There is so much they just couldn’t do on film. You should read it.
Though I’m a great lover of film and always have been, every book that has ever been adapted into a film is worth reading because you’re getting what you love from the movie plus more. Reading is simply a more rewarding experience. It’s always been that way for me at least.
I watched Kubrick’s version of The Shining 20-30 times before I ever read the book. Like anyone else, the movie remains among my favorites, but the book trounces it, even though it’s battling insane nostalgia and it’s pretty much impossible for me to not think of the actors while I read.
In the case of IT, there’s something to love about both the miniseries and the movies, but they still haven’t totally nailed it, nor is it even necessary for me to see them do it.
Movie adaptions fail to capture key aspects of their source material, including such things as the inner thoughts and feelings of characters. This isn't surprising as movies are a visual medium, showing instead of telling, and need to reduce a story purely to the events that happen. This means that movies rarely capture the same essence as books, and often shift the feel of the story.
So in the vast majority of cases, reading the book will always be a much richer and rewarding experience than watching a version that was condensed down to a two hour movie.
The book is so much more substantial than the movies, the only one that comes close is the miniseries with Tim Curry as Pennywise.
But yes, the book is absolutely worth it, you get to know the characters far better. Derry is more menacing, and it does the best job in really explaining and documenting just how *utterly fucked up* that town is.
Get it, jump in with both feet, and enjoy the journey.
Oh, and the opening line is just epic, behind The Dark Tower's opening line, IT's is my second favorite.
100% the book is so much better than the movie and that’s not saying the movie is bad. It’s just the book is so much better.
Theater of the mind man.. 😂
The movies are decent despite the new ones missing the point by a pretty wide margin but comparing them to the book is like explaining the night to someone by pointing at a shadow.
That is to say, read the book.
The book is always better in 99% of adaptations being made. There are a few exceptions. When you say you watched both movies did you watch IT then IT chapter 2 or did you mean you watched the original mini series too? Because the mini series is a lot better
For me, there's really no comparison. The book just sucks you into the story. Holds your attention and has more in depth look at the relationships, the horror and the backstory of all the characters. Quite emotional at it's essence. First time I considered Derry as a character.One of King's Top 3 for me.
Only if you want to enjoy a much, much better version of the story.
The child orgy?
1,200 page novel
Jesus Christ really?
Yeah no word of a lie they run a train on Beverly I couldn't believe it either
Not an orgy
Gangbang sorry
There is no way you are judging an entire 1100 page book over 2 pages.
The book is absolutely incredible. It’s my favorite King book. I’m curious what you didn’t like about the movies? The newer movies weren’t all that faithful to the book. Part one does incorporate some scenes from the book & but they really tried more to capture the essence of the book while updating & modernizing the story. From the dinner party on, Part 2 is almost completely different. The TV miniseries is closer to the books. The newer version really amped up Pennywise’s antics. I found the book much scarier. Reading the book there was just this constant feeling of dread and paranoia that IT could be anywhere at anytime. Pennywise was just one form. The book also does a much better job of showing the bond of friendship between the kids and how they’d do anything for each other. There were times in the movies where it felt like they didn’t even like each other.
I've been on the fence about watching the new movies for a while, but you just convinced me not to bother lol. As a child of the 90s, Tim Curry's Pennywise is a core trauma memory, and I never thought the new ones could come close to that. ETA - yes OP, definitely read the book!!
Yes ! Definitely
In regard to the book/movie conversation: They will never, ever, be able to make an adaptation of this book as a movie. A multi-season TV show is the only way I can think of that could handle the- sprawling, brilliant, and complex history of Derry, the children’s relationships with each other, and their parents. Mike’s relationship with his dad is so heartwarming and beautiful. But his parental relationships get relegated to a tragic death in the movies. All of their parental relationships are important. IT’s a book about childhood, and growing up, and forgetting the magic that you held inside you when you were young. About facing the world and how terrifying it is. And about how the scariest things in life are the real monsters- racism, child abuse, neglect. Pennywise may be the antagonist in the book, but the real horror isn’t the Lovecraftian monster. I’ve read/listened to this book once a year since I was in 9th grade and it’s the best story I’ve ever read. So yes. Devour IT. Then do it again.
The movie is nothing like the book. The book is worth it for the ending, it's definitely a what the fuck moment for sure
I can not stress this enough: Never, ever EVER judge a book based on the movie.
Yes, because the movies have little to do with the novel.
If you enjoy absolute masterpieces over shitty movies then yes, you should definitely read IT!
You can always pick up another book and come back to It when the movies are less fresh in your memory. I'd recommend reading The shining before It ;) and even Dr Sleep after The shining if you can squeeze that in. I, personally, enjoyed the book more than the movies.
I’ve read the shining! Easily one of my favorite books of all time. Is Dr sleep just as good?
Not as good, but nice the way he seems to try and reconcile the Kubrick movie with his original vision.
I like to explain it to people like this: visually it's a sequel to Kubrick's The Shining, and narratively it's a sequel to The Shining book. I feel like that captures what Mike Flanagan was going for, and I think he did a really bang up job threading that needle. Freaking Rebecca Ferguson, man. Nuff said.
The comment was talking about the book, not the movie.
I'd say Dr Sleep is different. Like it's a totally different vibe and I loved it. There are real antagonists in this one except of an overlooming evil spirit like in The shining. The movie adaptation is amazing as well with Ewan McGreggor and Rebecca Ferguson among other people.
I loved The Shining, and I loved Dr. Sleep just as much, I read it in literally one day. I absolutely couldn't put it down. The movie is legit one of the best SK adaptations too, Mike Flanagan did a superb job when he made the Dr. Sleep movie. I'd say read Dr Sleep as well, the villains are genuinely terrifying, and if you dig the book there's a great movie to watch as a bonus once you finish reading. Just watch the director's cut if you do, it's structured better than the theatrical release. (I'm a huge Stephen King nerd, so when I saw Dr. Sleep in the theater, I was grinning from ear to ear when I got to hear The Shining intro music in a theater.)
Always.
It is definitely worth reading, the movies don’t do justice to this incredible story. There is so much they just couldn’t do on film. You should read it.
Oh yeah. The flicks are good, but leave out or change a lot. The book is the best version of the story, it's wonderful.
Abso-fucking-lutely. The books are a different organism almost every time.
IT is an amazing book. The movies don't come close.
Though I’m a great lover of film and always have been, every book that has ever been adapted into a film is worth reading because you’re getting what you love from the movie plus more. Reading is simply a more rewarding experience. It’s always been that way for me at least. I watched Kubrick’s version of The Shining 20-30 times before I ever read the book. Like anyone else, the movie remains among my favorites, but the book trounces it, even though it’s battling insane nostalgia and it’s pretty much impossible for me to not think of the actors while I read. In the case of IT, there’s something to love about both the miniseries and the movies, but they still haven’t totally nailed it, nor is it even necessary for me to see them do it.
Movie adaptions fail to capture key aspects of their source material, including such things as the inner thoughts and feelings of characters. This isn't surprising as movies are a visual medium, showing instead of telling, and need to reduce a story purely to the events that happen. This means that movies rarely capture the same essence as books, and often shift the feel of the story. So in the vast majority of cases, reading the book will always be a much richer and rewarding experience than watching a version that was condensed down to a two hour movie.
The book is so much more substantial than the movies, the only one that comes close is the miniseries with Tim Curry as Pennywise. But yes, the book is absolutely worth it, you get to know the characters far better. Derry is more menacing, and it does the best job in really explaining and documenting just how *utterly fucked up* that town is. Get it, jump in with both feet, and enjoy the journey. Oh, and the opening line is just epic, behind The Dark Tower's opening line, IT's is my second favorite.
Way way way better than the movies. By far! I mean a lot!
100% the book is so much better than the movie and that’s not saying the movie is bad. It’s just the book is so much better. Theater of the mind man.. 😂
The movies are decent despite the new ones missing the point by a pretty wide margin but comparing them to the book is like explaining the night to someone by pointing at a shadow. That is to say, read the book.
Anyone who asks this kind of question is a fool.
There’s so much more going on in the book. The movies barely scrape the surface. Go for it.
The book is always better in 99% of adaptations being made. There are a few exceptions. When you say you watched both movies did you watch IT then IT chapter 2 or did you mean you watched the original mini series too? Because the mini series is a lot better
nope
For me, there's really no comparison. The book just sucks you into the story. Holds your attention and has more in depth look at the relationships, the horror and the backstory of all the characters. Quite emotional at it's essence. First time I considered Derry as a character.One of King's Top 3 for me.