D41 wrote:...I always figure it similarly ...read the books later. - With a book you draw your own imagery, with a movie you're seeing a collage of other people's imagery - usually compacted, and the two seldom coincide .
Fwiw I believe that books always have the edge for a fundamentally different reason.
IMO when you read a story book it can put you into the minds & thoughts of the characters, so you can immerse yourself into the narrative.
However with a film you are simply observing the actions of the actors. -Far more superficial IMHO.
Adding a narrator is a way that has been use to attempt to address this fundamental shortfall, however the few number of films that adopt that approach suggests that it is not very successful.?