I've contemplated this question over the years ...
Which is best: Watch the movie first or read the book first?
And I've gone back and forth on this: "It's best to read the book first because then I'll understand the movie better/deeper ... No, it's best to watch the movie first so that I have a mental picture of places and characters and then the book will come more alive for me ... No, book first because it's what the author intended and then when I watch the movie, I'll be able to know the real story, what the movie changed or left out ... But, wait, maybe that's why I should watch the movie first, because if I know the real story and can tell what the movie changed or left out, it'll ruin the movie for me ... But if I watch the movie first then I'll know how it ends, and I'll feel like I'm wasting my time reading the book because the ending won't be a surprise anymore ... But surprises aren't always good; I hate investing a lot of time in a book and then being burned by a terrible ending, so maybe it's better to watch the movie first so that I'll know if I like the ending or not, if it's worth reading the book or not, and I won't waste as much time finding out because movies are way shorter than books ... But maybe the fact that the book takes so long to read is a reason to read the book first because, if I don't know what happens but it turns out to have a great ending (but I won't know till I get there), then I get more time to savor the journey, to get more invested in it and to enjoy the mystery of where it's going ... etc."
Anyway, after going round and round on this for years, I think I finally figured out the best answer ...
Movie first.
Why?
Because the book is almost always better than the movie. And so if you read the book first, the movie will be a disappointment. But if you watch the movie first, you can enjoy it more because you won't be comparing it to the book and yet you'll still enjoy the book when you read it later because it's always better than the movie and will contain a lot that wasn't in the movie, so there will still be new things to enjoy.
But then again, knowing the ending of the book might make all that time reading it less enjoyable.
But the movie will definitely be less enjoyable if you've read the book.
(Oh dear, here we go again!)
[Examples:
Great book, terrible movie: Under the Tuscan Sun. After gagging through the first half, I shut the movie off half-way through because it was so bad, because it was nothing like the book, had a completely different feeling, tone, and focus, added a bunch of things to "spice it up" that weren't in the book, and yet didn't have any of the things (except for the few-seconds-long owl scene) that made the book delightful. So if you want to enjoy both, watch the movie first, because you'll hate it if you read the book first.
Great movie (worth watching first), okay book: Wizard of Oz. Maybe it's because I grew up with the movie, but I think this is one situation where the movie outshines the book. The book does have a lot of extra things (it's a little more trippy) but nothing that would make the movie better. I think the movie did a great job including what needed to be included, and I even prefer the movie's version of the wizard and the flying monkeys over the book's version. The movie stands on its own. So while I'm glad I read the book just for fun, I could've done without it.
Great movies and great books and should always be read and watched all the time, over and over again, no matter the order: The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (trilogies). These are in a class all their own and should be enjoyed over and over and over again. (And yes, I can see the "Hollywood-ized" problems in the Hobbit movie trilogy, but I don't care. I forgive it all and just enjoy it for what it is because these stories and characters are so great!]
