Did anyone like the book better?

[the_lambda_man]

The way I see it-- the film is the greatest film ever made and the book is the greatest book ever written. Enough said.

[gary13136]

I would give the book a slight advantage, as it goes into more detail. However, I doubt that I would have bought the book if I hadn't seen the movie first. As one of the other respondents stated, the book gives a deeper appreciation for the movie.

The only real regret I have concerning the movie is that the scene with Eli buying blood from Tommy wasn't included. Oh, well. You win some and you lose some.

[Nicro]

I consider them to be one.

This

There are parts on the book that are so good, but they're not in the film... and viceversa. To answer your question... I love'em both, equally.

Co-Sign. They merged in my mind.

I myself have come to see Kare and Lina as E&O. The book has the upper hand because of more details and it generally being deeper.

[ofelia]

Another thing that bothered me about the movie was that the book was more like a mystery. It showed how widely Eli was affecting Blackeberg by including Staffan and the police and newspaper articles. I know that Staffan is not in the film because if you don't have Hakan come back to life then you don't need Tommy or Staffan, but I felt like it didn't really show how the town was affected, just a few characters. In the film Hakan killed the boy in the woods and then when the second murder didn't work out everybody just... forgot about it. Even when they found Jocke's body in the ice it was like only Lacke was really concerned about finding out who did it. It seemed like they pushed that part of the story too far into the background in order to focus on Oskar and Eli.

[Nicro]

I agree that more of the background stories should have been left in.

[danielma]

I wasn't really bothered by not having Tommy or Steffan in the film...to be really honest, those two characters actually kind of bored me (for a lack of better words) come the middle of the book...granted yes I know why they're there and I know what part they play into the overall story, but if I had to be honest, the scenes with Tommy and Steffan kind of made the middle of the novel sag

So I wasn't too bothered by them being cut considering the lack of Zom-kan plot in the film.

I'd disagree though ofellia, I would still say the impact on Blackeberg is there in the film and that it extends far beyond Oskar and the central characters, its just that its not relevant to show it.

Think about it

Oskar's mother still shows concern for her Son's where abouts...as seen by the way she badgers him at the beginning of the movie about the killer, also the way she is in tears after he walks back in after staying the night at Eli's...its pretty clear that the killings are having an impact there and are making her worry her brains out about Oskar's whereabouts

The news clippings also play a big old part into showing that yes the town is well aware and is mystified by the killings...but in regards to Oskar, we know he knows...the rest of the town is still mystified but through Oskar's perspective, its not really an issue...that's why I think a lot of that is not shown in the film...its just not relevant to Oskar, at this point, we're seeing things through Oskar's perspective and those issues of the outside world hunting down the mystery are really no longer relevant to Oskar...however it is still shown that the outside world is baffled by these killings.

The impact of what is happening really extends to everyone of the main characters, Eli's presence shines the light on everyone's loneliness...the mystery is still there for Lacke and crew, and they mystery unravels for Lacke in the progress of the film.

So yeah I kind of disagree, I think the impact that Eli has on Blackeberg is totally there throughout the whole movie. This is what makes it a good adaption for me, it condenses that stuff and ultimately still makes it work for me.

[Nightrider]

Lots of good bits in the book....

[TigerEyes]

I wasn't really bothered by not having Tommy or Steffan in the film...to be really honest, those two characters actually kind of bored me (for a lack of better words) come the middle of the book...granted yes I know why they're there and I know what part they play into the overall story, but if I had to be honest, the scenes with Tommy and Steffan kind of made the middle of the novel sag

I would have to agree. I often skip them over, not just because they're tad boring, but because i've already read about them, so i didn't really care for them.

So I wasn't too bothered by them being cut considering the lack of Zom-kan plot in the film.

And i really, really, really wouldn't want to see the zombie Hakan. (Shudders)

I'd disagree though ofellia, I would still say the impact on Blackeberg is there in the film and that it extends far beyond Oskar and the central characters, its just that its not relevant to show it.

Think about it

Oskar's mother still shows concern for her Son's where abouts...as seen by the way she badgers him at the beginning of the movie about the killer, also the way she is in tears after he walks back in after staying the night at Eli's...its pretty clear that the killings are having an impact there and are making her worry her brains out about Oskar's whereabouts

The news clippings also play a big old part into showing that yes the town is well aware and is mystified by the killings...but in regards to Oskar, we know he knows...the rest of the town is still mystified but through Oskar's perspective, its not really an issue...that's why I think a lot of that is not shown in the film...its just not relevant to Oskar, at this point, we're seeing things through Oskar's perspective and those issues of the outside world hunting down the mystery are really no longer relevant to Oskar...however it is still shown that the outside world is baffled by these killings.

Yep, i totally agree.

The impact of what is happening really extends to everyone of the main characters, Eli's presence shines the light on everyone's loneliness...the mystery is still there for Lacke and crew, and they mystery unravels for Lacke in the progress of the film.

So yeah I kind of disagree, I think the impact that Eli has on Blackeberg is totally there throughout the whole movie. This is what makes it a good adaption for me, it condenses that stuff and ultimately still makes it work for me.

Again, i totally agree.

[Casper]

The thing about books, as far as I'm concerned, is that when you read a book, it become a deeply personal experience. Your own mind is left to do most of the work, how you interpret the way things are said, the nuances, how you visualize the characters, how you get emotionally attached to them, who they remind you of, and that's just the characters. Your mind must also deal with the landscape, how frightening or graphic something is, the innate characteristics of any given thing that is written about. All these things are going to be different between all readers. In our own minds, there are virtually thousands or perhaps millions of little movies floating around, each one unique. John and Thomas took a part of that story (the love story) and poured everything they had into it. This was their visualization. And it may match up very close to those thousands or millions of personal movies, and it may not mach up with others. Therefore to say a book is better than a movie, or vice versa, is essentially stating how much the movie did or didn't match up with that movie in your head, or alternately, how much the book did or didn't enhance the attachment you already had to the movie.

[TigerEyes]

The thing about books, as far as I'm concerned, is that when you read a book, it become a deeply personal experience. Your own mind is left to do most of the work, how you interpret the way things are said, the nuances, how you visualize the characters, how you get emotionally attached to them, who they remind you of, and that's just the characters. Your mind must also deal with the landscape, how frightening or graphic something is, the innate characteristics of any given thing that is written about. All these things are going to be different between all readers. In our own minds, there are virtually thousands or perhaps millions of little movies floating around, each one unique. John and Thomas took a part of that story (the love story) and poured everything they had into it. This was their visualization. And it may match up very close to those thousands or millions of personal movies, and it may not mach up with others. Therefore to say a book is better than a movie, or vice versa, is essentially stating how much the movie did or didn't match up with that movie in your head, or alternately, how much the book did or didn't enhance the attachment you already had to the movie.

I totally agree with you Casper. I get my own visuals about all of the scenes, even the most horrible graphics, even though it makes me want to shower for hours just to get the grossed-out feeling of it out!