I agree with Kas. No matter how naturally magnificent the effects look, character portrayal and interaction is crucial. You care about the characters = you care about the story.

yeah, sometimes the actors are just wrong. and dosent look right in the story.

Through to be fair, i would rather have an actor who can play the part then an actor who looks right, though i'd rather have both.

I think that's what Lyv.,,,books meant. Anyway, I agree - the acting is crucial.

ACting is crucial while watching but also the adaptation of the plot, because films have to fit so much into a short space or time they miss out the less crucial to the plot but sometimes the fun/ interesting little touches that help the books be so good.

Film.
It says on Trudi's website that she's just waiting for her agent to suggest it or for her to get an offer. I hope they make the film. Trudi didn't describe her characters enough, so when i try to play the book in my head like a film, i can't get a clear picture of what the characters look like :( . And that means I can't draw them either. -Sigh-

Same! I'm like taht as well -- I'm trying to stop watching movies from books to stop the problem of ruining my images. I often find that I gte an image and miss out some pieces of desciption they the author gives. But in a film (if they're trying to be very accurate which they aren't always) even if the actor perhaps fits very closely with the book description because my image is different it really messes up the image next time I read.

I don't find that they ruin my image. If I like the image i'll take it, if not then i disgard it. Sometimes they get a little stuck, but never completely and it's tempered with my own details. Maybe my own imagination is too hard to suppress.

Yeah me too, taking those images that I like. Movies can help too, sometimes a character is still very fuzzy the way I imagine him/her to be and the movie makes things clearer.

I think my problem is there are some specefics in (e.g.) facial features) that I don't always see in perfect detail and then after seeing the movie I see the more details from the actors and it and my image conflict in my mind confusing it.

Personally as long as they stay true to the character, looks and personality wise and the plot, i'm not too bothered. I don't mind them missing out minor points, because somethings can't be transfered to the screen affectively, and seeing new bits are also quite fun.

that's fair enough, in theory i always know that some things have to be changed in reality it always bothers me.

I like to talk about it, and point them out, discuss it, but I'm usually not annoyed. Only when I feel it wa stupid to take it out.

Seeing a movie after reading the book doesn't normally bother me as I can still see my original interpretation in my minds eye. When I see a movie first then read the books I have the actor set in place. I do enjoy reading the book after seeing he movie though because when you come to a part that wasnt in the movie, it's all the more unexpected.