The stupid debate that ABF made even stupider thread

[A Black Falcon]

I thought you'd say something like that, OB1... that fails to get the point. Yes, movies can make up for their inherent disadvantage, but it IS an inherent disadvantage! The fact that some movies do does not change the fact that it is harder for a movie to do that than it is for a book. As Weltall said, it's about imagination. A book in requires more because you have to imagine what is going on instead of being shown it. It's a simple concept that shouldn't be too hard to understand: You have to think more when you are forced to use your imagination than when you are not.

Imagination, OB1.

Intellectual depth, that's a different question... there movies are much closer. Each has its advantages, but overall I'd say that a book has more potential just by the fact that it can fit in a whole lot more content. Yes, movies can make up for that for sure, but... generalizing, books have the edge.

This is obvious when you look at society. Watching movies or TV is easier than reading, which is why everyone watches stuff but relatively few read much. And even fewer probably frequently watch the kinds of movies you are talking about here. :) The same is true among books of course... I'm sure that most of what people read isn't great literature and detailed works of history or science but 'easier' books. I know that a lot of what I read isn't the most complex stuff ever...