Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Lord of the Rings.

To some, these titles describe stories unraveled through black text. To others, these are actors moving across a silver screen. Both versions tell a unique story, and each should be appreciated as its own piece of work.

People will cry out in anguish after they go see an adaptation of their favorite book stamped across the marquee. Wailing against character choices, settings and plot cuts, people will swear against the movie and will tell anyone who has an ear that you shouldn’t waste the money and should go read the book.

Ignore the wailers—some movies that are adapted are freaking amazing.

When I saw the first Harry Potter movie in theaters, I hadn’t read the book yet. I found the movie to be one of the best movies I had ever seen. As I was walking out of the theater, I heard some girls complaining about how Ron looked nothing like what J.K. Rowling described, so the movie sucked.

With this view, the girls were disappointed. But if they had looked at the movie as a individual piece, they could’ve fallen in love who it.

Books and movies will probably never be the same. They are different medias. Plot and characters may be the same, but filmworld and storyland are two very different experiences. Each one should be appreciated for its own worthiness. The Hunger Games was both a must-see and a must-read for me, and even though there were differences between the two, I was able to appreciate both.

Don’t judge a movie by its book. Missing out on a fantastic world just because there are differences in details is a foolish outlook to take.