How is the experience of seeing a movie different from other forms of entertainment, such as reading?

Probably the
most significant difference between watching a movie and reading a book is that movies are, by
their nature, linear. They continue at a steady pace without the viewer's direct involvement;
they are passive entertainment, capable of reaching the viewer on an emotional level without the
need for purposeful imagination. In contrast, a book is written in a linear format, but the
reader can experience it at leisure. The book can be skimmed, highlighted, annotated, reread,
and the reader can flip back through the pages to connect some past idea with the current page.
This is certainly possible with movies, especially today with advancements in home video
technology, but it is harder and requires more effort. With a book, the reader experiences the
story through the mind and the imagination, only seeing the descriptions of the writer for
guidance. With a movie, the viewer sees what the filmmaker intends the viewer to see; there is
little scope for reinterpretation or imagination. This is not a negative aspect; many films
contain intense emotional and narrative content explicitly created by the filmmakers. However,
the experience of reading is very different from watching; the viewer is less likely to be
emotionally committed to the movie, since it plays through and is finished. The reader can
continue to experience the book over and over, with less effort than pausing and rewinding the
movie.