This seems to be happening more and more these days: You’re sitting in the movies watching tons of previews, when one catches your attention. The story line, the characters, the title — it all just seems way too familiar. Then you realize: Your favorite book is being turned into a movie.

Now, for book lovers everywhere, the excitement of being able to put a face to a beloved character alone is thrilling enough. As usual, the preview is chocked full of gorgeous actors, intense action scenes and stirring plots. The anticipation is immense, and for those huge blockbusters such as “Harry Potter” and “Twilight,” ordering tickets in advance and standing on line for hours is typical behavior.

When you finally get to see the movie, your expectations are high and you plan on being just as amazed by the movie as you were by the book. But in most circumstances, the movies do not live up to these expectations.

Elizabeth Signorotti, a Binghamton University professor, explained that, because reading a book is such a personal experience, it is difficult for directors to live up to the expectations of every reader when producing a film.

“Any time we watch a film of a text, we are getting an interpretation of the text,” Signorotti explained. “Watching a film deprives the viewer of the opportunity to engage with and interpret the individual and very personal experience that texts offer us.”

While most films that are based off of popular books are huge box office hits and are, in fact, great movies, many viewers are disappointed by the fact that the films are often altered, and don’t contain many of the details of the original text.

Helene Aronson, a junior psychology and human development major, is one of the viewers that feels this way.

“These movies distort personal images of the books and lead us to replace our own images with the images developed by someone else.”

The recently released film “The Lovely Bones” was highly anticipated because Alice Sebold’s story is beloved by so many. While the director created a unique version of the character’s “heaven,” unlike the book, the movie failed to gain the audiences’ sympathy right at the start. With such a distinctive story line and text, this book was most likely difficult to put on screen; but with its powerful cast and extraordinary imagery, it won the respect of many readers.

This isn’t uncommon when a text is turned into a movie. With movies such as the “Harry Potter” series and the “Twilight” saga, the immense popularity of their books creates a lot of hype. The addition of the dazzling effects of the magic represented, along with an attractive cast, helps these films become big-time moneymakers. But most readers’ loyalties lie with the original text, rather than the movies.

Molly Magan, a senior political science major, explains that she feels disappointed after watching a movie based on a book. “There are always parts that are not portrayed correctly, or the movie is missing the personal dimension that the reader creates,” Magan explains.

Ryan Vaughan, a Binghamton University professor explained that “a good story is a good story regardless of its delivery, but when the film deviates too much from the book I have a problem with it.”

Vaughan expressed his approval of “The Lord of the Rings”: “It did it right, it was a visual representation of something we’ve all only been able to imagine.”

While it seems that every newly released movie or television show is somewhat affiliated with a book, it usually cannot compare to the original text. It is simply impossible for a director to reach the needs of every movie-goer out there.

So there is no shame in waiting on line for over an hour to see “Eclipse,” even though “New Moon” wasn’t everything you hoped it would be.