I felt guilty for disliking the book, but I really disliked it. What I loved about the movie was how intricate it was—complex, and yet all the elements fit together in this extremely concise, intentional way. Nothing was extraneous or misplaced. The book was completely lacking in that kind of concision: clumsy, sprawling, vague. Obviously the movie could not have happened without the ideas set forth in the book, but in terms of the kind of experience the viewer/reader has of the story, I liked the movie so much more. And I would like to think that it would be the same, even if I had read the book first (although I never would have even finished the book if it weren’t for my admiration for the film).

I think having seen the movie removed a great deal of the mystery from the book. However, the movie did an excellent job of distilling out the key parts of the story and running with them. And perhaps the tighter, more mysterious story is the better of them – because perhaps the book explains too much.
At the same time, it’s a fun read, gripping even if you already know the secrets.