Thats true, smaller time frame an being an Australian movie they had low budget. Ellie wasn't how I'd pictured her in the movie. They left stuff out, I was just disappointed. Surprised you've seen it though , they did want to make a sequel at one stage, but it just wasn't a popular film.
Sequel is actually in production last I read. It is on Netflix now and has generated a lot of raves and high ratings, that has spring bordered it's after box office sales and earnings which sadly was a box office bust. (Even after breaking attendance records in Australia.)
I'm not sure if Avatar The Last Airbender had 'books' or 'mangas' but the movie was a masterpiece. M. Night Shamalayan, the guy who directed the sixth sense is truly an artistic mind.
The main reason why the book is better than the movie is because the book can go on forever, detailing every part and not leaving anything out, giving the reader suspense making them want to keep reading on. The movie however will compact everything in the book in about 1:30 hours - 3 hours. Where in fact the book could easily become a 4~5 hour movie, the bigger books / series books are spilt across several movie like Harry Potter. This would be due to people not wanting to sit still for 5 hours. That is mostly the reason why books are better, they give the reader more in terms of details, events and scenes. Thus lasting longer and inspiring the reader to have days / weeks of enjoyment reading to find out what's going to happen next when ever they have a little free time to themselves. That is why the longer / series movies like... Lord of the Rings Saving private Ryan Star Wars Walking dead Game of Thrones Indiana Jones Other ...Are great movies / series lasting though the times being watched over and over, but few who has seen moves like lord of the rings say that it's too long, as I said people don't want to sit for longer than 3 hours. The other reason why the book is better is because it's the original, as people build a expectation of what a movie will be like, but are disappointed that the movie didn't reach what they're exceptions. It's more or less a different theme and style, books are for people who want to sit and read when ever they has some free time, movies are for people who want to get the the whole story in one go. Ps. If you can't tell I'm also trying out different colours
"To Kill A Mockingbird", the book was a good read but I found the movie to be a little better. Also, "Of Mice and Men"