Books or Movies?

My husband and I recently went to see “Heaven Is for Real” and were extremely pleased with it. We recommended it to our son and his wife, and they too went to see it, calling us afterward to thank us for the recommendation because they enjoyed it thoroughly.
As a writer, I generally tend to be disappointed with movies if I’ve already read the book, and to be honest I don’t go to see many movies at all (unless they are highly recommended by people I know). I didn’t read this particular book about heaven, though I had a general idea what it was about. I can’t help but wonder if I would have had a different reaction to the movie if I’d read the book first.
Over the years, several of my own novels have been optioned for movies. The first time that happened, I got so excited and couldn’t wait to tell everyone. More experienced authors who’d “been there-done that” said things like “That’s nice” or “I hope it works out for you.” Now I understand. To date, none of those optioned books have made it to the big screen, though one continues to move through the process and I’m cautiously hopeful.
So where do you, as a reader, stand on this issue? If a book you’ve read and loved is turned into a movie, does that make you want to run out and see it at the theater? If so, what has been your general reaction? Were you disappointed or satisfied? Have you ever come away thinking the movie was better than the book? I’d love to get your feedback, as I imagine many other authors would as well.