[akudha]

I feel the same. I think with movies, we don’t have put in any effort at all. We just sit there and watch. With books, it is a lot more effort - not just reading, but imagining while reading.

Maybe that extra effort makes it more enjoyable and valuable?

[Sophistifunk]

Seems likely it simply makes it "stick" better, the same way writing down facts as you learn them helps vs simply sitting passively and soaking it in. The "(re)-creation" part taking place in your head helps to cement things.