It's already been stated a few times in this thread

>There's no way the film is going to be in depth enough.

And the film doesn't have to be. Sometimes less is more.

>Second off, the film is going to ruin the ability for you to
>imagine the book without scenes from the film and each actor's
>particular take on the character influencing your reading of
>the book.

False. And even if this was true, I couldn't care less.

>An all around L.

Nope. This stance you're taking is tho. Believe it or not, some of us are able to enjoy a movie w/o having to read the book first. And like thoughtprocess stated above. Sometimes reading the book after the fact improves the experience.

>My wife is reading it right now and is up to about Chapter 4
>or 5 and is already saying how surprisingly good it is.

That's great. But that doesn't mean it's the right choice for eveyone.