On its own, it's a pretty decent film. Not bad but not great either imo.
But when compared to the book, I mean it's just worse in about every possible way imaginable.
But I guess you have to look at the film objectively.
Have you ever seen a movie that was better than the book?
shareI think "Jaws" is an exception.
sharePeople who have read the book Jaws after they saw the movie always assume that the book is worse than the movie. But people who read the book before they saw the movie liked the book for its own sake. The movie is a completely different product. The book was written as a morality story about corruption in a small town and karmic retribution in the form of a killer shark. It was never really a "horror story", in the convention sense, even though the publishers marketed it as such. Comparing the two is an exercise in futility.
shareThe Godfather.
shareI must respectfully disagree based on the quality of the work.
As with the Godfather and a few others, I read the book first and was of course initially disappointed with how much is missing in the film.
Upon subsequent viewings, focusing on the story that was told rather than what is left out in the interest of time.. I appreciated the phenomenal performances of Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, the cinematography and the tone and pacing of the film.
How lovely the dream sequence and the brief freedom in South America. So intelligent. I came to feel that I was along for the journey and let the rest go.
The story about loose coochy and her doc really were the worst part of the book and was not needed. Plus the film elevated the story from a trashy airport novel to a greek/shakespearean tragedy classic.
share