Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel is a classic of world literature, a grim warning about a future where books are mercilessly burned and free thinking is banned. The 2018 film adaptation could have been an event, but alas, it only distorted and emasculated the ideas of the book.
The futuristic world’s settings are cheap and unconvincing, the plot is changed beyond recognition, and the characters lack depth and motivation. Worse, the film is so overloaded with special effects and action scenes that the essence of the work is completely lost. As a result, instead of a smart and disturbing dystopia, we got another lackluster sci-fi action movie.
Viy
Nikolai Gogol’s mystical story “Viy” is one of the cornerstones of Russian literature in the horror genre. Atmospheric, full of folk beliefs and chilling horror, the story of seminarian Khoma Brut’s encounter with evil spirits has been the subject of film adaptations more than once. But what the creators of the 2014 film did to the original source can only be called an outrage.
A cleverly twisted plot, more reminiscent of a computer game, an abundance of inappropriate humor, flat dialogues—all this looks like a pathetic parody of Gogol’s creation. The characters behave unnaturally and illogically, and the computer graphics are so crude that the mystical atmosphere is completely destroyed. Gogol must have turned over in his grave.
The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower series of novels is an epic canvas by Stephen King, more than 30 years in the making. A complex, multi-layered saga that combines fantasy, western, science fiction, and horror. Bringing it to the screen is no easy task, but it still shouldn’t have been approached with such a botched job, as the creators of the 2017 film did.
The first thing that catches your eye is the greatly simplified-to-the-point-of-primitiveness plot. The scriptwriters decided to squeeze events from seven books into one film and even added a lot of their own. As a result, the narrative became fragmentary and incomprehensible. The motivation and personalities of the characters are distorted beyond recognition. But the worst thing is that the film is devoid of any atmosphere: an attempt to mix several genres led only to a chaotic mess.
The Circle
Dave Eggers’ novel is a sharp, topical techno-thriller that warns of the dangers of total internet surveillance and the erasure of privacy. Despite an impressive cast (Emma Watson and Tom Hanks star!), the 2017 film adaptation woefully squanders the book’s potential.
Instead of a smart and provocative statement about the digital future, we got a predictable and flat B-grade thriller. No character development, no clear motivations for the characters, and certainly no attempt to thoughtfully explore the book’s problems. There was an idea, but there wasn’t enough talent or courage to bring it to the screen with dignity.
The Giver
Lois Lowry’s dystopian novel The Giver is one of the best books in its genre. The story of teenager Jonas, who lives in an “ideal” society of the future, devoid of pain and suffering but also joy and love, grabs you from the first pages. The film adaptation showed great promise: at first, the visuals were impressive, and the actors tried their best. But the further you go, the more you understand: the creators have shamelessly distorted the main idea of the book.
In the original, Jonas rebels against dehumanizing the individual and against turning people into soulless cogs in the system. The film failed to convey the emotional depth of the original and skimmed the surface instead of delving into the original themes of the book. The subtle psychology and poignant atmosphere of the novel were replaced by boring twists and some completely unnecessary love torments of teenagers. It is not surprising that the film was a huge box office failure.
