Reviews

It's such a departure from Michener's excellent novel, you are liable to be severely disappointed by this interpretation. Wooden performances and altered plot lines contribute much to the disappointment. Redeeming qualities are Quinn's stoic performance in the face of a bad script and the authentic location.

Perhaps the biggest travesty is the representation of the central Doctor Stiglitz character which was so watered down, they may as well discarded the role all together.

In the way it invites comparison to modern Afghanistan, it would be good to see a new more faithful remake but I can't see that happening under Taliban rule.

Before writing this review, I saw all the IMDB 1 star reviews, some describing it as the worst movie they'd seen. I wondered if I had seen a different movie to them as I found it quite absorbing and entertainment. I did see the trailer and admit that it promised a somewhat different movie. It is obviously meant to convey a message to the viewer or at least make them think. It portrays all different lifestyle choices and passes silent comment on them. It avoids the usual cliches of mini-humans battling insects or spiders. Noticeable was that nearly all the characters were everyday as though there was a deliberate attempt to avoid Hollywood glamour and superficiality (except for the party guests who were necessarily glamorous and superficial). Even Matt Damon was portrayed as an ordinary guy and fulfilled that role quite well. There are gaps in continuity and a couple of head-scratching moments but not to the detriment of the movie, just a sense that it could have been handled better. I wondered if the clumsiness was deliberate to again avoidi Hollywood slickness. I inagine that one the credit started rolling, some would be wondering what happened to the rest of the movie. I'll avoid going into more detail as I want to avoid spoilers. Definitely quirky but worth seeing; it exceeded my expectations.

I made the mistake of reading the book again before watching the movie So had high expectations. It was The Snowman that got me hooked on Jo Nesbo and was excited when I saw the trailer. I walked out of it at the end feeling very disappointed.

Characters were stripped down to being almost irrelevant. They should have stuck more closely to the book for Katrine Bratt, such an important part. Ave Stop did not come across as the charismatic media guru. Instead, he appeared to be somewhat impotent. ldar Vetlesen may as well have been cut right out of it. The script very loosely followed the book. The twists in the plot were poorly handled. The opening Scene faded to frame the plot and I won't say anymore about that. Val Kilmer as Gert Rafto?? At least the harsh, bleak atmosphere was captured and Fassbender did a pretty good job.

This movie Should be shown to film students on how not to do it.