I first read the Stephen King story about a year before the movie was made. It chilled me to the bone. The story is about a precocious young boy named Todd who, through a little detective work, discovers that an elderly German gentleman in his neighborhood is actually an escaped Nazi, Kurt Dussander, who performed unspeakable acts during the Holocaust. The naive Todd, full of curiosity, threatens to turn Dussander in unless he tells him in detail all about the horrors of his crimes. Todd is too young to comprehend the evil he is unleashing upon himself, and in the next five years, becomes obsessed and consumed by it. His adolescent fantasies and dreams become ones of violence rather than sex, until his desire to kill completely replaces all other desires. He plays society's game, pretending to be interested in school and girls, but in the end, the evil can no longer be hidden and he falls prey to it.
The movie's most fatal flaw is that it doesn't cover nearly the span of time it should. Todd's *development* isn't a part of the movie at all. What made the book so disturbing is how young and naive Todd was at the beginning, and how he grew up with Dussander's evil. I realize this is difficult to do in a movie, but it is possible. In the movie, Todd is pretty much the same age throughout.
The movie also doesn't get into Todd's head. Todd's lack of interest in sex is mentioned as a footnote in the scene in the car with Becky Trask ("Betty Trask" in the book), but it is never developed or explained. The audience is left saying "...huh??" Stephen King emphasized this aspect of the story in his book for a reason- sex is number one in most adolescents' minds, but Todd cares only about evil. Even sex isn't important to him.
The ending was quite different in the movie as well, but I'm not going to call that a flaw because I thought that Stephen King's ending was rather abrupt. I can't really decide which ending I prefer. Neither really completed the story in my opinion.
Psychological thrillers are difficult to portray on screen, I know. But, unfortunately, this disturbing story was turned into just your average horror flick. One highlight, though, was the casting of David Schwimmer as the dorky, sneaker-wearing guidance counselor Ed French. He's exactly how I pictured French when I read the book.
Well, from what I gather from others who have commented, if you haven't read the book, you might like this movie. If you have read the book, you'll be disappointed. Either way, I highly recommend the book.
The movie's most fatal flaw is that it doesn't cover nearly the span of time it should. Todd's *development* isn't a part of the movie at all. What made the book so disturbing is how young and naive Todd was at the beginning, and how he grew up with Dussander's evil. I realize this is difficult to do in a movie, but it is possible. In the movie, Todd is pretty much the same age throughout.
The movie also doesn't get into Todd's head. Todd's lack of interest in sex is mentioned as a footnote in the scene in the car with Becky Trask ("Betty Trask" in the book), but it is never developed or explained. The audience is left saying "...huh??" Stephen King emphasized this aspect of the story in his book for a reason- sex is number one in most adolescents' minds, but Todd cares only about evil. Even sex isn't important to him.
The ending was quite different in the movie as well, but I'm not going to call that a flaw because I thought that Stephen King's ending was rather abrupt. I can't really decide which ending I prefer. Neither really completed the story in my opinion.
Psychological thrillers are difficult to portray on screen, I know. But, unfortunately, this disturbing story was turned into just your average horror flick. One highlight, though, was the casting of David Schwimmer as the dorky, sneaker-wearing guidance counselor Ed French. He's exactly how I pictured French when I read the book.
Well, from what I gather from others who have commented, if you haven't read the book, you might like this movie. If you have read the book, you'll be disappointed. Either way, I highly recommend the book.