I read the novel in the summer of 1968, right after seeing '2001: A Space Odyssey'; its story was far superior to the '2001' tale. After reading, I figured this novel could not, or would not, ever be made into a movie. It was just too vast and took place over such a long period of time. Over the years, I have read numerous articles that a movie was being pondered or whatever, and finally, after 47 years, we have this movie. Only problem, it was so disappointing. What was 'wrong' with the movie? Here are some examples: 1. Way too much time focused on the central character and his problems/memories/suffering. No hint of this 'misery' anywhere in the novel. A BIG waste of time. 2. Too much 'poetic license' from the actual novel; the main character was entirely different, with a different background, age, etc. The Overlords, while being definitely satanic in appearance, were not written with the outlandish 'ram horns'; they were supposed to be small 'satan' horns. These horns made the Overlords look ridiculous. But, the other aspects, such as the wings, tail, red skin, etc., were spot on. 3. Way too much emphasis on the 'anti-religion' theme. This was hinted in the novel, but was never splashed across the entire novel as it was in the movie. 4. The fifteen year time period before seeing the Overlords was actually 50 years in the novel: one generation as Sir Clarke wrote it. 5. The A-bomb church scene was not in the novel; this was a really dumb scene, with a very dumb premise. 6. Most importantly, the 'feel', as several other reviewers have noted, was totally different between the novel and the movie. If you read the novel, it is not depressing or fatalistic like the movie. After reading the book, I felt a sense of wonder, awe, contentment, and yes, satisfaction, which is no way what I felt after watching the three movies. If you didn't like the movie, read the book; you will NOT be disappointed! Maybe, someday, someone will make a movie which will do this great novel justice. We can only hope, and I just hope I live long enough!
Review of Childhood's End
