Handy Movie Reviews @ Blogspot

Rating: 8/10 (30 June 2007)

I start off my review with a warning. If you don't like to think about your movies, and review them over in your head trying to construct a conclusion on exactly what you just saw, skip this movie completely.
The movie starts out informing you about what the central character, Mike Enslin (John Cusack), does for a living. While it doesn't give you too much information about Enslin in the beginning, you gradually learn more about him as the movie goes on.
Mike Enslin is a writer who has focused mainly on informational books about haunted houses, lighthouses, forts, etc. As he looks for a hotel to complete his stories in his latest book, he is sent a postcard informing him to "Do not enter 1408". Once the reverse psychology sets in, Enslin is on his way to the Dolphin Hotel, where the Manager (Samuel L. Jackson) is bent on forbidding him to enter 1408, where previously many deaths has occurred.
From there on to the end of the movie, John Cusack shows a fantastic one man performance with many twists and turns along the way. This movie shows the true acting power of Cusack as well as the uniquely eerie style of Samuel L. Jackson.
If you are a fan of Stephen King's short book "1408", you will not be disappointed by this movie. While some drastic changes are made from the book to this movie, they still fit smoothly in with the rest of the original story. "1408" seems just as creepy and ingenious as the book.
So all in all, this movie is not for the absent, small, or thoughtless minded. While it is spooky at some parts, and a few things might startle you, the only thing you will want to do after this movie is think, "Wow." "1408" is the movie for you, if you can enjoy a good conversation afterwards.