How to butcher a great novel in less than two hours

Rating: 5/10 (12 March 2018)

So I will keep this review short.
The movie is overall entertaining, as long as you don't mind a slow pace and prefer suspense over mindless action. It also touches on interesting topics and creates undeniable tension. Overall, more Blade Runner than Star Wars (very different from both in terms of plot though), but I mean it as a compliment.
However, when compared to the novel it was based on (and it's worth noting that the novel was the first in a trilogy rather than the standalone story this movie appears to be), well, it's really just a colossal disappointment.
Some of the elements of the novel are present (the main characters, the shimmer, the lighthouse) but the movie completely changes all of those elements to make them fit a much shorter story that is nothing but a shadow of the novel, considered one of the best SF novels of the last few decades.
I can't go into details without spoiling both the movie and the novel, but let's just say that the movie failed to convey any of the beauty of the novel, cheapened and simplified all the characters and the plot, and really missed on some of the key elements of the novel, elements that made it unique in SF literature.
Comparing this movie to the novel, in fact, is like comparing a light bulb to the sun.
If you like to read, do yourself a favor and read the novel instead of wasting two hours in a movie theater.