Better than the novel

Rating: 10/10 (13 December 2004)

Fight Club is a fantastic movie in almost every sense. Aesthetically speaking, it is probably the most imaginative Fincher film. What's really impressive though, is the way that Fincher managed to broaden the appeal of the story, without compromising Palahniuk's message. The book is certainly entertaining as hell, but the reader is always councious of the way the book attempts to indoctrinate you (in the same vein as Atlas Shrugged). This is due in large part to Palahniuk's narrator being closer in character to Tyler Durden than Fincher's narrator is. By balancing the characters in the film, Fincher keeps the dynamic interesting, and avoids descending into a preachy tone. This accomplishes the almost unheard of on screen feat of actually improving upon a book.
Indeed, judging by Palahniuk's work after fight club, it seems he too prefers Fincher's permutation. Bravo!