A Flop of an Amazing Series

Rating: 4/10 (22 February 2012)

I will first state that I was a HUGE fan of the original books, having read them before I decided to see the movie. Unfortunately, the movie did not live up to the potential it could have; in my opinion.
The acting did not fit to the enthusiasm the books had, and there were many things that irked me about how the movie was cast. Like I said, it had the potential to be an amazing movie, and the acting was unenthusiastic.
The references were mashed in, unlike how they were in the books, and it was overwhelming. You were almost required to know all about a certain time period in video games, which ruins it for older (40-somethings) and younger (most teens) viewers. This is disappointing, because it would have had a lot more of a following if it had laid back a bit.
The music was delightful, if a little too indie. I understand that it was meant to be "hipster music" but it was laid on a little thick as well. Most of the references that were shown in the book were not conveyed as easily through the music, and there were many times where it just didn't work.
Finally, there was the matter of how much the time span was ruined. In the books it is stated that Scott and Ramona went out for quite a long time, I'm pretty sure at least 4-6 months, while in the movie it was only about a month. Considering there were 6 books, meanwhile one movie, I do understand that shortcuts had to be taken. Unfortunately, the first book was told in its entirety, taking up almost half the movie, while the rest were crammed in. Why not make it a series? It would have been delightful for the fans of the books.
I'm sorry if you find this irrelevant, but I feel as though this movie got far too much praise for how lacklustre it was to the fans of the books.