OK... but only if you haven't read the book!

Rating: 6/10 (24 July 2007)

I had heard that this film was bad before I watched it, but I tried to view it with an open mind...
My conclusion is that it's an OK film, but only if you haven't read the book. Firstly, because you constantly know what's coming round the corner, so there are no real surprises...
Secondly, because they've condensed a very long book into a 2 hour movie, so they obviously had to miss out several elements of the story... so some things remain unexplained, which is irritating to me since I felt like some details were pretty essential, plus I can imagine it'd be annoying to someone who hasn't read the book, as the story/characters lack the true depth they should have...
And finally, because they change certain elements of the story (for no reason, as far as I can see) which seems a bit stupid since so many people have read the book and will be expecting things to progress in a certain way...
Also there are a few little inconsistencies in the languages used at certain points and I found Tom Hanks' acting quite irritating (but that might just be a personal thing!) So, watch it if you haven't read the book, as I can imagine it'd be reasonably enjoyable... If you've read the book, watch it just out of interest, but don't expect to love it!