Wanted to like this more because of the book

Rating: 5/10 (23 March 2015)

I know, it's what EVERYONE says about every movie based on a book: The book was better; don't see the movie till you read the book. Generally, I hate that pretentious attitude. However, in this case, I have to break my own rule and say, forget the movie, read the book.
Now, this movie wasn't Razzie terrible; the acting and the action sequences were good. But there was WAY too much left out, there was no chemistry between any of the characters, and the movie just seemed to drag at many points. There's very, very little dialog and for a movie that is supposed to be about overcoming, the tone was very unemotional and depressing throughout. They failed to show the camaraderie among the prisoners, the subtle insurgency against the sadistic guards, or just how The Bird affected Louis. I also was disappointed to see that they cut out Louis' whirlwind marriage, battle with PTSD, coming to faith in God, and recovery from his demons when he came home. We are treated to a brief epilogue explaining quickly that all this happened.
It was a very long, detailed book, and Laura Hillenbrand did an excellent job developing the story of who Louis was and the importance of just about everyone with whom he came in contact. When I first heard this movie was being made, I couldn't fathom how they could fit it into a 2 to 3 hour movie. To tell you the truth, I was right. They couldn't, and didn't. It's really a pity; the story on which this is based has "best picture" written all over it, but the filmmakers just fell short. As I said, a very difficult task considering their source material. In all honesty, it would have been better to adapt Unbroken to an HBO miniseries, ala Band of Brothers.
All in all, not a horrible movie, but a disappointment nonetheless. Read the book.