Monday, April 07, 2008

Movie: The Kite Runner


Some books are made well into movies. If you see the movie before reading the book, you aren't disappointed. Having already read the book, I can't give my opinion on this movie as well. However, I would say the subject matter is probably more suitable for the page than the screen.

This movie did not do well in the theaters, so I assumed it was not going to be all that good. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the movie was well-done and kept true to the book (except for side stories that were omitted for time purposes). It was well-cast and well-acted.

That being said, you MUST do yourself a favor and read this book before watching the movie. It is touching, educating, heartbreaking. There is a great deal of insight to be had from the book that you can not get from the movie. And after you have read it, then sit down to watch this movie.

This is a song that caught my attention as it played near the end of the film.

Supplication by Sami Yusuf

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's funny; I always thought I should watch the movie of a book first so I wouldn't be disappointed. But with the Harry Potter movies I read the books first and found that I didn't miss the stuff they left out of the movies; I just filled it in, while other people bitched and moaned about how terrible and confusing the movies were compared to the books. Sounds like The Kite Runner would be the same way. Sometimes it's best to let even a good movie act as an animated illustration of a book :)

Linz McC said...

Well said, oakling. I usually feel like the movie is meant to accompany the book, to go alongside, and not as much to replace it. When Harry Potter 5 came out last year, I think I was the only person I knew that wasn't disappointed by how much was left out. However, I know the story, and I enjoy seeing the story (or the most important parts, at least) unfold on the screen. For example, regarding the scene at the end of OotP when Voldemort & Dumbledore (I SWEAR I started writing Gandalf and had to backspace), I could never have imagined in my head the same thing that was offered visually through the film.