So…didja watch it?
What did you think? Tell me everything!
Amanda: I’m putting my thoughts in a spoiler, just in case you may have started it and not finished it. Or if you haven’t read the book yet, as most of my issues came from the differences between the movie and the book.
Show Spoiler
My biggest gripe was what they did with poor Bogdan’s storyline. I liked it much better when Bogdan was biding his time before seeking revenge for his murdered friend.
I watched the movie with a friend who’s a big fan of the series. She also thought the Bogdan storyline wasn’t great, given that he shows up in subsequent books. She did make a good point. Perhaps Netflix wasn’t sure how well this would do for a sequel and with the actors being older, who knows what they could commit to.
Coopers Chase was not how I pictured it in my head. It was more sprawling in my imagination, though I’d still want to live at either version.
This version of Bobby Tanner wasn’t to my liking either. I much preferred the notion that he was in hiding and really wanted nothing to do with crime life.
The whole nun/priest romance storyline was cut, which made me a little sad. There’s a moment in the book where Bogdan changes the headstone and I remember tearing up at that kind gesture.
Okay, I’ve done a lot of complaining!
I think if you’re going into this movie without prior knowledge of the book’s events, you’ll have a more enjoyable experience than I did. You won’t be caught up in what they changed or took out.
The movie did a good job of capturing the tenderness of the book, especially the relationships between the Murder Club members. The strongest part of both the book and movie, for me, were the characters anyway. The casting was pretty perfect.
If I had to assign a grade, perhaps a B- or a C+. The book was better, as it typical.
Sarah: I copy everything Amanda said. I loved how beautiful it was, and how much money was invested in sets, location, costumes, and everything that makes a movie or show feel lived in and real.
I also loved playing, “Oh, hey, it’s Famous Actor Person!” Like, every other scene. At point point Adam looked up and said, “Wait, David TENNANT is in this, too?” Literally the casting for this must have been a delight.
But wow, the compromises for length were a massive bummer.
Show Spoiler
- Justice for Bogdan. The reworking of his plot line was straight up terrible.
- Most folks were concerned that Pierce Brosnan was a bit too posh to be Ron, but he had the most energy out of everyone. He lifted every scene he was in.
- Ben Kingsley was deeply underused. (Let him explain the algorithm of how long the journey would take!)
- I thought Helen Mirren played Elizabeth with one particular dour flavor and never deviated (though the scene where her husband tells her she looks like the queen was A HOOT).
- I wish it had been a series, though I understand how extra more expensive that would have been.
I hope that there’s a sequel. I hope that it’s better than this one. It was pretty to look at but not something I’m going to watch again. I’m with Amanda: C+ for me.
What did you think of the movie? Tell us in the comments!