As soon as I saw this was a Stephen King book based movie I knew I was in for a treat with 1408. I just enjoy watching a movie that has been based on a book. As long as it sticks fairly close to the original idea the filmmakers can't do too much wrong. The plot is better constructed, everything in the movie happens for a reason and the characters just seem more real. This is all true of 1408, a film about a writer who visits haunted motels and hotels and reviews and investigates them albeit skeptically. He is alerted to room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel in New York, where his ex-wife and past live and goes along to investigate. There have been over 50 deaths in the one room and so Mike (John Cusack) insists on staying there to find out what is so evil about the room in a hope to actually find some paranormal evidence.
Cusack does the role beautifully. He seems to naturally have that skeptical, slightly sarcastic manner about him that suits this role and has an ability to use that to make some humourous moments in the film. I also applaud him for the amount of work he must have put in this movie considering he is in 95% of the scenes and has some pretty emotional moments. If you enjoy thriller movies with plenty of plot turns and some pretty creepy moments and scares then go watch this movie. One of the best Stephen King adaptations I've been to see at the cinema.
Rating: 8/10
Comments: Well worth the expensive at the movie theater. I'm off to read the short story.
2 comments:
Saying it's one of the best film adaptations of a Stephen King work isn't really saying much is it? :) Still, I'm curious about this one. When I read the story I thought there was no way anyone could turn it into a film.
I think that some filmmakers see adpating a SK story as a way to make a quick buck instead of honestly portraying the story. While some of SK's stories are probably best left to the imagination, some have been made with care and turned out wonderfully. One of my favorite all-time films is based on a SK story ... Shawshank Redemption. The Shining, Stand by Me, The Green Mile, Misery (I was happy Kathy Bates got the Oscar she deserved instead of being shut out just because it was a "Stephen King movie") are all very good movies. I even enjoyed Delores Claiborne, Salem's Lot, Carrie, The Dead Zone and Apt Pupil.
I'm looking forward to "The Mist" out in November and "The Talisman" which will be a 2008 mini series - it has always been one of my fav SK novel.
Oh ... and I really enjoyed 1408. The film did a good job of taking you inside his mental torment.
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