GONE GIRL

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Darth Tanner
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Joined: Tue Oct 19, 1999 10:00 pm
Location: Midlothian, VA U.S.A

GONE GIRL

Post by Darth Tanner »

I've been serious slacking in discussion of cinematic releases lately, but truth be told I didn't have much to say about what I did see theatrically this year that has already been said (I'll save my comments for the year-end recap in a few months). However I did venture out to see GONE GIRL and figured I'd post my thoughts on it since it hasn't been mentioned on here yet.

I will preface this by saying I still haven't read the bestselling book. However there were two big things about the movie version that guaranteed my attendance. The first was the fact that the movie was filmed in and around Cape Girardeau, MO (an area I am intimately familiar with since my family lives not far from there). The second was David Fincher on board as the director. I liked most of Fincher's movies (particularly his adaptation of GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO) so I was interested in seeing what he did with this one.

It is really hard for me to go too much into story details without giving away any plot twists, but I will say that the previews (the ones I saw anyway) only seemed to focus on the "missing person" aspect of the story. There is much more to the movie than that and it is something better to experience for yourself. The story kept me engrossed from beginning to end. The performances are also great. Ben Affleck was better than I expected, but it is Rosamund Pike who really steals the show. Plus there are nice supporting roles from Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry. I also have to add there is one surprisingly effective gore scene that I honestly didn't see coming. The only negative thing I can say is that the ending was (at least to me) somewhat of a letdown.

Opinions on this adaptation are obviously split by people who have read the novel. There are some who say that the film is faithful while others say that the book is better. I'll eventually download the novel on my Kindle at some point so I can compare for myself. But as far as the movie goes, I have to say that David Fincher has made a terrific and watchable film. I enjoyed this as much as his version of GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO and definitely better than SOCIAL NETWORK, but I have to admit that FIGHT CLUB is still my favorite movie of his.

This is by no means a truly great movie, but I do recommend checking it out at least once whether on the big screen or at home.
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