pninson

Michel Faber's novel, "Under the Skin", is a remarkable book. There is nothing else quite like it. Naturally I was looking forward to seeing a film adaptation.

Of course I expected to be disappointed. But I didn't expect to be quite so bored. While there are some interesting bits here and there, there's no tension, and the camera lingers forever on many shots. I watched this on Amazon streaming, and there were several times when I thought the connection had stopped working.

If I hadn't read the book, I would have had almost no idea what was happening. The movie does not really adapt the book, just borrows part of the basic premise, but even so I got the overall idea. But while the book presented a bizarre, fascinating mystery that unfolded continuously, with the reader never knowing what lurks around the next corner, the movie is empty of surprises and goes nowhere.

I highly recommend the book; but see the movie first. That way you won't be disappointed.

Through most of this excruciatingly dull picture, I felt like I had seen this movie before. It brings to mind such duds as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. It started off well but quickly became tedious. The same old stuff I've seen in a dozen superhero movies.

Of the three Marvel adaptations released this year, I liked this one the least. Thor was fun; X-Men First Class was a bit overlong but not bad; but this one was tough to sit through. I played a couple of games of Words with Friends while I was watching, and was really glad I didn't get stuck in a theater with this one.

Nice try, I guess, but the story doesn't engage your emotions on any level and is strictly by the numbers. If you haven't seen this yet ... you probably already have.