Read the book instead
A while ago, I started reading a Dutch translation of Sophie's World. While I got only as far as its treatment of Kant and Hume, I was amazed by its capacity to provide a chronological overview of Western philosophy in a way that's accessible for teenagers and adults with a limited philosophical background.
Combining a mystery story with the history of philosophy and using clever examples to illustrate new philosophical insights, the book really managed to stimulate one's curiosity for what came next while at the same time offering some very interesting information.
As I started reading other books and spending my time on other activities, I stopped reading the book in spite of my curiosity. Owning a copy of the movie version, I figured I could just as well finish the story by watching the movie.
Boy oh boy, was that a mistake. The movie just didn't capture either the atmosphere or the intent of the book. The actors were poorly casted and the plot was shopped up and rehashed so amateurishly it left only very little of the philosophical depth of the book.
The movie was confusing, superficial and downright insulting to one of the greatest introductory works to the world of philosophy ever written. I found no redeeming qualities in this movie and highly recommend everyone to skip it and just read the book instead.
It is a cliché that movies based on books tend to be not nearly as good as the book. This movie doesn't just confirm that cliché. It's a caricature of that cliché.
Combining a mystery story with the history of philosophy and using clever examples to illustrate new philosophical insights, the book really managed to stimulate one's curiosity for what came next while at the same time offering some very interesting information.
As I started reading other books and spending my time on other activities, I stopped reading the book in spite of my curiosity. Owning a copy of the movie version, I figured I could just as well finish the story by watching the movie.
Boy oh boy, was that a mistake. The movie just didn't capture either the atmosphere or the intent of the book. The actors were poorly casted and the plot was shopped up and rehashed so amateurishly it left only very little of the philosophical depth of the book.
The movie was confusing, superficial and downright insulting to one of the greatest introductory works to the world of philosophy ever written. I found no redeeming qualities in this movie and highly recommend everyone to skip it and just read the book instead.
It is a cliché that movies based on books tend to be not nearly as good as the book. This movie doesn't just confirm that cliché. It's a caricature of that cliché.
- johnslegers
- 18 ago 2012