First time reading...

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sarahg123

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Sep 12, 2015
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Annnnd wow. Just. Wow. There's just absolutely no comparison to the book with the Kubrick hack movie. Don't get me wrong, the movie was slightly terrifying in its own right (the creepy twins, hello) but, the book is just so much better.
For one thing, Jack LOVED his family. To read his agony over being a worthy father, to not be like his own, makes it heartbreaking that the hotel used that against him to work its will. I got more of a sense that the hotel was truly alive from the book, too. The movie seemed to make it out that it was just a haunted place, but the book turned it into this demonic hellmouth (10pts for a Buffy reference) that was feeding on the Torrence family. I especially loved that toward the end there was a reference to all that paperwork, the history of the hotel, going up in flames. That really was a huge piece of the story, one of the first instances where we got to see the hotel working to bring Jack over. I could go on and on, but I won't because I'm sure most of you are yawning like Yeah, we know! But, I'll just say lastly, I never expected a SK novel to make me emotional, but I became so while reading IT and now when I finished The Shining, Danny and Dick on the dock at the end. SK is phenomenal at writing human emotion, but especially that of little kids.

Epic story.
 

Jonesy85

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Feb 28, 2014
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Man! I haven't read it yet, you should use a spoiler tag for that bit about the ending. No big deal to me, just saying. I think the Kubrick film is awesome. Most SK fans don't care for one reason or another, but for me it is one of Kubrick's best movies.
 
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AudioArtist

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Sep 25, 2015
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To me both are excellent pieces of art in their own way. But obviously the movie screws up a key issue..well you know what that is.:)
The two creepiest thing left out of the movie are the moving predatory hedge animals, especially the part they play near the end. That could have been epic if done right but, I suppose I might be looking at it from a nowadays effects standpoint.
The other is Danny's experience in the pipe on the playground. Sort of reminiscent of the toppled smokestack from IT.
 

sarahg123

Well-Known Member
Sep 12, 2015
57
188
Man! I haven't read it yet, you should use a spoiler tag for that bit about the ending. No big deal to me, just saying. I think the Kubrick film is awesome. Most SK fans don't care for one reason or another, but for me it is one of Kubrick's best movies.

Which part about the ending?
 
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sarahg123

Well-Known Member
Sep 12, 2015
57
188
To me both are excellent pieces of art in their own way. But obviously the movie screws up a key issue..well you know what that is.:)
The two creepiest thing left out of the movie are the moving predatory hedge animals, especially the part they play near the end. That could have been epic if done right but, I suppose I might be looking at it from a nowadays effects standpoint.
The other is Danny's experience in the pipe on the playground. Sort of reminiscent of the toppled smokestack from IT.
i was thinking the creepy playground part could have played a part in the movie. Thankful they didn't do any terrible CGI with the hedge animals, but nowadays it would be cool. I think for me that bugs me most about the movie is that he madeJack seem like such a jerk the whole time, but in the book, he's very loving.

I don't dislike the movie, but now having read it, I can see that it was like two different stories. Both good, but I'll take the book!
 
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AudioArtist

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Sep 25, 2015
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i was thinking the creepy playground part could have played a part in the movie. Thankful they didn't do any terrible CGI with the hedge animals, but nowadays it would be cool. I think for me that bugs me most about the movie is that he madeJack seem like such a jerk the whole time, but in the book, he's very loving.

I don't dislike the movie, but now having read it, I can see that it was like two different stories. Both good, but I'll take the book!
Very true.
In the book you get a lot more sense of inner conflict with Jacks' character which really makes his situation a lot more tragic, which, in turn sort of falls into line with many other stories that SK has written that feature an alcoholic character. I suppose that his own experiences with the issue have bled over into his work. Quite interesting really, perhaps he's used his work as a method of exorcising his own demons? It sort of seems that way once you've read through his parts in the Dark Tower series.
 

Joona

Member
Oct 25, 2015
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I think the movie is scarier, because it is not supernatural. By the way, has anyone else seen the documentary on the film called "Room 237"? It's interesting.