After (finally!) reading the book (read my review HERE), I went to see the movie with a friend. I really, really enjoyed it, to say the least. *Warning: You might not want to continue reading if you have not read the book or seen the movie.*
Here’s why:
1. Saoirse Ronan (who plays Melanie/Wanda) did a fabulous job portraying both Melanie and Wanda, who share the same body. The voice-over which represented Melanie’s voice in Wanda’s head was very realistic, as well. (Although I still don’t know how I feel about the country accent Saoirse used while speaking as Melanie.)
2. I liked the way Melanie’s flashbacks/memories were filmed.
3. The movie, for the most part, stayed true to the book. Of course, if you’ve read the book, you probably noticed how much was left out. Unfortunately, not every scene from the book could appear on screen, because the movie would probably be much longer than 2 hours.
4. The soundtrack. I especially love “Radioactive,” which is the song in the movie trailer as well as the song that plays when the credits begin to roll.
Although I loved the movie as a whole, I’d have to say I was slightly bothered by several things:
1. I felt like Wanda and Ian’s relationship was a little sudden/rushed. (I have to remind myself of the argument I made above: If every scene was included in the movie, it would be 2+ hours.)
2. The actress chosen to play Wanda at the very end. Her physical appearance differs from the description given in the book, but I think she’ll grow on me. 🙂
If you’ve read the book but haven’t seen the movie, SEE IT. If you’ve seen the movie but haven’t read the book, READ IT.
– Brooke