Although it has been an abrupt five years, something needs to be said. The 2018 Fahrenheit 451 is not good. People get offended when strong opinions are thrown around, but the movie just falls flat. No, films do not have to completely replicate the book, but the course and the journey that the main character Guy Montag goes through in the book disappears in this movie rendition. I will complement the acting of course, but the work of the actors set aside, the plot flowed along extremely quickly. Although the core message from the book remained, the speediness of the film and the rushed plot made the entirety of the film fall short.
Over the course of my educational career, I have read the book throughout three different grades: seventh, eighth, and ninth grade. Although my recollection of the details throughout the book are foggy, I remember the plot vividly. When I sat down to watch the movie in early March of 2023 I began to question my memory of the book. Clarissa’s role shifted and I found myself googling each part of what I remember about this dystopian world written in 1953.
The connection from the book to the actual film disappointed me and many others just based on reviews on the movie alone. The movie also received a 4.9/10 and a thirty-three percent from Rotten Tomatoes. It remains hard for me to enjoy the movie which I attempted to watch again. The quick, plot hole filled movie left me disappointed and wanting more out of the film.