Writing.Com General Discussion

I can't speak about the novel, but the film suffered from trying to cram a whole novel into a short time frame. This is why short stories often make better films than novels - you can expand on a short story very easily, but cutting stuff out of a book usually leaves people feeling there is something missing, especially if they've read the book.

I've heard that a lot of stuff was glossed over in the film, basically paying lip-service to things that were in much more depth in the novel. My personal gripe with it was that Tom Hanks' lines were rattled off so quick I couldn't understand most of what he was saying. That's what you get for cramming too much in. You can say the same about "Dune" (either version) or "Battlefield Earth". Why someone would try and turn a 1,000 page novel into a two hour movie is beyond me.