Image Credit: Wikipedia
By Nia Rutledge
Thinner is a film adaption of a novel written by horror and suspense author Stephen King. The film was directed by horror fanatic Tom Holland. Holland is well known for his work on Fright Night, Child’s Play, and Psycho II.
Thinner stars Robert John Burke, Lucinda Jenney, Michael Constantine, Kari Wuhrer, and Bethany Joy Lenz. I would be lying if I said I was familiar with any of these actors. But, considering Stephen King is such a great writer, I had high hopes for the film going in.
I haven’t heard much talk about this film. Actually, the only reason I wanted to watch it was because I remember seeing a review about it on YouTube a while back. I remember thinking that the plot seemed interesting and that it must be great because it is a film adaption of a Stephen King book. It wasn’t until now that I finally got around to viewing it.
If you are crazy about cinematography (like me), the film might not be very enjoyable. I do have the capacity to understand that Thinner came out in 1996. Considering that I am so used to the HD technology of the 21st century, I often found myself becoming a bit bored with the dull colors and basic camera work.
For the majority of the film I was multitasking by simultaneously scrolling Tumblr while listening and occasionally glancing back at the movie.
The acting in Thinner was subpar. It was bearable, but I wish i didn’t have to bear through it. It was all overworked and quite theatrical. The acting prevented me from becoming full consumed in the plot.
My favorite part would be the few macabre faces that make a showing. They weren’t scary faces, more so creepy and off-putting. The progression of the curses on the characters bodies from the beginning to the end was really intriguing and I am strongly interested in the process of the makeup application.
The plot is a decent one, there were good aspects there. I just think that it could have been executed in a better way. There is a twist at the end, but it didn’t really do it for me. The twist isn’t the type of twist in which you want to tell all your friends and family about the movie. It has a kind of “Oh, cool” effect and is pretty weak in my book. You kind of see it coming.
When I finished the film, I can’t really say that it left me particularly affected.
For me the film was pretty ho-hum. It’s not bad enough for me to hate it and it’s not good enough for me to like it. I probably will not watch it again anytime soon. But, if I had to say, Thinner is slightly on the worse side of “Okay”.
I am mildly disappointed in the movie. I wanted to experience mini heart attacks and super intense moments from the movie. Alas, Thinner was quite the let down. I haven’t read the book (considering that Stephen King books tend to be three and a half inches thick and I’m not about that life), but I’m sure that the book version is phenomenal.This just goes to show another example of “The book is always better than the movie.”
It’s the kind of disappointment when your parents know that you can do better. They aren’t mad at you, they just look at you in silence and blink slowly. I feel that kind of disappointment for Thinner.
I was expecting so much more, but was left with nothing. If you are looking for a classic film to get into the Halloween feel, Thinner isn’t going to do it for you. If you think the plot is intriguing, I recommend reading the book first.
Rating: 5.3/10