The book and movie of Dreamcatcher

[britt_any09]

I am in a Stephen King class at my school, and this is a project of choice, so please respond, if you can!

Has anyone read the book and watched the movie? I have, and I've noticed some minor and rather major differences between the two. In the book, Gosselin talks about weird things happening in the sky, but nothing is said about "weird things" in the movie. In the movie, Kurtz shot off a mans (blue group) finger because he lied about letting people out of the quarantined area, in the book he shot an unimportant man because he called the aliens something bad. A big thing that I noticed was that in the book, the people being quarantined started rioting and trying to get away because Henry "showed" them what was going to happen at day break. Kurtz's men went on a search, finding and killing the people that escaped. One more thing, at the end of the movie Henry and Duddits stay in the Humvee, partially because their brains have been connected and Duddits was dead. In the book, Duddits is the one that kills the gray boy. In my opinion, the book was better. It was more in depth, more action, and a definite better ending.

Thanks for your replies! :smile2:

[busy91]

I have, and recently too.

A lot of stuff was left out/changed for the movie. The book was much better. I have problems with adaptations that were not adapted by King, and this was one of them. I didn't hate the movie though, and watching it after reading the book, helped me to better understand the whole story. Most adaptations try to do what works best for film. Some things work in print that you can't put in film, and Dreamcatcher was over 800 pages, and a lot was going on, for a movie that will be shown in a theater, it wouldn't work. If it was a TV movie, they could have done much more with it, but they have to condense a huge book into 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

[IfSoGirl]

well i'd have to agree. i wasnt really happy with the movie, i dont really understand why they did that to duddits. i thought it was a lot more moving that he was human, yes a special human, but not an alien slug monster or whatever that thing was. but that's hollywood for ya.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

Welcome to the MB, and keep posting!

It's been a while since I've read or watched them but I'd definitely agree with your conclusion about the book.

Long days and pleasant nights

[Ri The Lousy Translator]

Read the entire book at one pull (around 5-6 hours). Enjoyed it ALOT.
I haven’t quite enjoyed the movie. Plus I took mom to convince her about the dark side of the King’s world, and she was a little horrified in a bad way. I kept stuttering to her “ummm the book is different the book is different”.
And I was waiting to hear a loud version of Sympathy for the Devil while the choppers were chasing the aliens. And they didn’t put the song. Arggggggggggghhhhhhhh.
Actors were great, so I guess it was not the best adaptation, especially toward the end.
Poor Duddits… Watching that sweet boy turn into a mad alien… it was too much to see.
However, nice FX and photography.

[Goodlovin]

I thought that movie was pretty damn cool until the Mr Grey or whatever his name was got into Joney's head.

I thought it had the making of an awesome movie.

Well I will always have and enjoy the book.

[Ubasti]

I thought they were both good. The book is always better though. My mind usually comes up with better characters, etc. than Hollywood does.

[rjt65]

As in almost all movie translations of Kings work it is impossible to capture all the books plot, character development and feelings of the reader on film....

S king CLASS in school what the hell!!! what !@#$% of crap is that! where was this class when i was in school dang....

what other classes are you taking--appreciation of Pamela anderson? ;-) Lucky you! Enjoy the class what other projects or things does this class focus on.? share if you ken...

cheers

[LadyPain]

I read the book and loved it. I watched the movie and loved it even though it did not stay completely true to the book.

At least they did a better job of Dreamcatcher than they did with IT.

[Brayden Bull]

Wow, a SK class! I think a lot of us would get A+'s in that class!

[boogerb53]

The ending sucked! I hated the alien. It was like they got to the end and couldn't figure what to do. The book was mucho better!

[jackson992]

I thought the movie was awful. I thought Kurtz was not nearly insane enough and Duddits as an alien you have got to be kidding. I thought the movie of It was great.

[JRLauer]

As in almost all movie translations of Kings work it is impossible to capture all the books plot, character development and feelings of the reader on film....

S king CLASS in school what the hell!!! what !@#$% of crap is that! where was this class when i was in school dang....

what other classes are you taking--appreciation of Pamela anderson? ;-) Lucky you! Enjoy the class what other projects or things does this class focus on.? share if you ken...

cheers

I think they have classes on Pink Floyd in some colleges now. Thats no joke.

[ally88]

I think the movie totally sucked..i remember being really excited to see it and it was such a disappointment..nothing like the book whatsoever in my opinion.
I cant believe you have an SK class, that is so cool, hopefully it will encourage you to read more of his works and appreciate that his written word is ALWAYS better than anything you can watch on the big screen:smile2:

[Turd Ferguson]

I liked the book but was disappointed by the movie. I don't think the movie sucked, but I think it could have been better.

[TheGrinch17]

Yes, I've noticed some major differences between the book & the movie. It seems that every time someone tries to make a Stephen King book into a movie, they always drastically change the story around! Very disturbing!

[lisaofthecoos]

I am excited to watch the movie. Just finished the book. But what is this about them turning poor Duddits into an alien at the end. Pretty sure that is going to upset me when I see it. Really love the characters in this book. It was cool reading it directly following It because of the few connections there are.

[Bryan James]

I liked both. How lame a post is that?

BJS

[Benita]

I agree! I loved the book and hated the movie. The movie may not have been that bad but compared to the book I couldnt believe it and cant bring myself to watch it again.

[blunthead]

I saw the movie first, and prior to becoming an sK fan. I considered it mediocre. The book is far superior, and helps one enjoy the movie, which I've seen again since, more, IMO.

[rickinyorkshire]

I enjoyed the book (currently reading through it again at the moment). I did also enjoy the movie as it's always nice to see how my imagination compares to the movie makers. But yes, the ending was wrong in so many ways, I actually laughed at that bit..

[Bad Bear]

The film was perhaps, for me, the worst SK adaptation I've ever seen. I thought the acting was wooden, and then when Jonesy started talking to himself/the alien things went from bad to worse. I thought Damian Lewis was excellent in Band of Brothers, but ridiculous in this. Pretty good book, though.

[mrsbreece]

I would LOVE to take a Stephen King class!!

[King Jacob]

I thought the book was a bit weird. Good, but still weird. I found myself laughing a bit more on this book than I had with other King books.

But the movie...was just disappointing. If it wasn't for Thomas Jane or Morgan Freeman just being in the film, I don't think I could have made it to the end.

[opeth]

I read the book and saw the movie. The book was a lot better even though it was really long.

[leighG]

I'd love a Stephen King class

[dragonflier]

The book was GREAT and the film was DIRE.... I don't think the director even READ the flipping book! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STEPHEN!!!! Don't let him near any other of your stories!!!!!:oo:

[jestferhish]

Ive seen those pics, I think theyre suits that didnt make the grade but still pretty cool to have a look at.

I recently watched Ultimate Avengers 2 the animated movie and it had trailers for a singular upcoming Iron Man movie as well as Dr Strange. The Avengers animated films were pretty cool, I like the idea of animated films, CG films could be pretty cool too. Iron Man is going to have part CG but mostly will be animated.

[The Outsider]

The movie was decent in staying with the book until about the middle of the movie, not too long after Mr. Gray's arrival. And the ending was terrible, way off course from the book, and just plain out cheesy.

The book was great, action packed, and great characters with some good themes. The movie, however, was just bad.

[Bryan James]

I'd love to get paid to "teach" a class like that.

An air-conditioned (noisy, high-output window-unit preferable) office with a sleepable couch and a library card is all I would need.

"CoEds and King: A Feminist's Visualization of the Current Mainstream Master of Horror."
3 Credits. Final Essay: 100% of Grade. Office Hours: Excessive, but by appointment.

Well, heck. I've got a degree that allows me to teach anywhere in the U.S., might as well dream some crazy!

(That would be cool, though...mapping out King stories on a huge set of chalkboards...)

~BJS

[MyJadedEpiphany]

Read the entire book at one pull (around 5-6 hours). Enjoyed it ALOT.
I haven’t quite enjoyed the movie. Plus I took mom to convince her about the dark side of the King’s world, and she was a little horrified in a bad way. I kept stuttering to her “ummm the book is different the book is different”.


I had the exact same problem with my husband!! I loved the book so much and was super excited to see the movie....turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I never expect movies to be the same as the books as I know they are different mediums (Harry Potter is another great example LoL) but it tends to be worse with SK movies. I think it's because people only try to categorize his movies as horror when his books are SOOOO much more than that.

[ama_li]

I have read the book. By the way I don't like it much

[Mary Strickland]

ama li,
I liked this book because of the relationship of the characters and their special care of the young boy.
Mary

[jlessl]

Book was excellent, movie not so much. I was really disappointed.

[Cruze]

YOu should listen to the audio (unabriged) now THAT is awesome!:wink2:

[dav]

That is why I love to read the books you get to come up with all kinds of stuff in your imagination. I think it is very hard sometimes to translate SK to a movie.

[dav]

I would have loved to have had a SK class in school. Where do you go to school? I think there are always differences between the book and movie. That is sometimes what makes SK fans "hot" under the collar. We are true to his brilliance.:y:

[littlekoala0519]

I have just recently read the book for the first time and watched the movie. I love the book, took it with me everywhere and read it whenever I could. I go thte movie because I loved the book so much. I understand there is a difference between the books and movies and that some stuff needs to be changed and some stuff needs to be left out altogether. Seriously, this movie should have been called "Dreamcatcher - a movie loosely based on the novel" or "Dreamcatcher - a big disappointment for those of you who loved the book." There were things changed, both big and small, that did not need to be changed and that did not add anything with the change. The story lost so much of it's feeling and meaning in the movie. In my opinion the books are always better, but I know this going into the movie. This is the exact reason why I watched the remake of The Shining. There were things in the book that I really wanted to see in the movie that were left out of the original. However the original movie did not make drastic changes that made the story completely different from the book. King books are so incredible, in so many ways, that they really need to be made in to mini-series or double-length movies. With this said, the "Dreamcatcher" movie could have been a decent regular length movie without the drastic changes. I feel that I would not have known what was going on in the movie without reading the book first, but I just kept saying to myself that what I was seeing on the screen was not really the movie of the book but a spoof and the real movie would come on any minute. If the story is going to be changed so much than it just needs to get a different name when on screen!

[dwalters]

When I heard that they were making Dreamcatcher into a movie, my first thought was that it couldn't possibly work. Any time there's a lot of interior dialogue going on in a person's head, I just don't think it's possible to express something like that in a movie the way the author intended. That said, they did make a few mistakes, but for the most part I didn't think it was that bad... until the ending. That completely ruined it for me.

The funny part is, I was working at a video rental store at the time it came out and overheard one of our customers talking about it. His exact words: "the ending was cool but the rest of it sucked". Obviously not a Constant Reader...

[Smikes]

The movie fell far short of the book in my opinion. And although Morgan Freeman is an amazing actor, even he can't pull off a white Irishman...good lord, who made that casting decision?

The **** Weasels were much scarier in my head.

Live, love, laugh & be happy,
Smikes

[constantreader1313]

I have to say, even though I had a hard time finishing the book, the movie did not compare. I was watching closely and noticed it ran pretty close to the book until the whole betrayal of Kurtz by Underhill. After that it seemed to speed up considerably and alot of the details were completely left out that I thought were important. I did think it was cool that the setting of 'The Hole in the Wall' was exactly how I saw it in my mind. Also, the office that Jonesy was stuck in in his mind was pretty much how I pictured it as well.
All in all, like people have posted before, the book is always better because our imaginations are better than someone else's interpretation.
But that's just me....

[kelectra1]

All in all, not a bad adaptation. Green Mile was far better, but I was completely baffles how they would do the mind thing. I mean I get that we all have ways of thinking, but the library like mind with the massive amounts of info, that was phenominal. I would have liked it more if you had some better graphics, but Hollywood can never do a perfect King apadptation. That's one reason I love to read King so much. He truly allows the reader to imagine. Overall DC is OK, but always, always, always read the book first and last.

[djbeilstein]

I hated the movie & have not read the book – And hear the funny thing is – I know I'm going to love the book because I know my own imagination will bring this story to life in a way I won't be able to complain about how things look – which was my main issue with DREAMCATCHER.

[pathoftheturtle]

I never thought that Dreamcatcher was a very good novel. It had some decent points, but mostly hackneyed retreading. Really was not anything like King's finest hour.

One problem with it that I had was that it tries to go in too many different directions at once. It's a hunting/psychic/army/supernatural/horror/alien/buddy story. :rolleyes: I actually think that the film works better.

While you do almost always lose characterization and dramatic detail onscreen, what didn't translate from this novel was trivial, and/or redundant to SK's better novels.

[StokerX]

Yeah... I didn't care for the movie. I read the book because I am a huge SK fan and love a great alien tale. When Mr. King wrote about aliens I had to buy the book. What upset me the most about the movie... since when was Duddits an alien? That ruined it for me... that and the humor of Mr. Grey was left out entirely. Bacon!!!

[Doc Wilson]

I just finished a re-read of DC a few weeks ago, caught the movie tonight. The book is very enjoyable, though not in the holiest of holy top tier of King books. The movie got a few things right but by and large it was like a B movie parody.

I wonder what King thought of the ending?

[Mr Breezee]

I agree that the book was much better. But everything I have ever read, by King or anyone I feel is better then the movie. I first noticed this in The Shining. I think it's probably because of the time and effort it would take, if even possible, to do so.
After all, Stephen can devote an intire chapter to what some one is thinking, where as that is hard to do on film. At the risk of being foolish, I will say Dreamcatcher is one of my favorite books by King. But then again, most of them are.

[Trueivy]

This is one of my favorite books of King's. And I felt somewhat betrayed. I mean the truth is a movie is a reduction of any great book, but Mr. Goldman butchered the book. I will say that I was not disappointed with the cast. Just the storytelling.

[blunthead]

I liked the book; and so, the first time I watched the movie, it wasn't good enough for me, despite years as a major William Goldman (author, screenwriter [the director, Lawrence Kasdan, co-wrote the screenplay. Credits like this sometimes mean the original screenwriter left the project]) fan. But recently, I watched the movie again, and was glad to enjoy it much more.

I think this one is, among whatever other things, a good example of how difficult it can be to translate a good novel into a movie as good.

Like I said, I was glad to enjoy it the second time.

[Trueivy]

I recently watched it on dvd and it had a special feature with Stephen King talking about the book and the movie. He liked the film alot. I mean the viewers are important, I mean I am one. But SK wasn't disappointed.

[JAMESTHEKINGFAN]

i think that Morgan Freeman, good actor that he is, overdid himself in this one. Otherwise, I thought it was a good adaptation, save that they should have put more in the end.