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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
Ray Bradbury took the literary world by storm in 1953 when he published his second novel, Fahrenheit 451, which presented readers with a bleak look at the future of America, wherein free-thought and the accumulation of knowledge had been taken away through the burning of books. The second film adaptation of the beloved book, produced by HBO, manages to pay homage to the original, while also presenting audiences with a number of changes that make for a fresh take on the beloved novel.
The film follows Fireman Guy Montag (Michael B. Jordan) who - when we initially meet him - finds pleasure in his occupation as a Fireman, burning books; however, after reading a book himself and forming a connection with Clarisse McClellan (Sofia Boutella), he comes to understand that Captain Beatte (Michael Shannon) and the other Fireman are wrong - and he makes it his mission to ensure that they don't succeed in eradicating the remaining books in the city.
My biggest question going into Fahrenheit 451 was how they would manage to, in 2018, make Bradbury's vision be as terrifying as it was intended to be in 1953. How, in a world where televisions as thin as glass are mounted on walls, do you make the idea seem as wondrous as it was six decades ago? Where SeaShells - more commonly known now as AirPods and Beats - can be found nestled in millions of ears across the country? How people will log into their Netflix or Hulu account and spend hours upon hours binge watching shows and movies? These concepts were meant to show us the potential dangers of the future and, now, they've become a common part of the American experience.
In their defense, they do an excellent job of making it work. The movie focuses heavily on social media, with the Fireman acting as modern day celebrities. Every book burning is streamed on "The Nine," where people are free to display their feelings towards the event through the use of crude looking emoji's. In all honesty, it's very reminiscent of FaceBook Live, with the way emoji's form at the bottom of the screen and then float to the top before disappearing. It's interesting to see that in this world, professional news coverage has been fully integrated with social media. This also mirrors the current status quo, as many news outlets will stream live feeds via Facebook (and other social media websites) as it happens, allowing audiences to display an array of different reactions to what they're seeing.
Moving away from the world, let's take a look at the characters that inhabit it. I'll be the first to admit that Michael B. Jordan being chosen for the role of Guy Montag took me by surprise. I had always envisioned the character to have a rather unimpressive look to him - the type of person who wouldn't stand out in a crowd. Instead, we're given Jordan, who always brings a certain sort of charisma and energy to his roles that just doesn't seem to be in tune with the original version of the character. Luckily for us, this is a loose adaptation - as Guy is not only a (seemingly) younger man, but he also isn't married to his semi-suicidal wife, Mildred. This change allows Jordan to take the role in a different direction, which better meshes with the world this film has presented us with. Having Montag act as a celebrity allows for Jordan to really show us just how conflicted the character is, as he goes from being a confident man who loves his job, to someone who's willing to risk it all to fight against the corruption. Montag goes on quite the journey, and Jordan was a great pick to lead that journey.
In addition to Jordan, the supporting cast also does an excellent job in each of their roles. Michael Shannon is the obvious standout with his portrayal of Captain Beatte. While the character of Montag was drastically different from my expectations, Beatte was just as I had imagined him to be from the novel - perhaps even better, in some ways. Shannon played the role of the hardened Fireman well, and I appreciated that he, too, was conflicted about his actions - especially given his knowledge of how things were before the Ministry outlawed books.
All in all, this was an entertaining movie. It was a decent adaptation with some solid performances throughout. While not nearly as powerful as the novel - but then, how could it be? - it tells an interesting story about a world that's all too familiar. It's understandable that there may be detractors who feel that this is a poor adaptation, but given the fact that so much of Bradbury's vision has already become a reality, it would only make sense that this adaptation would have to find a way to make what we now consider ordinary, terrifying; and this film does a decent job at that.
My rating: 7/10
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