It had been some time since I read the book, Gone Girl. I talked briefly with a friend or two about it before seeing the movie, only then remembering the depths of the diabolic nature of the characters. Worried, as we often are when a great story from print is brought to cinema, I went to the movie with reserved expectations. Those reservations were unnecessary; the film did not disappoint.
Gillian Flynn worked on the screen adaptation, and the viewer could feel that layer of unease of her story as well by watching it as by reading it. As the mysteries of the story reveal themselves, the discomfort permeates even having known what was coming. This film captured that essence of the book well.
That said, the movie isn’t perfect. And per some who either read the book more recently or remembered it with more detail, it’s not completely true to that text. On the other hand, one friend with us had never read the book, and she seemed to enjoy the film as much as the two of us who had.
I don’t expect much from Gone Girl once its playtime has ended. It’s not a movie I’ll necessarily watch again. But it did entertain for a couple of hours. It has Oscar buzz. But that surprises me a bit. Maybe I don’t see that based on knowing the twists in advance. Maybe I don’t see that based on it being a nontraditional genre for such. We’ll have to wait a couple of months to see if that buzz generates any statues.
In any event, it reminded me of the fun I had reading the book, being surprised by the twists, and feeling amazed by the level of underlying darkness that can be highlighted in humans. Awards or not, it did not disappoint.