| I didn't read the book but I have been exposed to these ideas since I was pretty young. I really don't get the controversy. There have been Discovery Channel specials on more controversial things for as long as I can remember, including plenty of theories about Jesus having kids (and so on) floating around.
So whatever, the plot was what it was but come the fuck on, as a movie it was bullshit. I haven't been considered that stupid by a movie in as long as I can remember. People saying "it could have been confusing if you didn't read the book" are hopefully underestimating humanity. How many times did Amelie have to be like, "wait, I don't understand" before it was painfully obvious that they were talking directly to the audience? (Correct: once!)
Hey Ron and writer(s), I've got a great idea of how to handle this movie! 10 minutes of action, 20 minutes of exposition, rinse and repeat. Bullshit and you all know it. The entire movie was like the 20 minutes in Silent Hill where they stopped to tell the audience what the fuck was going on.
I haven't read the book because I had a feeling that most of the controversial subject matter was stuff I had already heard and I was right. That alone isn't reason enough to kill a story/movie for me, but this one was just clumsy all around. I've liked Ron Howard in the past for the most part and most of the cast as well, but as my roommate commented, "it felt like everyone involved knew that this was a free money press".
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