Books, writing, sentences, words, syllables; what you are reading now is a privilege. The ability to learn, to engage with the writings on a page, is a freedom that we often take for granted. What if you lived in a world where all these freedoms were eradicated? What kind of world would you have left? In the HBO film adaptation of one of society’s most privileged pieces of literature, the pages are turned into a desolate future where the very way of life is burned. There are not enough words to describe “Fahrenheit 451,” as its all-star cast and stellar interpretation are a spark that ignites meaning into a world full of rage, chaos and a glimmer of hope that will frustrate some fans but will otherwise elicit enough of a blaze to truly fire up moviegoers everywhere. However, viewers should proceed with caution, as it suffers from a plot structure that inflames what could be a masterful film.
“Fahrenheit 451” stars Michael B. Jordan ( “Black Panther”) as Montag and Michael Shannon (“The Shape of Water”) as Beatty in a not-so-distant future where books are not only illegal but are burned, and anyone in possession of books is imprisoned. Imprisoned is a good word to describe the structure for the film, as it falls extremely flat in developing any real sense of tension until the final twenty minutes. The film plays up its futuristic atmosphere much more than it should. The first half of the movie seems like a drag; after a while, the audience has seen about everything in this dystopian world and instead the film focuses on the shiny drones and cars, which is a mistake, since it would have very much benefited from adding more of a backstory to the main characters and giving more screen time to Michael Shannon’s character. It is trying so hard to figure what the film wants to be that it loses itself in the classic Hollywood dilemma: how to adapt a novel onto the screen without losing some of the book’s own magic.
The most amazing part of the film lies in its casting, which sees Michael B. Jordan at his most intense and mesmerizing character performance since “Fruitvale Station.” We come to see Montag as he struggles to realize what is going on around him and his understanding of what books really provide for humans—escapism. We see how the ever present forms of technology and his past start to ruin his life, and as he begins to read, he understands what the past really was. He is emotionally lost, almost inhuman, and it is truly riveting to watch as he brings so much passion into his character. The same amount of grit can be said for Michael Shannon’s character, who through the length of the film becomes an embodiment of evil. His character can only be described as a racist, psychotic abuser.
At the end, “Fahrenheit 451” is a decent adaptation of the book by Ray Bradbury, though it struggles in its structure and doesn’t get you hooked until the very end which holds it back from being a truly amazing film. The performances by Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon are a true chef d’oeuvre—riveting and a duo that play off each other with amazing chemistry. The atmosphere of the film is really scary and realistic and adds to the tension of the film, but at times, it seems to be too much. Overall, “Fahrenheit 451” does a great job in being a true form of escapism, just like what a book is supposed to do, though at times it struggles from the occasional bumps in its structure of plot and atmosphere.
Rating: 3.5/5
