Hearts In Atlantis

Hearts in Atlantis released in released in 2001 is a dramatic film based on Stephen King's collection of stories of the same name, mostly based on the novella Low Men In Yellow Cars. This story is tied very heavily into Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and honestly I feel like if the viewer is not familiar with the Dark Tower Series that huge portions of the story and back story will make no sense at all. If you don't know the Dark Tower series who the Low Men who are after Ted are just a mysterious group, but if you know the Dark Tower then you know exactly who they are and exactly who Ted is. Honestly this story is a part of the Dark Tower series, not just a tie in to it, because the story is truly inseparable from the Dark Tower. I honestly feel that possibly the cryptic back story of the Ted that really just never makes any sense without prior knowledge of the Dark Tower series may have in part with why the film was a financial loss in the box office. The film itself is very well done, all of the actors were perfectly cast for the film, and really did appear as I saw them in the novella. Sir Anthony Hopkins is amazing as usual as Ted, and Anton Yelchin as Bobby was perfectly cast, as was Mika Boorem as Carol. The story is well told, and looks really good. Other than the fact that the who fact that the people hunting Ted were completely cryptic, it is actually a well told movie, with an engrossing and emotional coming of age story. Definitely a great example of Stephen King's expert story telling. I do wish that the rest of the stories which all tie in to each other would have also been made into films. I feel that the filmmakers choose this novella to make a film of because of the great emotional coming of age story that it tells. I also like that David Morse, who also played "Brutal" in The Green Mile, appears in this film as the adult Bobby. This would be the second Stephen King film that he would be in within just a few years. This film like The Green Mile is another great example of Stephen King's non-horror films, as there seems to always be this stereotype that Stephen King only rights horror, which isn't true, King is truly at his best creating and developing great characters. I enjoyed this story because I got to learn more about what Ted was doing during that time he fled from the Low Men in the Dark Tower, this story was alluded to by Ted in the Dark Tower series, so it was fun to actually read it, and to watch it here. Now interestingly as watching the special features, which include an interview with the director Scott Hicks and Anthony Hopkins, that Scott Hicks doesn't even know who the Low Men are and seems to imply that they are aliens, and that that is where Ted's powers of telepathy come from, which honestly is disappointing. I wonder how readers who have read Hearts In Atlantis, and viewers who have watch this film view this. This is interesting, because I need to remember not everyone has read the entire Stephen King library, so that the majority of people actually don't know the back story to this story, so I would love to hear the opinions of those who don't know that back story. The critics seem to have given the film relatively poor ratings, and I wonder if that in part is due to how cryptic it is and how it really doesn't explain the Low Men, or if it is the way that film doesn't capture the true depth of the novella, or if it is the overly heavy sentimental emotions of the film. This isn't one of the best of film adaptations of Stephen King's works, but far from the worst, I honestly think it is most likely just the least understood. I honestly don't feel like this was a great choice of novella's to make an adaptation of, just because of how it is only part of a fuller story, and how it is also so very incomplete and a little empty when detached from the rest of the Dark Tower series. I don't know I am just really mixed on this film, I feel like it was as good as it could be really for what it is, though it was well acted, and well shot, so there is that. Would I recommend this film? Honestly I don't know how to answer that question. If you want a great coming of age film, it is great, don't get me wrong, but I might rather suggest Stand By Me or a different film. Even if you are looking for a heavy emotional picture then I might suggest other films as well... But this is a good one, and shouldn't be immediately dismissed, but I feel like being detached from the rest of the Dark Tower series, that it might just end up being cryptic and confusing. If you do watch it though, or have seen it I really want to know your thoughts on the film.