Shutter Island II
Last week I saw Shutter Island for the second time and I wondered, no matter the quality of the film, would I have had a more enjoyable experience if I hadn’t first read the book? I would say that the type of reviews I write elicit two types of disappointment: (1) discontent over the merit of the film adaptation or (2) unhappiness over the general quality of both novel and movie. My main complaint concerning Shutter Island was a question of quality – I felt that it was not a true member of the “Thriller/Suspense” genre because it was not frightening. But of course it wasn’t thrilling: I knew everything that was going to happen beforehand. So did reading the book ruin my movie-going experience? Or was Shutter Island just plain-old mediocre? I guess I’ll never really know. But for future reference, maybe I should reverse my process when reviewing thrillers (and I’m talking strictly thrillers here). The reaction that I feel should take precedent is the one that is more immediate and visceral: that which comes from viewing a film. The business of suspense is the feeling we experience when we sit in the movie theater. Fear and horror, surprise and shock. Without the ability to be scared, is it worth the time and money?