Hearts in Atlantis

To many, Stephan King is a well of horror, Lovecraftian chill that creeps upon us in the dead of night. So when his fantasy of insight comes along, they are struck blind, disappointed, let down by the mildness of the tale.

Director Hicks, screenplay writer Goldman, and the superlative team of Mr. Hopkins and young Yelchin have brought alive this artist's touch of Mr. King, in a finely crafted, sensitive film that just departs from the four walls of our mundane reality. In many subtle touches throughout the film, we -- even those of us Constant Readers who would read Mr. King's laundry list if he published it -- are guided through Goldman's skillful adaptation of the original novel.

Better than the book? Worse? No, this humble viewer will just say that the film can stand on its own, if we are just willing to let our eyes be opened to what can be.

There are two distinct dimensions to Stephen King's writing. On the one hand he is most widely known as the horror meister who can churn out novels quicker than most of us can go through toilet paper. Then there is the King who knows when to leave the schlock behind and tell a good, character driven, yarn.

This is the King who penned Hearts in Atlantis, along with similar captivating stories turned into film such as Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.

Told in flashback, it is the story of a young boy who is mentored by a psychically gifted border (Hopkins) with a shadowy past who is renting the upstairs room in his mother's house. He instructs the boy to be on the lookout for the "low men" who are persuing him. It tells the story of lives and loves lost in the fleeting wonder of youth. Filled with metaphor, this is a gem of a film. View it for the acting. View it for the cinematography. View it for the art direction. View it for the directing. But most of all, view it for the wonderful story that it is. It will captivate you and leave you wishing it would go on forever.

For some, Stephen King is just a mere auteur of horror stories. If you look closer, you'll see he is much more. Nearly all his stories are melancholic tales about the loss of childhood innocence. With a paranormal twist, but that really isn't the most important. I even think that Hearts in Atlantis would have worked even better, if the whole paranormal thing would have been left out. The most interesting aspects of the story are Bobby Garfield and his relationship with his mother, girlfriend and Ted. Whenever Ted brought up the low-men, my personal interest curve got a bit of a dip, but hey it's a Stephen King movie, I guess we'll have to live with it.

As it is, Hearts in Atlantis remains a wonderful film. It's the kind of film where the scenes in the present are filmed in gloomy blue and grey tones, and all the flashbacks get a golden sepia treatment. Sure it's been done before, but rarely have the effects been of such a shattering beauty.

Anthony Hopkins, never shy of giving a bombastic performance, is remarkably soft-spoken in this one, though I doubt that he was really interested in this movie. The star of the show, however, is Anton Yelchin as Bobby Garfield. He looks like the young Elijah Wood, with the same angelic blue eyes, and he's truly captivating. He even has genuine chemistry with the girl that plays his love interest. A big fat ‘wow' is in order here, let's hope he'll get the chance to exploit his talents further.

It's a shame this movie failed at the box-office, but then again so did The Shawshank Redemption. So let's all rent/buy this wonderful film, and boost that IMDb score.

I gave this one a 9/10.

I saw Hearts in Atlantis last night, and I have to say that the more I think about it, the more I like it. After it was over, I couldn't help but remember my "Atlantis." The town in which I grew up in was certainly one of the best places in world. I lived there from the time I was born, until I was 18. Hearts in Atlantis made me remember what it was like to be a kid, and to really not have a care in the world (except what time all my friends were going to meet to play football or baseball). Of course I understand now that there is much more to life then riding bikes and playing games, but a part of me wishes I could go back, just for one more day. I loved when the Hopkins character explained how when you're a kid a day could last forever, and the place in which you lived seemed almost like a paradise...like Atlantis must have seemed. This movie made me remember my "Atlantis," and I am glad that I saw it.

Stephen King seems to work well with movies. HEARTS IN ATLANTIS represents the latest adaptation from one of King's novels. Actually borrowing from two stories, it introduces us to a young boy named Bobby Garfield who seems to be living a semi-normal, although simple life. His day consists of playing with his two best friends, Sully and Carol. His relationship with Carol is on the fence of being romantic. Bobby's widowed mother is too focused on her career to notice what's going on with her son. A strange man named Ted Brautigan (Hopkins) comes to their small town looking for a place to stay, and finds a vacant room within Bobby's house. Brautigan almost immediately intrigues Bobby, offering the young boy a job simply reading the newspaper out loud. As these two bond, Bobby notices his new friend has some strange traits. Ted fears that mysterious men are looking for him. It's not long before Bobby realizes that his new friend has some unique capabilities, and begins to understand why others would be looking for him. In the meantime, Bobby deals with his own desire for a dream bike, his need to protect Carol from neighborhood bullies, and his confusion about his mother's lack of finances despite her fancy dress collection. No one is perfect in this story, just like in real life. Even the oddly endearing Brautigan seems reluctant to expose his true roots.

HEARTS IN ATLANTIS is a simple tale that offers nothing new to audiences. It doesn't have the magic exhibited in THE GREEN MILE, or the emotional importance of THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, and although it's similar in feel to STAND BY ME, it doesn't seem to match the quaint aspects of that tale either. Where it succeeds is in it's ability to present the familiar aspects of the youth we've all experienced. Childhood memories are what make us who we are. This film helps us to remember those special times. While not all of us met a Ted Brautigan in our lives, we can all relate to the troubles Bobby faces, or even the victimization Carol endures by bullies. There are several familiar elements here, and that's why it works. Hopkins is appealing, as one would expect, but the film as a whole plays out in a very tame fashion. Scott Hicks (SHINE) has directed HEARTS with simplistic and appropriate fashion. He never assumes too much from the audience, which is an admirable quality for a director. What you walk away with is a understanding that youth can define you future, and memories can have a profound effect toward your outlook on life. Never judge a book by it's cover.