Book Review: The Eyes of the Dragon

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
Release Date: February 1987
Publisher: Viking (now owned by Penguin)
Audience: Everyone
Pages: 384
Buy the Book: Amazon
Book Rating: 3/5








Day four of Stephen King week!

Today I am going to cheat a little bit and review The Eyes of the Dragon. A departure from most of his oeuvre, this book, while straight fantasy, still harbors that Stephen King flair.

The Eyes of the Dragon follows two brothers, princes, who are to inherit the kingdom. However, the older brother, Peter, is framed for the murder of the King by Flagg (our villain and stereotypical evil advisor) and the younger brother, Thomas, is placed on the throne. Flagg, knowing Thomas is only 12, offers his services and advice and Thomas, not knowing any better, gives him more and more power, despite knowing Flagg framed Peter and killed his father. The brunt of the novel follows both Peter's attempts to escape prison and kill Flagg along with the decay of the kingdom, the throne, and Thomas.

I think the main reason I enjoy this novel is that the novel, while including many tropes from the fantasy genre, focuses not on the kingdom per se but the two brothers. It is interesting to see how Peter and Thomas, through chance and circumstance, become two completely different individuals. By the end of the novel Thomas, under Flagg's influence, has become a obese, dunk, shamble of a man while Peter is almost the complete opposite. For me, the compelling elements of this novel is seeing the passage of time and affects of entropy on the two princes.

However, beyond that you do not get much other than the general plot of: good king replaced by inept king ruled by evil advisor via murder and rightful king is banished. I am sure you all can guess as to the novels outcome from there. Yet again, perhaps not one of his strongest novels, and not a dystopian novel (unless you count the dark potential we all share given the effects of entropy, decay, and the passage of time on the human frame) It is worth checking out from your local library. Stephen King offers nothing new in this book as far as the fantasy genre is concerned, but it somehow feels fresh.

Film Friday: The Adjustment Bureau Review

Title: The Adjustment Bureau
Genre: Thriller/Action
Directed by: George Nolfi
Written by: George Nolfi
Starring:
Matt Damon
Emily Blunt
John Slattery
Anthony Mackie
Release Date: March 4th, 2011
Rating: 3.5/5





In The Adjustment Bureau we follow Matt Damon's character, an up and coming politician by the name of David Norris, who stumbles upon a group known as the 'Adjustment Bureau' who 'adjust' an individual when their life veers off the path the Bureau has decided they should take. However, in order to avoid being 'adjusted' himself, Norris must no longer see Emily Blunt's character, Elise. The movie follows Damon's character as he attempts to find Elise once again and escape the Bureau and having both him and Elise 'adjusted'.

What is it with Matt Damon and running away from things? It seems that ever since he did the Bourne Trilogy movie-makers have decided to have him running from people and things in all subsequent movies. Regardless, this movie is a better than average thriller. All of the main actors and secondary actors give good performances, the story's multiple story arcs (Norris's political career, Norris and Elise's love story, dealing with the Bureau, inner politics within the Bureau) are all blended together well, each given enough space to stand alone yet still pertinent to the overall story.

That being said, I think that Nolfi should have allowed the Adjustment Bureau to remain more ambiguous. He is pretty heavy handed with the interpretation of what the Bureau is (essentially telling the audience) and I think that if more ambiguity was kept in the movie as to exactly what the Bureau is, their motives, and what these agents really are would have added more atmosphere to the movie, added to the thrill, and made for an overall darker tone. As it is, the movies' tone seems to clash with itself as there are some very dark moments in the movie, but once you learn what the Agents are, in addition to the ending of the movie, these dark moments seem out of place. I would have preferred a darker movie, but that's just me.

All in all, The Adjustment Bureau is a interesting thriller in the same neighborhood as Inception (or at least tries to be) but I think that some of the directorial decisions regarding the plot keep this movie from reaching its full potential. But, if you are wanting to rent a good, if not exceptional, thriller where Matt Damon runs from things, I recommend checking this out.

What's with the hat, Damon?