Movielogr
Fahrenheit 451 (2018)
Directed by Ramin Bahrani
Twitter Facebook Google+Science Fiction | Thriller | Action
Overview
In an oppressive future, a ‘fireman’ whose duty is to destroy all books begins to question his task.
Rated PG-13 | Length 100 minutes
Actors
Michael B. Jordan | Michael Shannon | Sofia Boutella | Khandi Alexander | Lilly Singh | Martin Donovan | Andy McQueen | Dylan Taylor | Keir Dullea | Grace Lynn Kung | Jane Moffat | Joe Pingue | Joanne Boland | Drew Nelson | David Tompa | Raoul Bhaneja | Lynne Griffin | Tim Post | Daniel Zolghadri | Saad Siddiqui | Daniel Alfredo Ojeda | Michelle Roy | Chris Gleason | Joe Vercillo | Cindy Katz | Mayko Nguyen | Katherine Cullen | Edsson Morales | Chad Camilleri | Jordan Baker | Nathanial Buzzanga-Silveira | Charlotte Flint | Luke Flint | Aaron Davies | Warren Belle | Malakai Fox | Marni Hogg | Alison Smiley | Laura Thorne | Marissa Kate Wilson | Daniel Gravelle | Andrew Gillies | Glenn Kelly | Peter Schindelhauer | Jake Teel | Zachary Wiseman | Alexander Yarwood | Scott Edgecombe | Brett Kingswell | Duane Murray | Ted Whittall | Alex Spencer | Ted Dykstra | Sean Jones | Keliyah Ogiamien
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08/10/2019 | TV | Blu-ray | Library | 6 stars |
| (Average) 6 stars |
Viewing Notes
I didn’t know there was a remake / new adaptation of this book until I saw the Blu on the shelf at my library. It’s an HBO Original so that may be a big reason (never went to theaters) but it has a solid cast with Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon in the main roles as the firemen troopers. It’s an interesting movie b/c it’s set not that far into the future from current times (a lot of the tech seems plausible and an extension of what we already have; holographic displays, AI / smart tech in the home, etc.).
What’s wild about this story is that yes the literal take is same as the book / previous film and is an awful oppressive view of that world yet viewing thru a the lens of today this works better as an allegory for immigration. Watching it that way it works better as a film, for me anyways. Otherwise the idea of eliminating all books from existence seems a bit far-fetched by todays standards given how much of this content exists online, in the cloud, digital, etc. So from that perspective the movie doesn’t really work for me.
I did enjoy Shannon upholding the law despite being conflicted, which I took as another allegory for being gay but not being able to reveal it due to the environment / circumstances. The weak spot is that I would think this attitude would be more prevalent and break the system. Then again, we’ve seen how a hatemonger can encourage the worst in people today (another reason why I think this works on another level). Jordan is good as the trooper developing empathy and remembering his past. I like Sofia Boutella as one of the rebels. Not as bad as the IMDb rating when not taking it as a literal interpretation of the text.
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