Stephen King's The Life of Chuck: Is the New Mike Flanagan Movie Worth Watching?
Mike Flanagan proves once again that he is the best director for adapting Stephen King's stories.
It's hard to find a year in the last twenty that hasn't offered viewers an adaptation of Stephen King's work. However, not all attempts are successes. In fact, only one outstanding adaptation emerges for every five or six flops.
More and more often, the magic happens when Mike Flanagan, the master of sad horrors, takes on King's texts.
Flanagan's The Life of Chuck seems to have already become an instant classic, having received the main prize at the Toronto Film Festival – quite deservedly so.
What Is The Life of Chuck About?
The world is collapsing. While the exact cause is unknown, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and other disasters are occurring worldwide.
Marty Anderson, a schoolteacher, notices strange advertisements everywhere. Some thank Chuck Krantz for 39 wonderful years. First, he sees the ad on a banner on a house, and then he sees a video on TV. Then, Chuck appears everywhere. But who is this man, and why is he so important?
Mike Flanagan's Movie Is an Accurate Adaptation of the Original Story
As the source material dictates, The Life of Chuck moves in reverse order, from the third act to the first. Mike Flanagan approaches the text carefully – Nick Offerman reads entire passages from the story.
Voiceovers are usually a sign of lazy or insufficiently independent adaptations. In the case of The Life of Chuck, however, the literary focus seems to be another proof of the director's long-standing love of long monologues, which are the hallmark of all of Flanagan's series.
The Life of Chuck Is Worth-Watching Even if You've Read the Novella
Even those who are already familiar with the book will not find The Life of Chuck boring to watch. Although the twists are familiar, the director adds interesting details.
For one thing, the director is 30 years younger than the writer, so the adaptation is more closely tied to the modern world. While King jokes about The Wizard of Oz, Flanagan references internet memes.
Second, the original The Life of Chuck is a short story that you can read in an hour. In the movie, some scenes and, more importantly, monologues are expanded, becoming important parts of the story.
The Life of Chuck Is a Life-Affirming And Positive Work
Many movies are dedicated to the collapse of the world and the apocalypse. There are also auteur works that explore the role of humanity in the world.
There are also feel-good movies, films that create a warm, calm atmosphere. The Life of Chuck is the first project to combine these seemingly opposite genres.
At first glance, The Life of Chuck seems to offer nothing new. Yet, for some reason, after watching it, you'll want to reach out to your loved ones, look through old photos, or at least pause to listen to a street musician.