Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Fahrenheit 451 (2018)'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

I will never forget the first time I read Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 back when I was in grade school, simply because…I had never read anything like it before. It was just a wild and unique idea to slip into a world where books were outlawed and burned without anyone giving it a second thought and since it was grade school and I was still a boy when I read that book, a lot of the deeper meaning of said novel was lost upon me for certain, which is why I was so happy to pick it up years later and truly appreciate everything it stood for.
 
Because this book has always been a wonderful and accessible tale about the dangers of fascism and ignorance and well, if there was ever a story that was ripe for a remake or a reboot in modern times this was it, because sadly, the first motion picture adaptation of this story from 1966 has not aged well. As it turns out however, I was not the only one who believed that this story could benefit from an update, since HBO recently released their own version of this harrowing and fascinating tale and well, while one would think the current political climate and debates within our society would serve as fodder for a brilliant reimagining of this tale, the 2018 iteration of Fahrenheit 451 simply comes up short when it comes to the social commentary necessary to give this tale gravity.
 
Which is quite a shame because there actually is quite the foundation for success when it comes to this motion picture. I mean come on, it features Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon in the lead roles, the visuals are phenomenal, and the story even found a way to integrate modern technology into this tale. But, while I was able to enjoy the performances, because the acting is indeed solid, and sit through the entire film without issue, once it came to its end, I simply felt nothing, which is something I wasn’t expecting. Because after putting down the novel, or even after watching the original film, I found the story sticking with me for days on end.

---

​So how then, can a story that features strong acting and the look and feel of a futuristic society that has lost its way not resonate with an audience? The answer to that is simple, the story tries to accomplish way too much when it comes to its social commentary. Because what makes the source material so incredibly magnificent is the sheer fact that books have meaning in that world. The printed word, and the power that it holds and the thoughts it can ignite in a person’s mind take the center stage in the story and seeing a society that is without creativity or thought, that is vapid through and through, is the true terror that the novel provides us with. 
 
But here, the power of books is outright diminished. In fact, they are reduced to a mere plot device, and at times put on the backburner as the story tries to shake its proverbial finger at every other aspect of our world. Technology, the internet and our society’s desire to ignore reality in order to stay happy are given staggered screen time here and quite frankly, it confuses the story and muddles everything and really the finest example of how books simply don’t matter to the story (when they should) is the scene where a particular character is more excited to recite memorized passages from a novel rather than speak to the meaning of the words he is in fact reciting.
 
If anything, Fahrenheit 451 feels like a wasted opportunity when all is said and done. Because this is a motion picture that prefers to scold the audience rather than teach it something and it is a movie that quite frankly, hasn’t a clue what it wants to be. At times it is an action film, at other times it is a cautionary tale, but make no mistake about it, the one thing this movie is, is a mess and had the script found a focal point to work with when it comes to social commentary, it could have done something incredible. But, it is watchable. So, if you’re looking to kill a couple of hours, then definitely check this one out, but, if you’re looking for something a little deeper when it comes to this story, then I recommend picking up the original novel, because it still holds the gravity and power that this remake is sorely lacking.  

---