Should you watch 'Mr. Harrigan's phone? Review of Stephen King's new Netflix adaptation
– Reviews News
Netflix's latest Stephen King adaptation, Mr. Harrigan's phone, it's now airing as part of the 'Netflix and Chills' Halloween lineup, but should I check it out?
Based on the novel of the same name in the collection. if it bleeds, the film follows Craig, a boy living in a small town, who befriends the reclusive older billionaire, Mr. Harrigan. The two form a bond through books and a iPhone, but when the man dies, the boy discovers that all that died is not gone and finds himself able to communicate with his friend from the grave via theiPhone buried with him.
The film stars Jaeden Martell (IT, Knives Out, Metal Lords) as Craig and Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games, "Salem's Lot", Outbreak) as the titular Mr. Harrigan. The film also features Kirby Howell-Baptiste from The Sandman, Joe Tippett from The Morning Show, and Colin O'Brien, who plays the younger version of Craig.
The film is one of three Ryan Murphy-produced horror projects released in fall 2022, with DAHMER will be released at the end of September and the vigilant fall in mid-October.
As a fan of Stephen King's writing since high school and a fan of many of his film adaptations over the years, his familiar beats have comforted me many times. Maine small town charm. A character who wants to be a writer or who is. The point of view of a child victim of bullying and bereavement. The Supernatural To the delight of its loyal fans, this film has it all. As a bonus for me, the movie was shot in my home state of Connecticut, so you couldn't be more comfortable than with the comforts of home.
However, the one thing King is best known for, dread and dread, is largely absent from this story. It's been replaced with a loose moral tale that's more about fear of technology and power than anything gruesome. Interestingly, in a movie where people die from a teenager's simple call to the afterlife, the message strongly favors an older generation's anxieties about what they think that teenager should fear.
“We don't own things. Things belong to us. »
Mr. Harrigan seems like a clairvoyant or fortune teller for our future on the internet. In the most direct dialogue, he predicts all the dangers of the modern age: fake news, falling newspapers, unreliable guards, and lack of privacy and security.
Adding to Skynet-wide distrust of the tech uprising, King and writer/director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, The Little Things) specifically makeiPhone the ultimate tool of power and corruption. In many ways, theiPhone is another of King's famous tropes: the pact with the devil. After using his phone to enter the popular crowd and talk to the girls, Craig turns to his deceased friend and mentor on his phone to write down the wrongs of his unjust world, to dispatch his enemies with haste and without blame as he did. been advised to do. The devil is on your shoulder and on your phone. I understand.
However, the execution of this message with Craig's arc is so simplistic and mundane that it sends audiences to their own second screens. There are no repercussions for this unholy alliance, nor do we get much angst from Craig as he wields his sword with a few strikes and a swing. He continually walks away from death with the same reaction we would get if we played Candy Crush too much.
“When the gods want to punish us, they answer our prayers. »
This quote from Oscar Wilde is the first thing spoken in this film, but what its creators forgot was the actual punishment of its protagonist or possibly his accomplice. Giving up power is not the same as shedding blood on their hands. What remains is a morality test for the audience as to whether the end justifies the means for Craig's brand of justice.
The film is at its best when the bond between Craig and Mr. Harrigan is forged through classic readings and performances. The discussions of money, power and the "gift of death" are the best representations of the depth and insight in this story, especially when they reflect the contrast between the grieving but hopeful Craig and Harrigan, calculating and ruthless.
Although it may have some bright spots, Mr. Harrigan's phone it lacks the urgency, propulsion, and tilt more characteristic of its author and its Ghost Story genre.
Watch Mr. Harrigan's Phone on Netflix if you like it:
- Necessary things
- IT IS
- animal cemetery
- black mirror
- rock castle
Mr. Harrigan's MVP Phone
Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan.
It's a perfect cast. Like his character in the film, Sutherland often acts with a level of sophistication and subtle distrust, allowing him to nestle in smiling demons like President Snow in The hunger Games film series or the general in Epidemic.
PLAY, PAUSE OR STOP? :
BREAK.
King's most dedicated fans will find his familiarity soothing. However, this one lacks the depth or haunting visuals of its previous screen adaptations.
you watched Mr. Harrigan's phone on Netflix? What were you thinking? Let us know in the comments.
SOURCE: Reviews News
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