Gone Girl

Gone Girl

 With all the hype from critics and audiences, I was a but let down with Gone Girl. That's not say it is a horrible, but I expected a little more from the movie. David Fincher is extremely good with the direction and it has some Fincher moments in there too for the fans. The story takes some interesting turns, which you can see coming, but not all of it is powerful. The writer of the book this is based on also wrote the screenplay. Gone Girl has so much to enjoy about it, but a few pacing and boring scenes that slow it down a bit.

I can enjoy how the movie does straddles the line of morals and actions. It also has some nice commentaries on the media and how the media wants to create its own narrative. And, the people in the news want to produce their own narratives in return. It actually handles these issues without being too preachy. The media really takes a beating in this movie. And, they're one of the bad guys.

What doesn't really work is Ben Affleck's somewhat wooden performance in some of the early scenes. I know he wants to go for the restrain approach, but it makes the movie a little bit boring. However, Affleck is playing two different versions of his characters, but that is more of the story than his acting choices.

On the other hand, Rosamund Pike's performance is something to behold. Her character sort of fills out whatever role someone else' s wants her to be until she snaps and starts doing some crazy things to herself and other people. Let's just say some severe things happen to her by her own hands. Pike's personally changes over the course of the movie, but also there is a fake meek character she wants to portray to the media too. Pike is the person people talk about when discussing this movie. It is deserved.

Neil Patrick Harris gives a good performance too. His character is close to being creepy and possessive. Harris plays it completely straight here (no pun intended). Tyler Perry also does a good job with his limited role. Hey, he's good when he's not dressed as a woman.

Yet, I also feel the movie isn't what it is cracked up to be. It is a good movie, but not great. The ending is very dark and disturbing, hinting at a horrible future. The movie sometimes has some dull moments, but the acting from Harris and Pike is where this movie really shines.

Grade: C+