The Girl on the Train film is driving book fans off the rails
Sometimes that old saying is right - and the book is just better than the film in every single way
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference."The book is always better than the film" is a pretty tired assertion, but that doesn't mean it isn't just sometimes true.
As many fans of Paula Hawkins' The Girl on the Train soon discovered, packing into cinemas to watch the glitzy Hollywood adaptation of what's been invariably described as the next Gone Girl, many were in for something of an unpleasant surprise.
Not that the critics didn't warn them, with the film falling foul in its reception and landing a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Indeed, The Independent's Geoffrey Macnab described the film as a "jolting and confusing ride", and book fans are quickly discovering that even Emily Blunt's always stellar work fails to save this cinematic adaptation from becoming a mere shadow of its source material.
And let's not even start with the fact that, despite its British star, the film switches up the book's London's setting for New York; without any apparent good reason to do so.
Hawkins herself has agreed with critics that Blunt's casting sees her as "too beautiful" to realistically play the self-destructive Rachel, whose character is an overweight alcoholic.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments