The Road: Book vs. Movie Comparison

This movie is DARK!!!

Like, literally dark. Hard to see.

00:00 - Introduction
02:55 - The Good
09:18 - The Bad
16:45 - Take It or Leave It
18:37 - Conclusion

Thanks for watching!

[krazykittymatt]

The book was seriously brutal. The scene where when they're leaving the cannibal place they see new Borns on spit roasts. Or how boys are kept as sexual objects. It was messed up and of course they kept them out of the movie

[benprout]

I appreciate your commentary here, it's very objective. I agree with what you say about the soundtrack, I don't think I've read a book at all more "music-less" than The Road. I think even a little bit which would probably accentuate parts of other bleak films would be misplaced here. When I read the book it felt like everything was smothered under a thick, grimy blanket, the sky, the air and the sound especially. McCarthy's lack of speech marks made me immediately feel like the man and the boy whispered every word to each other, even when they explicitly weren't. I don't know, I think it's a very difficult book to put to film. Definitely subscribing to you :)

[jessicacarver]

I don't think Charlize Theron's "mean line" about the bullets was mean to villainize her. It was a realistic portrayal of a woman who is completely at the end of her rope mentally who is lashing out.

[everettst.claire]

My main gripe with the movie is the relationship between the man and the boy. In the movie the man almost seems annoyed with the boy. Someone he saddled with. In the book it's clear how much the man loves him and would do anything to protect him. He's patient with him almost to a fault. The boy in the book acts much younger and is constantly whining about how scared he is. Being on the road for that long, I don't think that the boy would still be constantly voicing it. I agree, the sickness is downplayed.

[shadowx]

The waterfall scene was in the book. The music was good and Nick Cave is a well known musician/singer (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds).

[iikozal]

Seriously seriously thank you for this. I chose this book as the main topic in my English A Levels and this was so so helpful! Literally everything you‘ve said is what I thought too while comparing the movie and the book. Thank you for this! That was great for revising the plot a little bit! :)

[CHEECH]

Thanks for this. Love your point about not having to be absolutely behind the movie vs. book or vice versa.

[jasonthewatchmansson]

I liked both the book and the film, but both had the following, which I didn't like:
1. Man and boy, exhausted and starving, abandon their warm, well-supplied bunker because they heard a noise
2. Boy seems unfamiliar with canned food, even though nearly all the food he would be eating would come from cans
3. Boy constantly calls his father "Papa" as if it's the 18th century and not the 20th (book) or 21st (film)
4. Ridiculous happy ending. Pure-hearted family swoops in at the perfect moment to love and care for Boy. No problems taking on another mouth to feed. And they even have a dog, who also somehow gets fed.

[walkingcorpse]

I'm planning on reading the book, but I heard that the book hints that in the ending the boy walks off with potential cannibals vs. the movie which basically makes it clear that the people taking the boy in are good people. Is this true?

[gracebrb]

10:05 "you don't need to make all this melancholy music" i laughed LMAO

[kat]

I can’t help but see the book as “the original” so I love it when a film artfully captures that. I understand that all content can’t be represented for a multitude of reasons and condensation must occur. No County for Old Men is a good example of film honoring the book very well. It’s what I love to see. I will say that I have enjoyed many films made from books and put aside the creative differences. Most often I will read a book before watching the film as the “original” is always my standard.

[Ellionart]

Honestly the music is interesting in a way that it is not exactly the kind of music you expect on a movie like this. I can see how it can feel jarring for somebody but i can also see how it adds certain originality to it.

[BasePuma]

The movie was a faithful adaptation of the book in my opinion, down to little details such as the motorcycle rear view mirror on the shopping cart, the disheveled (homeless man) look of everyone, the gray lifeless waste, and you are wrong, the waterfall scene happens in the book.

[sangkang]

Just remember, human meat taste like pork and the best is babies(Snowpiercer).

[leofiguero]

Aloe Vera needs lots of sunlight, cheers from Arizona

[julianneedsblood]

The ending was open ended though right?

[ryanfreeborn]

The kid saying "Papa!!" repetitively at

[LoganGlidden]

I read the book a few weeks ago and my good lord. I have never, in all my 15 years of life have ever read something that depressing. There was literally no silver lining and to me it showed how sometimes life is just….. Life

[SpiderStratagemVI]

I have not read the book or have seen the movie, however, this sounds like i need to. Ive watched a couple clips, Viggo is always great, the landscape looks incredibly well. I guess one could say when civilization is lost, man's need to be civil is lost as well. To be living in a bleak existence and constantly in a state of survival mode would be incredibly difficult to maintain any hope.

[ericison]

I thought the Dad died due to infection from being shot in the leg with an arrow