Rating: 
Summary: Excellent First Installment (hopefully!)
Review: Whenever a series of books is adapted to the big or small screen, the first installment always loses the most from the book--think "Harry Potter" or "LOTR." The book's plot details lose out over introducing characters to non-readers. This is what happened with "Skinwalkers." But Tony Hillerman is no Tolkein or Rowling. I've read a few of his books, and like most mystery authors, I found his style to be flat and his dialogue stilted. Mystery novels tend to be mostly filler, so they adapt well to a 60 or 90 minute format. The screenwriters did an excellent job of introducing the characters while keeping the essence of the plot intact. Wes Studi and Emma Tousey really stand out, delivering subtly emotional performances. Adam Beach, who's been deserving of a big break, comes through. The contrast between traditional and modern is shown through how the actors play off each other--a deeply human element so sorely missing in Hillerman's novels. The plot is one of about a dozen plots that mystery writers recycle in one way or another, but it's the stories of the characters that really made "Skinwalkers" so excellent. I'm looking forward to more!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent First Installment (hopefully!)
Review: Whenever a series of books is adapted to the big or small screen, the first installment always loses the most from the book--think "Harry Potter" or "LOTR." The book's plot details lose out over introducing characters to non-readers. This is what happened with "Skinwalkers." But Tony Hillerman is no Tolkein or Rowling. I've read a few of his books, and like most mystery authors, I found his style to be flat and his dialogue stilted. Mystery novels tend to be mostly filler, so they adapt well to a 60 or 90 minute format. The screenwriters did an excellent job of introducing the characters while keeping the essence of the plot intact. Wes Studi and Emma Tousey really stand out, delivering subtly emotional performances. Adam Beach, who's been deserving of a big break, comes through. The contrast between traditional and modern is shown through how the actors play off each other--a deeply human element so sorely missing in Hillerman's novels. The plot is one of about a dozen plots that mystery writers recycle in one way or another, but it's the stories of the characters that really made "Skinwalkers" so excellent. I'm looking forward to more!
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