Rating: Summary: the book is written like the movie is filmed Review: Most times, when you read a book, and then see a movie, or vice versa, you come out of the situation saying "The book is much better than the movie." Maybe this is because the characters are better developed in the book, or there are moments in the book you really liked that were changed for the movie. But that is not the case here. Sure, there are a couple things changed, but on the whole, the book is written like the movie is filmed, and though it's nice to make our own pictures in our own heads, I think the movie does a better job of "describing" the events than the book. The writer's voice is interesting, and it is portrayed accurately in Norton's narration in the movie. Overall, not a waste of time, but if you're on death row, and someone says to you, "You can either have two days to read the book or 3 hours to watch the movie, and you will die afterward," do yourself a favor and choose the movie.
Rating: Summary: The movie, good, the book...no words give due credit Review: I saw Fight Club, the movie, first. I thought the movie was amazing! Then I happened to pick up the book, from Chuck Palahniuk. I read the book in one and a half days and have to say...the movie DOES NOT give ONE PAGE of the book due credit. Not to say the movie was bad, it was amazing but seemed to have a completely different feel. The movie looses all the books line-to-line profundity while focusing on something Palahniuk only hinted at and used and a metaphor or step, to present, realize & show a much more profound, deeply profound statement/feeling. And even though the book had much more violence with gore, it didn't seem as violent as the movie was. The book seemed full of beauty where the film seemed distorted and out of focus. Not to say the violence in either the book, or film was bad cause, it's not. At least to me. From the first chapter of Fight Club, I knew the book would be different & more full of truth, significance and beauty. The film also seemed more confusing/distorted cause it's not as full, not as complete and accurate as the book is. I think David Fincher is a genious but I also think he didn't fully realize what the book was about. I couldn't believe he cut out the scene in the book where the narrator meets Tyler on the beach! Not to say I'd do any better making a movie out of Fight Club. It just seemed the movie had a different feel, different emotions throughout it. Nonetheless it's a superb film. The movie leaves you scratching you're head til it hurts; the book leaves you scratching your head with some de ja vu feeling that what you just finished, what you just witnessed, has something that you can't quite put your finger on, but at the same time, can. Go with the book & Palahniuks deep deep character, spiritual descriptiveness & it'll be worth it. Anything I say couldn't give the book due credit.
Rating: Summary: Space Monkeys Review: "Fight Club" is an excellent debut novel from Chuck Palahniuk. Perfectly points out the monotony of everyday life and how people (e.g., the Narrator) can't find out who they truly are, how instead they hide behind masks and stay hidden until they die. The yuppies of Palahniuk's world create an underground boxing club from which an anarchist regime (comprised of young men known as the "space monkeys") forms. Very good writing style, makes you think about your own life without realizing it (also a breeze at around 208 pages--I topped it in one weekend). Watch the movie, buy the score. Fear Tyler Durden. And remember: "You exercise every day to perfect your body...then you die."
Rating: Summary: A book worth reading Review: If you liked the movie, you should definitely check out this work of art.
Rating: Summary: the movie was better Review: What impressed me most about the movie was the imagery. This book doesn't have much description of the visual setting, which makes it seem much less powerful. Also, it seems like Palahniuk is hinting too much in the beginning at the ending that shocked me so much in the movie. The writing style is quite good, but the time shifts make the progression of events from good to horrible much less clear, and therefore less powerful. Also, I didn't like the last chapter. It followed too smoothly.
Rating: Summary: Extremely relatable, i've felt different ever since Review: The short spitfire of a book includes new looks on themes like identity and good and evil, all in only 200 pages! I saw the movie first and it made me feel different afterwards. The best movie I've ever seen and it even made me see the book and i never read books!
Rating: Summary: The film is better.... Review: The first good book I`ve read where the film is better. Maybe cause I loved the film so much. Where the film is brilliant the book is confusing, where the film is charming the book is disgusting. I love the film but I like the book, and that is not nearly good enough...
Rating: Summary: Anarchism has never been hipper or funnier. Review: Killer book, filled with incredible moments of insight that spit in the face of corporate America and everything capitalism stands for. The book is pitch-black comedy, and there are a load of cold-blooded laughs that'll get you an extra laugh seeing the appalled look on the face of some gold-American Christian when you have them read it. I saw the movie first (which is better, you ask? I don't know. I don't think books and film should be compared to eachother), but I didn't have a very hard time getting the images of the actors out of my head. They look different in the book (and for and odd experience you can imagine yourself as the narrator, it's kind of neat, especially wondering what you'd be thinking at the twist). The ending is different too, so seeing the movie first doesn't ruin much. A lot of research seemed to have went into this book as there are recipes for bombs and various illegal tricks drawn out in the book (or maybe Palahniuk is a complete maniac). The book moves swift, and you can read it in one sitting if you're determined. A very entertaining read. I've read all three of Palahniuk's books, and this is easily the best one. After Invisible Monsters, it seems like Palahniuk is just retreading the same ideas and style of prose with new characters and story. He doesn't seem to be advancing, but I still wonder how he'll be looked upon in literary history after he's dead. Too soon to say, though I am sure of one thing: Fight Club will be a classic.
Rating: Summary: A book before its time Review: Fight Club is one of the most amazing novels that I have ever read. Palahniuk's dark and twisted vision of relief brought upon by underground fighting matches is brilliantly written and will surely be studied like Vonnegut or Faulkner in post high school English courses in five or six years. A great book by a great up-in-coming author - an experience everyone should have.
Rating: Summary: Yes, yes, I should've read it FIRST. Review: Freakin' movies. They come out, look REALLY amazing, then you go see it, then you LOVE it, then you learn it was a book first. Yes, I read the book, and it was amazing. But it would've had so much more effect had I been able to forget Norton's deranged face as I read. The thing is, when you've seen the movie first, the book seems to skip parts of the story, when in fact, it's the MOVIE that fills in blanks from the book. And those blanks are there for a reason - but movies just can't pull that off as well, and it's understandable. Example: in the MOVIE, Tyler Durden fights against the narrator in a parking lot. They get a kick out of it. They start to do it regularly, and they eventually get crowds. Later, a member of the crowd joins in. After a bit of this development, they move what is now called Fight Club into a bar basement, and have regular members. The popularity escalates. Soon, they have over fifty members. Now, in the BOOK, Tyler and the narrator fight for the first time in the parking lot. The chapter ends. You turn the page, and there are ALREADY fifty members to what is now called Fight Club. Of course, having seen the movie first, I filled in the blanks the same way the director did, only he was able to be creative about it, and I was only able to follow in his footsteps, KNOWING that between those two chapters, the movie script told me what happened. Summary: both BOOK & MOVIE are excellent, but cover the former before the latter. You'll appreciate BOTH a lot more. PS: I like the book's ending better than the movie's. (They aren't a LITTLE different; they ARE different.)
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