Rating: 
Summary: Great flick!!
Review: If you enjoyed Stephen King's "Stand by Me" you will enjoy this Stephen King story. It is filled with nostalgia for those who grew up in the fifties, but it transcends any period. It is about a boy's "last summer of childhood". To quote Anthony Hopkins' charachter, "When you are young you have such moments of great happiness that you think the world is magical much as Atlantis must have been. Then you grow up and your heart gets broken." It is told from the perspective of a man about fifty looking back into the past at two very special relationships that he had in his childhood. It is masterfully directed. The cinematography is truely a work of art. I love this flick.
Rating: 
Summary: Read the Book
Review: "Low Men in Yellow Coats," a novella in the collection _Hearts in Atlantis_ is the essential basis for this film. I am not going to summarize this story--you can find a summary in one of the numerous reviews--but I will explain why reading the book is important to understanding the movie. Questions left unanswered? Well, the story is much too big not to. You see, Ted Brautigan is not just a psychic guy who is running from the FBI because maybe he can know things he shouldn't. No, that was a story made up for the movie because explaining Brautigan's character accurately would have taken 10 or so hours to do, so the film adaptation altered the story to fit standard movie length, albeit inadequately (hence only 4 stars instead of 5).In the novella, Brautigan is a "breaker"--a psychic enslaved by the Crimson King, with the sole purpose of demolishing the Dark Tower. Brautigan escapes, finds refuge in the apartment where Bobby meets him, and is hunted by "the low men in yellow coats" who plan to capture him, returning him to his enslavement. For further reference read the Dark Tower series and other Stephen King novels relating to it. 'salems Lot, the stand, skeleton crew, It, The Eyes of the Dargon, Rose Madder, Insomnia, Desperation, The regulators, The talisman, Balck house, From a Buick 8, and Everything's Eventual.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than the book, but barely related to it
Review: I viewed this DVD because I was profoundly curious about the title after having read the book. I found the book to be terrible; I found it to be one of King's worst efforts, and made me think that he should hang up his typewriter. Certainly, I don't expect a movie to play-out exactly as the book it is based upon. The Hearts in Atlantis movie bears very little resemblence to the book of the same title, and I find that to be a tremendous relief! The book tried, and failed, to give a story that was too profound, told with too little continuity, and never completely resolved. The movie relaxed its goals, but still ends up telling only a sketch of a story. The viewer is left to induce their own meaning into the few details given to them, and I just don't find that satisfying. So vague is this movie that I'm surprised an incredible cult hasn't sprung up around it. After all, its "true meaining" is subject to wide interpretation, but is certainly "obvious" to a few. Those few would be the leaders of the cult, and those who believe their interpretations would help convince and recruit more members, and so on. Much of the books content is missing from the movie, and that's an improvement as it helps the film focus on one set of characters in one time and place. But it does nothing to make the characters more interesting, the conflict more interesting, or the resolution more satisfying. Hopkins holds up a gang of B-list and fledgeling actors with a decent performance. But the rickety plot and ill-defined story are this movie's true failing. I appreciated the camera work in this film, as many of the scenes were carefully lit, beautifully composed, and exceptionally set. Sad that such great art was lost on a bomb of a plot.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed but still good
Review: "Hearts in Atlantis" is based on a Stephen King novel, but don't expect "The Shining" here. Despite its supernatural shadows, this film is, at its core, about the friendship between a man and a young boy. A stranger, Ted Brautigan (played by Anthony Hopkins) arrives in a small town and takes a room in a boarding house where an emotionally-broken woman (Hope Davis) and her son Bobby (Anton Yelchin) live. Bobby, who is hungry for a father figure, finds companionship in Ted's quiet, wise manner as they read, and discuss, the daily newspaper. But Ted is a wanted man. He is being sought by the "low men," mysterious mind-readers who want Ted for their government project and who thus endanger the blossoming relationship between man and boy. "Hearts in Atlantis" is beautifully filmed and edited, with shadows and visual flashes and an eeriness that creates an atmosphere lurking with uncertainty and danger. The scenes between Hopkins and Yelchin are taut and subtle. Actress Hope Davis as Bobby's selfish mother is less convincing. Despite this unevenness, I thoroughly enjoyed this mesmerizing movie. This is Hopkins's showcase, through and through, and he does not disappoint. The story is suspenseful, the underlying currents strong, and the acting competent at its worst. Only near the end does it get sentimental. Those who have read and loved King's novel might best steer clear, since I've been told by several people that this film disappoints in comparison. Still, I recommend "Hearts in Atlantis" for anyone in the mood for an dark and wise tale about a young boy growing up.
Rating:
Summary: In Response to Cragun
Review: Ryan wrote: The story doesn't make much sense in a logical fashion and a lot of things are kind of left unresolved. We never really find out what was going on with Ted Brautigan nor do we find out what happened to him. Bobby didn't keep in touch with Carol and is stunned to find out she has died. Liz Garfield is raped by her boss and nothing is really said of it. I guess this is supposed to represent real life in a sense, but I'm not quite sure it works to tell a coherent story. Overall, though I was entertained, I was also baffled. When the movie ended I asked my wife, "What was that?" We didn't really have much of an answer for it. Though there were some very endearing moments in the movie, it also left you kind of wondering what we were supposed to get from it. For the good acting, especially by the young Bobby and Carol, I'm giving it 3/5, but the story just doesn't make all that much sense. My Comments: That was the point! We are not supposed to find out what happened. The story is told from the views of a child. We know that Ted was taken away. We know that his mother left and they moved to Boston. It is the story of a boy that holds a special place in his heart for his first love and the people and times that surround those events. I respect your viewpoint, but perhaps you should give the film another try and look to its innocence. Do you remember when Ted said, "When they grow older their hearts will break in two"?
Rating:
Summary: Not for the faint of heart...
Review: The movie, an adaptation of a tie-in story to King's 'Dark Tower' series, succeeds beyond the story in several ways, taking full advantage of the medium. Understatement is the watchword of the director. We see images or silhouettes of characters which will reappear to important roles thirty minutes into the film, underlining their eventual menace and/or poignancy. Bobby's relationship to his mother, one of the best drawn relationships of any of King's stories, is defined by her constant complaining about bills Bobby's father supposedly left unpaid six years ago and yet her ability to buy new dresses for herself, to struggle to find babysitters for an increasingly isolated and neglected Bobby and complain about 'her rotten luck'. Modern psychologists would say something about projection and neurotic narcissism, but she's selfish and almost totally myopic in her views on the world. And the movie even makes you feel for her. It seeks to engage the lonely places between the emotions and mind. Anthony Hopkins does very well at carrying his sotto voce role, in his clipped British baritone, describing various wistful thoughts of his which turn out to have enormous impact on our characters. He is also frighteningly wise. I hold no truck with those who complain about book-to-movie adaptations, as expecting a story in one medium to translate to another flawlessly is plain silly. The filmmakers do a great deal to create a wonderful story about childhood's lost and the dark shadows low men 'cast around the world.'
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother if you are a fan of Stephen King
Review: This movie version of the Stephen King book falls way short. If you have never read the book, or are not a fan of Stephen King, you will probably enjoy this movie. The problem is, the movie only covers the first HALF of the book. The book is written as five separate stories that all connect in the end. Ironically, the section of the book titled "Hearts in Atlants" is NOT even featured in the movie. READ THE BOOK!!! Other then that, Anthony Hopkins does give a great performance. Blame the screenwriter for butchering the original story, even the ending of the part of the book it does feature is totally changed from the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Yet Another King Adaptation that Misfires.
Review: Having listened to the Audiobooks version of King's Hearts In Atlantis just one week before, I was very excited to see how his moving coming of age story would translate to the big screen. What a bitter disappointment. In the book, the character of Ted Brautigan is a complex and mysterious figure clearly hiding many skeletons in his closet. His young friend Bobby hangs on Ted's every word, but is also eager to uncover the mystery of Ted. Bobby is a bright 11 year old with a passion for reading and is clearly smarter than his years would have you believe. So why did the movie turn him into a mealy- mouthed half-wit who barely ever advances past disinterested whining? And why did Ted have to be transformed from a potential other-worldly visitor into a government escapee? In the book, he seems to be pursued by shadowy, supernatural thugs who communicate in odd code and have the ability to manipulate thought and reason. In the movie, they're g-men. Boring. Boring!!!! At the end of the movie, there was a dedication to an individual who had passed away. I remarked to my wife that the producers could have set a pile of dog turds on fire and dedicated them instead - the sentiment would have been the same. I actually felt bad for the person that the movie was dedicated to, he deserved better. This was yet another 90-120 minutes of my life stolen. Trite, unconvincing, poorly acted (except for Hopkins), and yawn inducing, Hearts In Atlantis was one of the worst movies I've ever struggled through. The only mystery left is why someone like Richard Roeper would rate this so highly. He must have had one of his interns write the reviews that day. Get the book, or listen to it on tape or CD, but avoid this mess. It doesn't deserve your attention.
Rating: 
Summary: Good acting, but the story just couldn't hold my attention
Review: This 2001 film was adapted from a story by Stephen King. Therefore I expected a lot of suspense. I sure didn't expect to be bored, which I was, even though the acting was so good. The film is set in a small town the late 1950s and Anthony Hopkins stars as a the stranger who moves in upstairs in the home of a single mother and her 11 year old son, played by Anton Yelchin. The boy bonds with the older man, who seems to have some strange psychic power, and gets drawn into a mystery. The boy's mother, played by Hope Davis is dumb and selfish and the boy really needs this father figure. There's also a pretty little girlfriend of the boy, played by Mika Boorem. All are well cast and do good jobs. Problem is that the story just couldn't hold my attention. It's much too slow and obtuse. And I felt almost no tension or curiosity as to how it would play out. There was a nostalgic musical score including such tunes as "Sha Boom", "Ain't That a Shame," and "The Twist." This music brought back memories for me but I found myself annoyed because the music spanned at least a five-year period and I wanted to be able to place the exact year. But then I just didn't like the film and was looking for things to dislike about it. Even the features on the DVD, including an interview with Anthony Hopkins, didn't help.
Rating:
Summary: A slice of the novel
Review: This novel is so complex and detailed that this movie can only be classed as a slice of the original. Nonetheless, Anthony Hopkins' acting ability is so flawless that it was a pleasure to watch, just to see him in action once again. You won't be disappointed
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