By the pricking of my thumbs...

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Cruising through Netflix, this movie caught my eye instantly. A movie based on a Ray Bradbury book? It had to be worth a watch (with me being a fan). I haven't yet read this story, but I think I need to sometime in the future. In typical Ray Bradbury fashion, the movie isn't easily summarized through the use of a single generalized moral message; it doesn't really fit a movie cliche - though by reading the synopsis, it's easy to be misled into thinking it would be.

What seems, on the surface, to simply be a cautionary tale of "be careful what you wish for," turns out to make some deeper statements on regret in life, and the nature of aging and death - a sort of expanded "carpe diem," if you will.

Though some of the special effects attempts detract from the story being told, and definitely date this movie, the emotional aspects of the film and the development of the characters seem to be timeless. The movie still leaves me feeling unsettled in one scene, when the sinister Mr.Dark offers youth to an elderly father (something he had desperately wanted) in exchange for the man's child, but his offer was rejected, because the man could not accept his wish coming true at the cost of his son's life. Mr. Dark began tearing pages out of a book, representing the years coming off of his offer as the man kept refusing him. It was a very powerful performance on both actor's parts - just as I imagine was the initial intention of the scene.

I recommend this movie, especially to Bradbury fans. It's a great watch as long as you don't mind expending a bit of extra brainpower figuring out how everything is connecting.