This was obviously the director's first film and it shows in the way the film lurches from scene to scene. The scene goes by so quickly that what happened might not register with some viewers, and Bradbury's point (that it is not good to try and be young a second time) will be lost on anyone who has not read the book. Take for example the scene where the boys (here re-named Ben Hopewell and Jim Stone) encounter their teacher now a young girl. In addition to the setting, the film suffers from a lack of coverage. Everyone smokes, the buildings are ugly, and disco music plays at the carnival. Thus, this variation is set in the Great Britain of the early 1970's. After the admittedly evocative opening that utilizes Bradbury's text in a voice over, the film settles down in the time and era in which it was made. However, the atmosphere seems far removed from Bradbury. Made ten years before Clayton's film, this adaptation of the novel is perhaps slightly more faithful to the book's plot. First off, to get any enjoyment from this version, one must forget the excellent 1983 adaptation by director Jack Clayton. This adaptation of Something Wicked This Way Comes looks to have been filmed on a very low budget with semi-professionals both in front of and behind the camera.
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