The Kite Runner

Stories like the kite runner are hard to find. A gripping yet emotionally powerful saga about the torrid relationship between Amir and Hassan.Set in Afghanistan before,during and after the invasion of the Soviet invasion,authour Khaled Hosseini brillaintly narrates a story so personal and powerful that from page 1, line 1 itself you are pulled into that story as well.I've read many novels in 07,yet its this book that remains fully etched in my head today.

Ok I could go on and on about how great that novel is...but I'll skip to the day where the movie was released in Singapore,I immediately booked tickets for the midnight show (the only timeslot there was,it was just a preview session,you see).So I waited in bated breath as the cimmercials and trailers were showing.Yeah,i also got a little impatient as well.Couldn't it just start already? And eventually,the lights started to dim.It was finally here.One of my favourite stories to grace the big screen...The opening credits were beautifully done,the opening music,the animated sequences were all well done.Then we came to the live action.


Yep,I had LOADS of expectations for this movie..So in every moment of watching the movie I compared every scene with the book.I wanted the movie to justify the book so much.And while some scenes were well-done,i thought some could have been so much better.The main problem with the movie was that while the book was narrated by the perspective of Amir,the movie was not,it was just told as a story by itself.Thus,the book felt much more personal while the movie felt...how do i put this "unreal" at times.Some parts in the book were done brilliantly,yet while translated to the big screen,didn't fell as impactful.The ONLY scene which I felt that the movie had potrayed it better than the book was the scene in the second-half of the film where Amir was reading Hassan's letter.That I felt was done fantastic,yep,even beat the book.

So yeah I've complained alot.But I think credit deserved where its due.Kudos to the director Marc Forster for a beautiful potrayal of pre-war Afghanistan.The kite competion scenes were awsome as well.THe child actors,those who potrayed Amir,Hassan and Aseef (first-time actors I might add),have done a fine job,esp the Ahmad Khan who potrayed young Hassan.The music by Alberto Iglesias,job well-done to him for including the old Afghani classics yet mixed with modern instrumentals.

So by the time the movie ended,I was in a mix of emotions.I saw kite runner for the second time a few weeks later again.Then i purchsed the sountrack coz its so damn good.The poster is incredible is well (you might have noticed it on my profile). Now I know how harry potter fans feel when thier favourite tween hero is brought to screen and major chuncks are left out from the book.I guess its not so easy adapting a popular book for the big screen after all.


Anyways,most people who reviewed this movie (at IMDB.com) and critics,i noticed have NOT read the book.Yep,most gave it favourable reviews,but most would probably still ignore the book even after watching.Too bad they missed on the REAL thing.