Monday 3 June 2013

Movie review - Safe Haven (2013)

Safe Haven (2013) / romance, drama, thriller

Directed by Lasse Hallström
Screenplay by Gage Lansky and Dana Stevens
Based on Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
Starring: Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders, David Lyons, Mimi Kirkland, Noah Lomax, Irene Ziegler
Trailer: click.

Katie (Julianne Hough) is on the run. She managed to escape from her house after stabbing her husband in self defense but the police are after her. While police officer Tierney (David Lyons) tries hard to find her, she buys a bus ticket and ends up in a beautiful safe place Southport, where she begins to work and live. There she meets the manager of a local store, handsome widower Alex Wheatley (Josh Duhamel) with his two kids, Lexie (Mimi Kirkland) and Josh (Noah Lomax) and they start to hang out. Plus, her neighbor Jo (Cobie Smulders) seems really nice. Everything is going well but Katie's unfinished business from the past, comes back to haunt her.

Another movie adaptation of Nicholas Sparks's novels. We've already seen films: Message in a Bottle (1999), A Walk to Remember (2002), The Notebook (2004), Nights in Rodanthe (2008), Dear John (2008), The Last Song (2010) and The Lucky One (2012).

Most of those who read the book are saying this is a bad adaptation because too main things are different. I wouldn't know but books are always better and yet without reading it, I think some things in the film could be improved. I didn't appreciate cliches and storyline predictability, even though the end is quite surprising and pretty good. Actors did a solid job but the screenplay could be much more developed and precise. Romance with a touch of mystery and thriller has potential, it's easy on the eyes but without the 'wow' factor. I would definitely say that the film is better than last year's The Lucky One but far worse than The Notebook or Dear John. 3/5


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