It’s not surprising to me that a movie like HBO’s Fahrenhei 451 would get made given our now universal reliance on technology and the kind of world it seems we are living in. Directed by Ramin Bahrani, the TV adaptation of Ray Bradburry’s classic novel doesn’t really shock the core like it should, mostly because it’s a movie that wants the essence of a narrative without really digging into the themes.
In a world that includes Black Mirror, any kind of “fear technology” style project is going to have to work hard to differentiate itself. Fahrenheit 451, despite the pedigree, never seems to luxuriate in its premise or force us to acknowledge the similarities to our own world. Instead, the journey of Montag (Michael B. Jordan) is kind of just…there. The movie hits the major beats of the story: a young man named Montag is a fire man, one of the men responsible for finding and burning books. One day he and his captain (Michael Shannon) get a tip from a young woman (Sofia Boutella) about a woman hoarding books. In their raid Montag grabs a book and hides it, and then watches the woman jump into the fire. This event shakes him up and Montag decides that before he becomes captain he wants to read and be able to decide how to move forward. This decision brings him into contact with a larger mystery and a rebellion brewing.
Fahrenheit 451 as mentioned above, hit the major beats, then why did it feel so inconsequential? I think it’s because the movie is too lean. This statement isn’t to advocate for a longer running time, but Bahrani’s take on this doesn’t leave any room for exploration or a deeper dive. Life outside of the main narratives of Montag and Captain are basically non-existent. How do the people of this version of the world operate? How do they live? There’s nothing there to really support this crazy world. Everything that’s not plot related has been stripped away and unfortunately, Montag’s journey is hampered both by the speed with which it is happening and an average performance by Michael B. Jordan. Though he succeeds in some of the movie’s contemplative moments, he’s hampered by the movie’s desire for flashbacks and that his best acting asset (ability to be vulnerable) isn’t used as nearly as often as it could be. And despite a very game Michael Shannon, you just cannot get into the plight of Montag and as such Fahrenheit 451 ends up not working as a film.