Review of The Midnight Meat Train (2008) by Lee H — 29 Oct 2011

*May contain some spoilers*.

I understand that adapting a short story into a feature film while maintaining all of the aspects of the story telling in its rightful context is a daunting task, but I was very, very disappointed with this movie. The Midnight Meat Train, the original short story by Clive Barker, was a wonderful and mysterious tale. This movie took an entirely different spin and it was for the worst. There was so many details left out of this. Where were the political undertones? Why wasn't there any mention of the Founding Fathers (in the book, the head creature had a heartfelt moment with Kaufman [who would be Leon in the movie, I guess] and explains the situation so much better than the conductor) and the Palace of Delights? So many things that would have made this film so much better were left out.

The cast was good, but not the right cast for the job. Bradley Cooper plays a phenomenal "scared person," but I can't take him seriously when he needs to be tough an strong in this film. Mahogany was a real let down, seeing as in the book he wasn't a founding father, a creature, nor a cannibal, like it is implied in the film (super strength, red eyes). The characters were very irrational (Maya shoot at Mahogany, misses, but instead of shooting the five remaining bullets at him, decides to run away in a subway car....come on). Some of the earlier killing scenes had some dumb CG gore and effects (the model's neck twisting, the guy's eye popping out of his head) and some equipment blunders (Mahogany cleanly slices a person's neck off with a dull meat tenderizer? I think not.) Everything was just mushed together without much explanation and I found it appalling. I'm surprised Clive Barker let someone "butcher" his story like this.

And before you give this a -1 or express outrage, read the book, then watch the movie again. I'm 99.9% sure your opinion will change.