Review: ‘Rebecca’

“Rebecca” is a poor film adaption of a phenomenal novel. The 2020 film is based on the 1938 mystery thriller novel “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier; the only other movie adaptation to the novel was directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940. Hitchcock’s movie closely followed the narrative of the book. The 2020 film stars actress Lily James and actor Armie Hammer. 

I had high expectations for this 2020 adaptation. I hoped it would prove that the 21st century would not disagree with the novel’s integrity. 

This mystery thriller, directed by Ben Wheatly, revolves around the peculiar death of the wife of Maxim De Winter. The story follows a young woman, who remains unnamed throughout the entire movie, on her tumultuous journey with her new husband Maxim.

When watching this movie, I had a difficult time removing my mind from the book and thinking of it as a separate work. The depth of the characters and storyline were lost in the film, making it a bad adaptation of a good novel.

The inconsistencies with the book stood out to me the most throughout this film. Although in the 21st century, some adaptations are necessary due to the audience’s cadence, this movie took it to another level in its poor portrayal of the original characters and storyline. 

Parts of the film were clearly not founded in the novel. Instead, they were enlisted by the director to fill a 21st century adaptation.

I was disappointed when the relationship between the two main characters was drastically changed from the novel’s narrative. By portraying one character as loving and caring throughout the entire movie, it became extremely evident that this is an American adaptation of a European novel. This slight change set off a domino effect which ended the movie in a nearly ridiculous fashion. 

Although the movie was not a full success in my mind, the plot was agreeable and Collins and Hammer portrayed the storyline decently.

Rotten Tomatoes rates ‘Rebecca’ as a 45%, and IMDb rates it as a 6.0/10. Both trusted sites claim the movie never quite gets to the heart of the situation as the novel does. I agree with the ratings thus far, noting that the biggest discrepancies were found throughout the adaption from novel to film.

“Rebecca” is currently rated PG-13, and only streaming on Netflix.