Hearts in Atlantis is one of those Stephen King adaptations that does not follow the path of obvious horror, but something much more melancholic: lost childhood, adults who fail to protect, the arrival of a mysterious person who changes your life, and the feeling that the world is far darker than a child can understand. You can feel King behind it, but this is the more intimate, sadder King, more interested in memory than in scares. I liked the film quite a lot. It has something very classic about it, like a story told from memory, with an adult man returning to the past and recalling a decisive summer. That device can become sentimental, of course, and the film sometimes gets close to that, but there is also a sincerity that works. It does not try so much to frighten as to leave a feeling of loss, discovery and hidden threat beneath a calm surface. Anthony Hopkins is magnificent as Ted Brautigan. He has that mixture of kindness, mystery, intelligence and fatigue that makes the character fascinating without needing to explain everything. Ted is not simply a kind old man or a disguised magical figure. He is someone who seems to have been running for too long, someone who knows things he should not know and who nevertheless finds in Bobby a clean, almost paternal form of affection. And Anton Yelchin is especially good. It is very sad to watch him now, knowing he died so young, because even here he already had enormous sensitivity. His Bobby is curious, vulnerable, alert and full of emotional hunger. He never overacts. He looks, listens and absorbs. He makes the relationship with Ted believable and gives the film its heart. The rest of the cast is very good too: Hope Davis as a selfish and frustrated mother, David Morse as the adult Bobby, Mika Boorem as an essential part of that childhood memory. What is interesting is that Hearts in Atlantis can also be read as a criticism of an era of suspicion, surveillance and persecution. The “low men” who are looking for Ted have a fantasy threat around them, but they also evoke a very recognizable climate: fear of difference, control, the hunting of those who step outside the norm, the shadow of political persecution and of an America that turned suspicion into a system. The film does not turn this into a direct speech, but it is there, floating underneath. Perhaps its main weakness is that it lacks a little more intensity. At times, it is too soft, too restrained, and it can feel as if it does not fully use the strangeness of the original material. It has mystery, emotion and good atmosphere, but it does not always reach the force it promises. In that sense, it is not on the level of the great King adaptations about childhood, such as Stand by Me, although it shares with it that tone of painful memory. Still, it is a beautiful film, well acted and with feeling. It speaks about how certain childhood encounters stay with us for life, how some adults save us a little even if they cannot save themselves, and how fear can enter a house without making noise. Hearts in Atlantis is not perfect, but it has soul. And in a Stephen King adaptation, that already means a lot.

Good movie to watch for old time sakes, unfortunately not magical enough to be great. Performances are great, but the story is missing something.

A middle-aged man reminisces about his childhood in the 1960s. Key elements include his complicated relationship with his mother, a close relationship with his small circle of friends, ridiculously evil bullies, and a slight supernatural twist. From this description, it should quickly become clear to everyone that "Hearts in Atlantis" is based on a coming-of-age story by Stephen King. However, this movie doesn't even come close to adaptations like “Stand by Me." Although it is executed fairly well overall, with Anton Yelchin and Anthony Hopkins in particular giving solid performances, it lacks any sort of magic. Ultimately, there are many dull stretches that spoil the overall impression, and a number of the characters are also quite shallow. "Hearts in Atlantis" will therefore undoubtedly not stay with me for long because it is simply too unremarkable.

I finally got around to watching this film, and find it to be a good coming of age story. As much as I love Stephen King's written work, this version is preferable to the novel, which was incredibly hard to read because of its slow pace and cultural references that a non American (such as myself) would have difficulty understanding. . However, the slow pace translates well on screen, considering the trip through childhood nostalgia/"Atlantis". The actors elevated what would otherwise be mundane, daily life experiences to something visually appealing. Directorial choices of action, camera focus, lighting and editing are also on point. As dated as it is now, it still garners a 7/10 for what it is - a good coming of ages story.

i enjoyed watching this.. they don't make movies like this anymore