I am not into making judgemental comparisons between books and filming adaptations of the former ones, because I believe it would not be fair. Nonetheless, I can say it seems McCarten was asked to build a script that would fit in an hour and a half movie. I missed some depth in a few characters and relationships (both the live ones and the animated ones), but, yes, it might demand quiet a longer movie, I think.I cannot help view the movie through the book, but, once again, it would not be fair to value the film in light of the original McCarten's comic- script novel.Enjoy the movie =).

I really enjoy drama movies. I feel that when given the right one it can blow my mind. This one didn't do exactly that. It did make me emotional, most notably at the end when Donald tells Shelly to go to a particular spot by the seaside because he will always be there. It's actually pretty touching.So what is the plot? a fifteen year old boy is dying of cancer. He decides to adopt a lifestyle that he wants to do such as drawing graffiti on shop windows late at night and consistently drawing on a notebook. Of what you may ask? a superhero. His parents take him to a psychiatrist that tries to help him come to terms with him dying. While all this is going on he falls in love for the first time.The superhero symbolism is actually really well done in terms of symbolising what exactly Donald (the dying kid) is thinking. Also being a comic book reader I also liked how well the animators (there are animated sequences of a superhero fighting an evil nurse and a mad doctor) made it look like a superhero cartoon or some of the comic books I pick up in terms of style (and only in terms of style).The acting is actually really really good. Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Andy Serkis, Aisling Loftus, Michael McElhatton and Sharon Horgan to name a few. I am certainly going to look for more of their stuff.So if you like the premise and you can find it, get it and watch it. It isn't grim nor depressing nor lighthearted. It is sad, touching, charming and to a small extent funny. I would recommend it to people with an opinion like mine.

I love resilience. The relentless search for true love. The reason for us to be here and to have faith. Death of a Superhero is as grim as it is bad ass. Fantastic portrayal of an adolescent soul trapped in between the fear of an unfulfilled life and a sense of rightness. The film makes no compromises even in the face of death, instead turns everything into a comic book fantasy. The Superhero lives on. Risqué, Surreal,Emotional and funny at times. Death Of a Superhero tells a story that we avoid talking about and rarely deal with so boldly. Must watch for all of us whether you have lost a dear one or not. The plot gives enough time for the characters to evolve. The combined effect of performances, cinematography and music builds a world you would want to linger around for a while.

A year ago I wrote a review about Matching Jack, an Ausralian film about almost the same sort of story. I complained then that despite of the superb acting, the story itself followed every cliché in the book. Well this one is more or less writing the textbook of how to do it right. It doesn't avoid any of the unavoidable melodrama of such a story but it does it without ever letting it spill over. The acting is superb in this one too, but the story makes you feel like you're viewing real people and not a movie about real people, and in this case it works for the film. It's nice to see Andy Serkis for real this time - he does a wonderful job even when not hidden behind fancy CG. Also excelling are the two young leads Thomas Brodie Sangster and Aisling Loftus. There's something in this sort of story that brings out the best from actors. In such a movie if they didn't do it properly it would've turned the film downright unwatchable.