At least eight of Stephen King’s works have been optioned for film and television productions by 2002. In fact, since Brian De Palma directed “”Carrie”” back in 1976, Hollywood has plundered King’s words, ideas and characters for approximately sixty-four different projects, sometimes with great success (“”The Shawshank Redemption,”” “”Stand By Me””, “”The Shining””), but oftentimes not (“”Cujo,”” “”Maximum Overdrive””).
“”Hearts in Atlantis,”” the scribe’s latest story to receive the big screen treatment, actually bears a strong resemblance to “”Stand By Me,”” another film adaptation of a King short story. Directed by proficient directors (Scott Hicks and Rob Reiner, respectively), both tackle the loss of innocence through distictive rights of passage. But whereas “”Stand By Me”” lucked upon four gifted actors who happened to by children – Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell, Corey Feldman and the late River hoenix – “”Atlantis”” relies on real children who are not yet actors, and the weighty material slips in their tiny hands. Screenwriter William Goldwin adapts “”Atlantis”” from the King novel of the same name, though he works primarily from the book’s first story, “”Low Men in Yellow Coats.”” The low men in question are shadow-dwelling scoundrels who pilot gaudy automobiles and are currently pursuing Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins), an old man who incidentally just moved into the apartment above young Bobby Garfield (Anton Yelchin) and his overprotective widowed mother, Elizabeth (Hope Davis). Ted’s bizarre mannerisms and too-polite demeanor immediately rouse Elizabeth’s suspicions, but Bobby likes him well enough, and soon the old man recruites him for a series of tasks. Most importantly, he wants Bobby to keep an eye open for Ted’s low men. Bobby eagerly agrees, but even he is starting to doubt Ted, who’s prone to repeatedmental lapses. In fact, Ted’s prone to much more than that. He possesses the power to “”see things”” others can’t see, and he can pass that ability on to another through human contact. Once, he inadvertently passes it on to Bobby, who uses to it clean up during a rigged game of “”Find The Queen.”” It’s this power that has the low men salivating, and has Ted on the lamb. Bobby desperately wants to help his new friend, but it is the summertime, and he’s easily distracted, shaging flies with his best friend Sully (Will Rothhaar) or locking lips with his pretty little girlfriend, Carol (Mika Boorem). When signs of the low men begin to appear, Bobby ignores them, half convinced Ted is mistaken but also confident his friend will leave if he knows danger is near. Ted eventually realizes that the low men have arrived, but by then it’s practically too late for him to do anything about it.The material is strong, but this production feels rushed, perhaps in an effort to include all the elements of King’s enchanting tale. A sleepy-eyed Hopkins trips and murmurs his way through, occassionally coming off as a pedophile who leers at Bobby and his friends with his mouth ajar. Instead of a peer, as he was in the book, Hopkins’ Ted is a wise old sage who has plenty of anecdotes, but no legitimate reason to hang out with children. And the kids themselves, who obviously know they’re very cute, recite thematerial with forced enthusiasm. Yelchin is particulary guilty of piling it on, and as a result, almost none of Bobby’s lines ring true. As he did with David Guterson’s “”Snow Falling on Cedars,”” Hicks filters a best-selling author’s beautful prose through his camera’s lens with lifeless results. He does a very good job maintaing the mystery surrounding the low men, though the screenplay goes too far, suggesting a motivation never addressed in the novel (and rightfully so).Hicks’ strongest contribution still lies in his ability to capture locations through his lens. “”Atlantis'”” dreary Connecticut suburbs are appropriately sullen and gray and they frame the story as well as the wintry landscapes did in “”Cedars.”” Hicks joins the ranks of directors unsuccessful in carrying King’s mystic prose to the screen, but he’s in the good company of Bryan Singer (“”Apt Pupil””), Taylor Hackford (“”Dolores Claiborne””), David Cronenberg (“”The Dead Zone””) and John Carpenter (“”Christine””), all of whom have gone on to better things.Grade: CBy Sean O’ConnellSept. 28, 2001