I watched this movie quite a while ago, and I re-watched it recently. I still find it fascinating and thrilling while watching. This movie is a highlight of the horror genre. Even the fact that it has four different endings makes the movie even more special.
Undoubtedly, John Cusack's acting contributed a lot to the success of the film. But if anyone asks me if I regret anything about this movie, my answer is yes. The relationship of writer Mike Eslin and his father is talked about in room 1408 not so much, other than the two talking in the bathroom - but actually Mike's hallucination. Remember that this relationship has an influence on the old book "The long road home" mentioned at the beginning of the film.
The most important thing that I find the director of the film to do poorly, is the turning point, the twist of the film, when Mike really intends to burn down that room. I mean, does he really have that ability? Come on, he's been spinning around like a pinwheel in the room, he's been hypnotized and hallucinating, he's become unconscious and enslaved by the room. How strange that after all this, the room was so easy for him to wake up and burn it down? How can we be sure it's not another illusion, like when he was holding a knife instead of a bottle of wine and a lighter, but he didn't know and thought it was really the lighter. Who knows? This part is done too hastily and the viewer simply accepts the fact that the writer burned the room, that's all.
And I've seen different endings of the movie, I quite liked the ending where Mike died and manager Olin took Mike's stuff to his funeral and gave it to his wife. Although the ending is quite sad, it is reasonable. The ending Mike and his wife heard the recording with their daughter's voice were also good, but like I said, that's when Mike really burned that room down as simple as that. As for the ending when Mike's boss reads 1408's manuscript with a worried look on his face, this ending is quite confusing because all the good things have happened in that room already, if you take it out, it won't be interesting anymore, except that's someone's illusion lol.
Undoubtedly, John Cusack's acting contributed a lot to the success of the film. But if anyone asks me if I regret anything about this movie, my answer is yes. The relationship of writer Mike Eslin and his father is talked about in room 1408 not so much, other than the two talking in the bathroom - but actually Mike's hallucination. Remember that this relationship has an influence on the old book "The long road home" mentioned at the beginning of the film.
The most important thing that I find the director of the film to do poorly, is the turning point, the twist of the film, when Mike really intends to burn down that room. I mean, does he really have that ability? Come on, he's been spinning around like a pinwheel in the room, he's been hypnotized and hallucinating, he's become unconscious and enslaved by the room. How strange that after all this, the room was so easy for him to wake up and burn it down? How can we be sure it's not another illusion, like when he was holding a knife instead of a bottle of wine and a lighter, but he didn't know and thought it was really the lighter. Who knows? This part is done too hastily and the viewer simply accepts the fact that the writer burned the room, that's all.
And I've seen different endings of the movie, I quite liked the ending where Mike died and manager Olin took Mike's stuff to his funeral and gave it to his wife. Although the ending is quite sad, it is reasonable. The ending Mike and his wife heard the recording with their daughter's voice were also good, but like I said, that's when Mike really burned that room down as simple as that. As for the ending when Mike's boss reads 1408's manuscript with a worried look on his face, this ending is quite confusing because all the good things have happened in that room already, if you take it out, it won't be interesting anymore, except that's someone's illusion lol.