I watched Bag of Bones straight through today and after sifting through all of the negativity, here and elsewhere, my thoughts are that while execution of the plot elements were pretty clunky at times, Pierce Brosnan was absolutely brilliant and engaging. The child who played Kyra was precocious and sweet without being annoying, and Anika Noni Rose (a Broadway actress) as Sara Tidwell is very effective. I'm irritated that reviews I've read have dismissed the novel as well, as being "blah". I haven't read it since its original publishing but my memories of it are quite good. It is one of my favorite of King's novels. The quasi father/daughter relationship between Noonan and Kyra is as touching as, maybe even a precursor of, the father in Duma Key. When you care about the people in the story, the supernatural elements are that much more shocking.
I also think people get too hung up on wanting a film adaptation to adhere to everything in the novel they love (and I have been guilty of this myself). However, I saw what was good about it. Enjoyment was definitely had.
That said, as far as films about ghosts wanting revenge goes, I wish it had been as perverse as a favorite of mine, Ghost Story (which is somewhat similar. The novel on which it was based was written by King's colleague on The Talisman, Peter Straub).
I also think people get too hung up on wanting a film adaptation to adhere to everything in the novel they love (and I have been guilty of this myself). However, I saw what was good about it. Enjoyment was definitely had.
That said, as far as films about ghosts wanting revenge goes, I wish it had been as perverse as a favorite of mine, Ghost Story (which is somewhat similar. The novel on which it was based was written by King's colleague on The Talisman, Peter Straub).