Chatverock Takes itself way too seriously

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Forumrxes Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Nikita Wannenburgh The reason I enjoyed the book of Safe Haven so much was because it wasn't just a romance. It was a thriller. It avoided the usual clichés and tediousness of Sparks' novels (in my opinion, they are mostly boring and cheesy), and while it obviously did have some of that (it wouldn't be Sparks if it didn't) it was definitely a better book because of the added thriller aspect. Likewise, the movie was a better movie because it wasn't just your typical chick flick. For my particular tastes, it was thus a better film. It had so much more; it was exciting, it was emotional, it was painful, but it was beautiful. And I mean that in the most heart-breaking, heart-absorbing sense. It was beautiful. The cinematography was decent and the scenery idyllic. The sun sprinkled beach and boats, the homely restaurant, and the roaming forests could be picturesque one minute and frighteningly chilling the next. The atmosphere could change in a flash, and yet the entire setting of the story was swept with a very down-to-earth, storybook- like breath of fresh air. As an additional note, I thought there was also one scene that got very close to copying The Notebook: when Katie and Alex were on the lake in the boat and the flowers were floating around them......so Noah & Allie. The similarity became inevitably obvious when it even started to rain! and I half expected them to kiss....... Still, it was a lovely scene :) The script was lovely. The dialogue was beautiful, although nothing incredibly profound, and the action started immediately from the beginning. My heart was racing the entire time; it was brilliant and never boring. The film added and altered a lot of details from the book, but I thought most of the changes were natural and, actually, a big improvement on the book's version (with one exception: the film's climax was too short and I didn't like how they cut a lot of the action - although admittedly, it is understandable because it's a film not a book). The dazzles of humour made me smile frequently, and the certain additional scenes that weren't in the book were perfectly included to form shots of beauty and passion that were just amazing and natural and so wholesome. I particularly loved this additional scene where Alex and Kate were in his store at night and they started dancing. They start to kiss and hold each other, and honestly that scene has got to be one of my favourites in the film. It was so beautiful. The acting was decent all round. The exceptions were the kids - the girl, especially, was one of the most infuriating child actors I have ever seen. The boy wasn't much better. Cobie Smulders and David Lyons were good in their supporting roles (Smulders was Katie's friend, Jo). Lyons was chilling and violently frantic as Katie's abusive husband, and he dove headfirst into the panic and cruelty of his character with strong results. Julianne Hough I feel a bit...'hmm' about. She wasn't how I pictured Katie when I read the book, and somehow, although she was lovely most of the time, she didn't quite show the reactions and personality that I expected from Katie after reading the book. But having said that, she did win me over through her chemistry with Josh Duhamel...... WHOA. 'Dat chemistry tho'. Hough and Duhamel were on fire; it's the kind of chemistry that can bring tears to your eyes because it's so raw, so honest, so beautiful, and so intense. At least, it brought tears to my easy-to-make-cry eyes (what can I say, true love moves me). They were a gentle, gorgeous couple; heartbreaking and affirming. When Alex ran after Katie to convince her to stay, my heart literally burned. That moment was so beautiful. Hough and Duhamel weren't Ryan & Rachel's Noah and Allie, but their chemistry was certainly on point - rain or no rain ;) The story was a gut-wrenching one. The conflict tore at my heart, as does anything that hurts women or sees them in abusive situations. But Alex and Katie's romance was beautiful among the shadows, and it shone, radiantly and triumphantly, to show hope and strength.

Duha-maniac73 I caught this expertly crafted romantic thriller a few tree rings after it came out (3 to be exact) but this movie has aged better than a Redwood. But it was not a moment too soon. After years of being a journeyman carpenter I had lost my love- affair with wood. Running my fingers down the factory edge of a plank of birch just didn't send shivers up my spine like it did the first time I got behind a lathe. A friend and colleague sensed my creeping disillusionment with my trade coming on like a vicious root-rot. One day he showed up with a box handcrafted from sandalwood with the words "Safe Haven" precision-engrave using a radial saw on the front. Inside was a Blue Ray of Lasse Hallstrom's visionary adaptation of Nicholas Sparks wood-pulp consuming classic novel.Since my Koa wood DVD player was infested with termites around the last solstice, I ended up watching this on demand instead and just acted like I used Larry (colleague) copy. Don't tell him. From the first shot of the Carolina pine at the cabin to the master crafted bubinga beams in Josh Duhamel's office, this thing shook the moths off my love of wood faster than a pallet of cedar pellets. By halfway through the second act I was tung-oiling a stool I made during act one. By the time the final credits rolled I was standing in a pile of sawdust looking at the replica I had made of David Lyon's character's wood-bead car seat cover. I can't recommend this movie enough. Watch it and every day will feel like Arbor Day.

Davis P Safe Haven (2012) is an decent Nicholas Sparks film. I thought Julianne Hough did just fine as the lead, and in my opinion, her and josh Duhmal has good chemistry, not the best in the world, but it worked for the film. Josh did fine in his role, he was a little cheesy in a couple scenes, but overall he was fine. The script was a little weak, it didn't fall flat or anything, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. The twist at the end was clever, I certainly didn't see that coming, and I always love a twist at the end! This movie doesn't hold a candle to the notebook, but it's not a Razzie contender. The sex scene was well done too, it was sweet, loving, had good lighting, and was filmed well. The middle of the movie drug a bit, that's really the main reason the rating isn't higher, it bored me during the middle, and boredom is a big red flag in my book. But thankfully is picked back up a little later. All things considered, Safe Haven gets a 6/10.

craig-hopton This promised to be quite interesting but ends up being a rather average soppy romance.The story is that a young woman, Katie, is involved in some way in a stabbing (how, we're not quite sure). Identified as the prime suspect, she takes flight and manages to escape the police and settle down in a small town in hiding.There follows a rather neat bit of filmmaking as the story repeatedly switches between Katie's peaceful new small-town life and the obsessive hunt for her led by a strangely single- minded police detective. It's all good dramatic tension.Sadly, as the plot develops and the story lines converge, the crime angle fades and the romance sides of things takes over (in a very soppy, American-movie kind of way). The final nail in the coffin for me was the totally nauseating ending when Katie learns the true identity of a woman who had befriended her (I won't spoil it).A bright point is the acting - Julianne Hough, who plays Katie, and Josh Duhamel, who plays the love interest Alex, make a persuasive couple.If you're after an easy watching romance, give it a go. Otherwise, steer clear.