A life-affirming, genre-bending story about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz.

Stephen King and cinema adaptations go hand in hand, so it is no surprise that one of his most recent novellas has been swiftly adapted into a movie. ‘The Life of Chuck’ is a more sentimental story than what we generally think of when it comes to King, focusing on the titular character across three timelines, told in reverse order, with fantastical overtones that will become clearer as the story progresses. It is directed by Mike Flanagan, who previously helmed ‘Doctor Sleep’, a sequel to ‘The Shining’, and has a good cast led by Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan, with Nick Offerman’s deadpan narration filling in any gaps.

It begins with the ‘third’ act where Chuck is only loosely featured, as a man on a billboard that looms over a world that appears to be fast approaching the apocalypse. Schoolteacher Marty (Ejiofor) uses the impending end of the world to contemplate the life he has lead and reconnect with his ex-wife Felicia (Gillan), before we get our first glimpse at how Chuck fits into this narrative. The ‘second’ and ‘first’ act will tell us more about Chuck and his upbringing, providing the jigsaw pieces to help build our understanding of the greater narrative King is building.

My issue with ‘The Life of Chuck’ is it is just too schmaltzy and sickly sweet and there’s no subtlety as it attempts to work on your emotions. Every scene acts as an exposition dump, as if Flanagan doesn’t trust his audience to follow what is frankly a pretty one note story through to the finish, and I really didn’t get along with it at all. It may be King at his most optimistic, but it is also King at his most ineffective, and ‘The Life of Chuck’ is forgettable rubbish that wouldn’t have made it to the screen had he not been involved.

Rating: 2/5

Directed By: Mike Flanagan

Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mia Sara, Carl Lumbly, Benjamin Pajak, Cody Flanagan, Jacob Tremblay and Mark Hamill 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt12908150/