This movie was nowhere near as good as the book. I'm surprised that anyone who read the book would think the movie's better. The movie's so unfulfilling because so much of the progression between events is left out. Instead the movie jumps from image to image in many places, as if a 5 second scene here and a 10 second scene there are enough to show how the family adapted to the environment--and, more importantly, adapted the environment to them. Of course, this is an insight that one could not have without reading the book and seeing how much was left out. There is a right way and a wrong way to adapt a book to the silver screen. This was the wrong way. If you insist on watching it, try reading the book first.