Asa Butterfield

‘A Brilliant Young Mind’ packs an emotional punch that only a cold-hearted cynic could dodge.

Condensing a popular young adult book to its most basic and necessary parts is an unenviable task. No matter how passionate the filmmakers are to the original text, someone’s bound to be disappointed. No film adaptation can satisfy every fan; it doesn’t matter how hard you try. Take out one character or rewrite them to be minimal, and you’re doomed.