Ray Bradbury stated in a lecture (at UCLA) that his novel 'Fahrenheit 451' wasn't about censorship. He made it clear that the theme of his book IS about the role of mass media and its effect on the populace. Basically he believed the old "idiot box" makes people less capable of assimilating complex information. Popular opinion dictated that 'Fahrenheit 451' is about censorship, because Bradbury wrote the book during an era of actual book burnings. For example: During a college lecture on his novel, when he presented the truth of the book's theme to an auditorium full of students, he was stopped in his tracks by someone loudly exclaiming "No! It's about censorship!". After regaining his composure, Bradbury then tried to correct the student by holding up his novel and pointing to his name on the cover. Others chimed in quickly and consensous agreed that the novel was about censorship. Bradbury was so angered by the students that he stormed out and vowed he'd never give another lecture on it again.
The update in this film replaces mainstream media television with the appeal of the internet. The dystopian outcome, the broken free will of the populace, and the depressive tone of Bradbury's story was altered to focus on fireman (police) brutality and the surveillance state. Bahrani's film ignores so much of what the novel outlines, to preach a politically correct message, that it becomes superficial. So slick and verbally facile to the point of becoming the horror Ray Bradbury illustrated so elequently in print - Media is a blunt form of distraction compared to the thought-provoking nature of books.
