Safe Haven

***
Release Date: March 1st 2013

A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.

Director: Lasse Hallstrom (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Dear John)

Starring: Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smaulders

I think by now we all know what to expect from a Nicholas Sparks adaption, regardless of whether we know the books. A woman with a troubled past? Yes. Overly sensitive male? Yes. Fantastic backdrops that make you wish you were there? Correct.

Safe Haven is the eighth Nicholas Sparks' book that has been adapted to film, and it is one of the better ones.

Safe Haven begins with Katie (Hough), who is seen bording a coach, escaping the clutches of the Police. She ends up in Southport, North Carolina, a place far away from where she was that's in the middle of the sticks. This is where she sets up camp, and eventually creates a bond with local shopkeeper Alex (Duhamel).

What else is there to say? The story is as simple as that. Katie is suspicious of everything and everyone around her, but manages to settle. She has a new neighbour in the form of Jo (Smaulders). Alex's kids are polar opposites; the daughter is kind and sweet whilst the son hits back at Alex for the death of his mum.

This isn't exactly a film that's thought driven. It doesn't take any deal of work to know what's inevitably going to be happen. The sense of mystery behind Katie's past keeps this interesting but fundamentally there's not enough there to keep you on tenterhooks. Maybe it's what fans of Sparks' adaptions want and learn to expect, which at the end of the day, is a feel good, romantic film.

Fans of the book though, may be disappointed. Going by what someone else has told me, the events at the end of the film are different, and that the book's ending would have been great on film.

One thing is for certain though... the ending finishes with a nice twist.

Overview: Not nearly as good as The Notebook, but a lot better than others. The mushy lovey-dovey is bearable and not over-the-top. If you liked Dear John, then it's good to know you're safe in the hands of the same director.