content: The book was fabulous. The film adaptation is horrid. Where to begin? Dustin Hoffman is a fine actor, but nothing of his ability and screen power come thru in this film. Ben Whishaw? Forget it. His performance is bland and boring, his performance lacking any emotion or inspiration. You simply don't care about him as a character. In fact, that is the primary fault of the entire film. Character development is so poor that you simply don't care what happens to anyone in the film.Alan Rickman, as usual, delivers a strong screen presence, but his role is so small that he cannot possibly save the film. John Hurt with his characteristic voice also does a fine job of narrating the film.Perfume is an excellent novel - a unique, well-developed story. Definitely read the book! But the film is a real stinker (pun intended).