[This] adaptation of Ray Bradburry's classic novel doesn't really shock the core like it should, mostly because it's a movie that wants the essence of a narrative without really digging into the themes.

There are things that work with the adaptation that could have been even more successful given time to play out over the course of a season.

Bahrani's fondness for drama with a social justice angle is revealed in the backstory...and does not go much farther than general finger-wagging at screen-addiction and the herd mentality found on network echo chambers.