Name: Safe Haven (PG-13)

Director: Lasse Hallström

Rating: 9.5/10

Now playing at: Regal Lakeline Mall 9, Cinemark Cedar Park, Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek, and Galaxy Moviehouse and Eatery.

From the author of the best-selling novels and well known films “The Notebook,” “The Last Song,” and “Dear John,” comes “Safe Haven,” which follows the story of a girl fleeing her troubled past and starting a new life in the small beach town of Southport, North Carolina. The movie, whose director was also the director of Dear John, was sequentially perfect and not rushed or lacking information as in other Sparks movies. The plot, however, was the highlight of the movie. The director found a clever way to make the plot twist and turn in directions that were unseen to the audience. The characters also had depth and personality, thanks to Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough. They added a sort of reality and believability to the past of the characters as well as their perspectives.

As the movie was an excellent choice, so is the book. Written by Nicholas Sparks, the book differs from the movie in a few minor ways. For example in the movie Katie is a brunette and dies her hair blonde, while in the book it is reversed. Other small things like names, appearances and such are changed. The book, like many other Sparks novels, is perfectly crafted and beautifully written. Sparks incorporates real-life problems and elaborates the histories and character traits of his characters. The book was more in depth then the movie, as most are, and was overall a great read.

While watching the movie in theatres, the songs played in many scenes of the movie caught my ear. After getting home, I downloaded the album and have had it on repeat since. The album contains beautiful songs that bring back memories of summer and the beach, as in the movie. My favorite song of the album is “Heart’s Content” by Brandi Carlile. They played the song during the scene where Katie and Alex dance in his store. It is a sweet and catchy song, the kind that will be stuck in your head for a while after listening to it. The album was a great purchase and was not at all a let down from the movie or book.

“Safe Haven” is a great three part story that expands with every venture into a different media. The movie, book, and album are all noteworthy and to leave one out would be to simply disregard a wonderful work of art.