What are the main differences between the Under The Skin movie vs the book that inspired it? Under The Skin is a 2013 sci-fi drama following Scarlett Johansson as a character credited as The Female, who is really an alien in disguise who uses her sexuality to lure men to their demise. The premise sounds superficially similiar to 1995's Species, which cast Natasha Henstridge as an alien/human hybrid who is looking for a mate so she can reproduce - with the issue there being her children could destroy mankind.
Species is a fun, pulpy b-movie with a surprisingly classy supporting cast, including Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker and Ben Kingsley, but spawned a range of sleazy sequels. Under The Skin is tonally the complete opposite, however. The movie reinforces the alien nature of its protagonist and how she experiences the world around her. Johansson received praise for her performance, as did director Jonathan Glaser for crafting such a haunting but poetic film.
Under The Skin was based on a 2000 novel by author Michel Faber that's set in Scotland, but while the book and movie sound similar on the surface, there are many differences. The Under The Skin novel is written in sparse prose but features far more explanation than the movie ever provides. The Female in the book is dubbed Isserley, who is an alien sent to Earth to acquire human meat for her homeworld, where it's a delicacy. To perform her role she underwent painful surgery to alter her original form, which causes her constant discomfort. In the novel, she forms a relationship with Amlis Vess, the son of her employer, who visits Earth to inspect the meat operation.
The Under The Skin novel sees Isserly come to appreciate the natural beauty of the world, and grow resentful of her role for the Elites back on her planet. More details are given to this side of the operation too, including a gruesome processing scene where one hitchhiker she picks up has his tongue cut out, is castrated and is then fattened up. The book ends with her trying to quit, only to get into a car accident with a hitchhiker. Not unlike Predator, she has to self-destruct to destroy evidence of her alien form, though she's at peace with her body being merged with the sky as a result.
The Under The Skin movie is more cryptic in its approach, providing no real backstory for Scarlett Johansson's The Female. The movie's most famous visual is how she lures men into a black room, with the men then sliding into the oil-like floor where they dissolve and only their skin is left. There's very little interior insight given to The Female, but she's coldly efficient in her role, and even leaves a baby stranded on the beach after the child's parents drown.
The Female's time among humanity eventually seems to confuse her, especially after an encounter with a disfigured young man who she lets escape. Under The Skin's final act sees The Female try to escape her role and connect with humanity, including meeting a man with who she later tries to have sex with. The ending sees her wander into a forest where's attacked by a logger while she's trying to seek shelter. The man rips her human skin, revealing her black, humanoid form beneath. The logger then pours petrol on her and sets her alight. Both versions of Under The Skin are great for their own reasons, and while the movie isn't a straight adaptation, it captures the spirit of the novel.
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