8 Ways The Girl On The Train Is Just A Lazy Gone Girl

This one's not as potent as some on this list given that it doesn't seem like The Girl On The Train is all that concerned with, but the fact it still flirts with it is worth mentioning.

What really made Gone Girl stand out was its presentation of the bloodthirsty media, hounding all those related to Amy's disappearance and turning on Nick at the first opportunity. They pushed the story reluctantly forward well before a self-mutilating villainess got her teeth into Neil Patrick Harris, and in doing so Fincher was able to pass comment on the soulessness of the whole enterprise, as well as making it feel like an inescapable force in this sort of event.

In The Girl Of The Train, the furthest the news media gets is exposition, which leaves a massive gulf in the movie's backdrop; why is the street and surrounding area of Megan's disappearance so empty, how can Rachel and Scott meet without there being any ructions? At various points the press is mentioned, but they seem even less than a minor irritant. Again, maybe that's not what the movie's going for, but, as with the police, to ignore it weakens the film's believability.