At long last, we present our review of the 2013 remake of Carrie. This concludes Carrie-athon 2013, which began with Brian De Palma’s original 1976 film, 1999’s little-remembered The Rage: Carrie 2 and 2002’s best-forgotten made-for-TV remake/backdoor pilot for a series that never aired. With any luck, we’ll have another thirty-seven years before we see another one of these. By then, the “necessary” “updates” to the material might actually be necessary, instead of superficial…
When I saw the trailer, the first thing that struck me was the banal visuals.
Ah lah! So much with the banal visuals. The last big-time horror movie our leading lady was in, the Let The Right One In remake, had the same problem.
I have not yet seen that film but I am interested.
As the resident snobbish critic who supposedly hates everything, I’m compelled to tell you to watch the original…or at least watch the original first. Watching both back-to-back is an interesting experience in itself…though not necessarily a happy one.
Oh DDM, I totally disagree with you this time.
Yes, there’s nothing wrong with the original Carrie (it’s a classic for a reason) but I think the two can/should be taken as separate entities. The reason Psycho’s remake is awful isn’t because it’s a remake of a classic, it’s awful because it’s awful. Psycho’s flaw is the garish lighting, awful acting by Vince Vaughn, and well–everything to be honest. Comparing Psycho to the original makes it look awful but it’s quite capable of being awful on its own merits.
Carrie (2013), though is good. Quite good, in fact. Not as good as the original but hell and beyond better than the others. I think all of the actors in this remake do an excellent job and you’ve put them in a no win situation. When they’re different from the original Carrie, you talk about how this is a change for the worst but if they were too similar, then there’s no reason to exist at all.
The dynamics of Carrie (2013) are different this time around because it’s set in the 21st century versus the 1970s. Things come SO MUCH closer to avoiding the inevitable school massacre and, had Professor Xavier been around (or hell, Magneto), then things might have worked out better. I liked the Lighter and Softer touch to the setting even if it is a horror film and we’re meant to buy Carrie snapping.
Which I do.
The thing is, I also buy THIS version of Carrie could have gone on to live a relatively normal life with her awesome telekinetic powers. She might have gone the way of her spiritual sister Tina Shepard and used her powers for good like slaying Jason Voorhees (or It since Derry is just a few miles down the road).
While this version of Carrie goes the same Left Handed Path as her other incarnations, the movie highlights there was a potential for Carrie to go Right.
We, the audience, always sympathetic to Carrie, even when we’re not supposed to be (SK has said repeatedly she’s a pretty horrible person–and she is), but this movie is more forgiving for that sin and I for one like that.
Maybe it’s because I was the bullied child myself and my school’s inhabitants would have been a greasy smear on the wall if I’d had Miss White’s powers. I survived, though, sanity intact because of loved ones. The original is a grand guginol of grotesques who all but guarantee the Hamletian massacre at the end. This version distinguishes itself by people trying to reach a troubled girl and failing–and that, for one makes it worth existing.
My review: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2014/06/carrie-2013-review.html