I just got back from seeing the new remake of “Carrie” with Ashleigh Bilodeau and Mariah Carroll and…well let me first say that it was absolutely impossible to remain objective about it. Throughout the entire movie, I was making comparisons and muttering, “That’s different” or “That’s not how it went in the book.” But you know what? I really liked it. Really. I thought it was a really good, solid, entertaining, and downright terrifying movie. I’m pleased to say that the filmmakers were competent and knew what they were doing, and it shows. The plot moves at a perfect pace, never dragging or getting too hectic. It knows when to slow down and lighten the tension (and oh is there plenty of tension) with some comedy, and it knows when to pull out all the stops to scare the pants off you. Special points go to Julianne Moore in the role of Margaret White, who brings just the right balance of motherly devotion and holy-crap-craziness to the part. Every time she was on screen I was cringing away from the screen. I do have a few complaints, but they’re mostly nitpicks coming from a passionate fan of the novel and original movie, so make of them what you will. There were some scenes that didn’t quite make sense to me: for example, Carrie uses her telekinesis to make a Jesus on a crucifix bleed and to weld a lock together. Granted, I don’t know much about telekinesis, but I don’t think these incidents really fit. Oh, and she levitates once, and it was kind of silly. Some of the side characters were kind of iffy, particularly Judy Greer as the gym teacher Miss Desjardin. Some of her scenes came across as “eh, I don’t really care.” I felt that Ansel Elgort as Tommy Ross was okay, but perhaps too dumb jock-ish, and Alex Russell as Billy Nolan was pretty good but not quite menacing enough for my liking. But of course, a “Carrie” adaptation is only as good as its Carrie, played here by Chloë Grace Moretz. And…yeah, she did well. I had some reservations, as I thought she looked too, well, pretty to play the part. In the book, Carrie is described as chunky with bad acne and lank, colorless hair. Sissy Spacek and Angela Bettis, the lead actresses in the original (Spacek) and TV remake (Bettis) both look the part, but Moretz looks too attractive in a world where all the high schoolers look like swimsuit models (and indeed, some of them show up in swimsuits…it’s a wealthy school, apparently, as they’re playing water volleyball in the school pool in the PE class…). Surely someone would want to date her, right…? Instead, they played up the sweet and innocent child angle (Margaret White constantly calls her “my little girl”), which gets drastically reversed for the prom scene. Oh yes, this one has one heck of a prom sequence. It’s gritty, it’s bloody, it’s violent, and it’s epic. It has the added benefit of an update for modern audiences. I won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say the cruelty of the prank has been raised dramatically through use of modern technology. If you’re expecting a close adaptation of the novel, you may be disappointed; it’s much closer to the 1976 film, and it does take a few creative liberties. But if that doesn’t bother you, then by all means, check it out! It was an awesome film to watch, and there is a strong possibility I will be seeing it again soon!
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 05:41:02 +0000
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