DevilMan
11-05-2003, 05:24 PM
I had the chance to finally knock back the new TCM flick today. I really hadn't planned to. I was just going to buy the DVD went it came out but I downloaded the movie offa the net and watched the first fifteen or so minutes. And man, tell me tell ya, it was pretty darn good. So, I threw my hat on and off to the movie theatre I went to catch it on the big screen.
For what it's worth, here's my thoughts on the movie...
While I thought it was good enough to be worthy to have the same name as the original (something the new DAWN OF THE DEAD may not have), I think it still falls into the same old "watch young people run around aimlessly and get slaughtered" category. And that's a shame too because it was a pretty enjoyable movie.
Certainly more than a straight forward remake, it had it's good points as well as it's bad points.
First the Good Stuff...
1. It had enough new twists and turns that it wasn't predictable and didn't come off as a chore to sit through particular scenes that you'd expect to see in a remake. It delivered quite enough freshness, well, as much as you could shell out considering the subject matter of the story.
2. The film itself (along with the special effects) looked GREAT even with it's often colorless imagery. And most importantly, it still kept that "raw" feeling that the original film had even though it came from a large Hollywood budget. It was eye-pleasing yet sensory irritating, if that makes sense?
3. Oh, the graphic chainsaw scenes of carnage. We finally got some in a movie with the name CHAINSAW in it, but not quite enough for me. *See "Bad Stuff" #4*
4. The entire movie wasn't campy at all. It didn't come off as B-movie cheezy. It stayed a serious horror effort all the way. It tried to unnerve you. It tried to make you feel uneasy. It tried to make you flinch. And it had just enough wetworks to keep the horror hounds at bay.
5. And lastly, the early scene when the camera pans from the interior front of the van, to the back seat, past the passengers, through the mouth and blasted hole of the hitcher's head, and out of the bloody broken rear windshield glass was simply, and without a doubt, an awesome spectacle to behold! Truely excellent SFX ala WRONG TURN's tree top scene with the split face as the body falls to the ground.
Now the Bad Stuff...
1. I really would have liked to seen more of the "family". I guess the later TCM installments and their illegitimate stepchild, HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, have spoiled me with the eagerly anticipated insane behavior expected from that crazy bunch. Even though R. LEE ERMEY had an over-the-top role (as usual), there just wasn't enough time spent on the wacky family and their antics.
2. As I said before, I thought there was entirely too much screen time spent on JESSICA BIEL running around, screaming, and getting her shirt wet so she could flaunt her bosoms (not that it's a terribly bad thing altogether). The whole slaughter factory instance could have been dropped for screen time spent better on something else.
3. Even though it was different than the original movie for the most part, a few recreated scenes would have nice. I would have enjoyed seeing the dinner table scene with Grandpa and the hammer shots again.
4. CHAINSAW MASSACRE, huh? Hey director, don't turn the camera away when someone gets it from a chainsaw, okay?
Anyway, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2003 was a nice view and I'll certainly buy it on DVD. One question, why did JESSICA BIEL swipe the baby at the end? Was it the same child from the old photo that the hitcher was in?
-Steve
For what it's worth, here's my thoughts on the movie...
While I thought it was good enough to be worthy to have the same name as the original (something the new DAWN OF THE DEAD may not have), I think it still falls into the same old "watch young people run around aimlessly and get slaughtered" category. And that's a shame too because it was a pretty enjoyable movie.
Certainly more than a straight forward remake, it had it's good points as well as it's bad points.
First the Good Stuff...
1. It had enough new twists and turns that it wasn't predictable and didn't come off as a chore to sit through particular scenes that you'd expect to see in a remake. It delivered quite enough freshness, well, as much as you could shell out considering the subject matter of the story.
2. The film itself (along with the special effects) looked GREAT even with it's often colorless imagery. And most importantly, it still kept that "raw" feeling that the original film had even though it came from a large Hollywood budget. It was eye-pleasing yet sensory irritating, if that makes sense?
3. Oh, the graphic chainsaw scenes of carnage. We finally got some in a movie with the name CHAINSAW in it, but not quite enough for me. *See "Bad Stuff" #4*
4. The entire movie wasn't campy at all. It didn't come off as B-movie cheezy. It stayed a serious horror effort all the way. It tried to unnerve you. It tried to make you feel uneasy. It tried to make you flinch. And it had just enough wetworks to keep the horror hounds at bay.
5. And lastly, the early scene when the camera pans from the interior front of the van, to the back seat, past the passengers, through the mouth and blasted hole of the hitcher's head, and out of the bloody broken rear windshield glass was simply, and without a doubt, an awesome spectacle to behold! Truely excellent SFX ala WRONG TURN's tree top scene with the split face as the body falls to the ground.
Now the Bad Stuff...
1. I really would have liked to seen more of the "family". I guess the later TCM installments and their illegitimate stepchild, HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, have spoiled me with the eagerly anticipated insane behavior expected from that crazy bunch. Even though R. LEE ERMEY had an over-the-top role (as usual), there just wasn't enough time spent on the wacky family and their antics.
2. As I said before, I thought there was entirely too much screen time spent on JESSICA BIEL running around, screaming, and getting her shirt wet so she could flaunt her bosoms (not that it's a terribly bad thing altogether). The whole slaughter factory instance could have been dropped for screen time spent better on something else.
3. Even though it was different than the original movie for the most part, a few recreated scenes would have nice. I would have enjoyed seeing the dinner table scene with Grandpa and the hammer shots again.
4. CHAINSAW MASSACRE, huh? Hey director, don't turn the camera away when someone gets it from a chainsaw, okay?
Anyway, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2003 was a nice view and I'll certainly buy it on DVD. One question, why did JESSICA BIEL swipe the baby at the end? Was it the same child from the old photo that the hitcher was in?
-Steve