Being a fan of the original, I went into the screening today anticipating being sadly disappointed.
Here, in black and white for all to see, I admit it: I was wrong.
My original thoughts about this project were that it was almost sacrilege; how could ANYONE remake that film?! How could ANYONE presume to step into a role made famous by Gregory Peck?!
Some of my misgivings about the casting were borne out, unfortunately. Julia Stiles, although competent, just isn't mature enough for the role (Katherine). Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick (Damien), though he has a glare that makes your blood cold at times, isn't the best child actor i've seen, and the character comes across as knowing a little TOO well that he knows what he's doing, and what's going on around him. Liev Schreiber (Robert Thorne) appears a little stiff in places, but in others displays a surprising array of emotional depth.
Although so much of the film was shot as thought they used the original for storyboards, there were still enough differences and modern upgrades to keep me interested, and a few 'jump in my seat' spots to keep the blood pumping, too! I also have to applaud Mr. Moore for keeping the majority of the out-and-out gore to the necessary minimum (just a few quick dream sequences, plus the all-to-realistic decapitation of Jennings near the end). A good suspense film doesn't have to drip blood off the screen to be scary.
Here, in black and white for all to see, I admit it: I was wrong.
My original thoughts about this project were that it was almost sacrilege; how could ANYONE remake that film?! How could ANYONE presume to step into a role made famous by Gregory Peck?!
Some of my misgivings about the casting were borne out, unfortunately. Julia Stiles, although competent, just isn't mature enough for the role (Katherine). Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick (Damien), though he has a glare that makes your blood cold at times, isn't the best child actor i've seen, and the character comes across as knowing a little TOO well that he knows what he's doing, and what's going on around him. Liev Schreiber (Robert Thorne) appears a little stiff in places, but in others displays a surprising array of emotional depth.
Although so much of the film was shot as thought they used the original for storyboards, there were still enough differences and modern upgrades to keep me interested, and a few 'jump in my seat' spots to keep the blood pumping, too! I also have to applaud Mr. Moore for keeping the majority of the out-and-out gore to the necessary minimum (just a few quick dream sequences, plus the all-to-realistic decapitation of Jennings near the end). A good suspense film doesn't have to drip blood off the screen to be scary.
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