Review of Carrie (2013) by Robert F — 02 Jul 2014

Was this remake necessary? No. Does it 'reinvent' anything? No. Is it worth seeing? Absolutely. I've seen a lot of criticisms to the effect of "it's not the original" and an equal number saying "it's too close to the original".

I'm not really sure what WOULD make those people happy. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and though that Moretz and Moore were both incredible in their respective roles. It's true that it's not quite as creepy as De Palma's, but really.

..films shot in the 70's are basically automatically creepy. At it's heart, Carrie is a coming-of-age/revenge fantasy double-punch combo. This new version realizes that, and accomplishes it with grace.

In addition, it delves much more deeply into the psychology of both Carrie and her mother, who are treated as fully-realized individuals, instead of cardboard cut-outs like in the original. The only unforgivable flaw, in my opinion, is the silliness of the final scene - although even that could be written off as a nod to the 70's camp of the original ending.

De Palma's version will always hold a special (and terrifying!) place in my heart, but this update was satisfying and enjoyable, and definitely worth giving a watch.