Review of My Bloody Valentine (2009) by Amanda S — 19 Jun 2010

Some critics may be correct in saying that this movie exists as fodder for the latest 3-D craze. But this 2009 remake of the 1981 film of the same name is so much more. I have seen plenty of remakes that serve no purpose whatsoever and are simply different actors repeating the original lines verbatim. (Psycho (1998), anyone?) I have seen both versions of this film as well, and in this rare case, the remake takes the cake.

I was exceptionally glad to see Jensen Ackles leave the small screen temporarily to take the lead in this film. I grew up watching him as Eric Brady on Days of Our Lives and he's grown into himself as an actor since then. In MBV, he plays the heir to a coal mining facility that plans on selling the mine, leaving virtually three-quarters the town jobless. Tom Hanniger is not supposed to be a likeable character, and for most of the film, he's the antihero to Kerr Smith's character, Sheriff Axel Palmer. But something about him draws sympathy from the viewer.

The movie leads you to believe that one character is responsible for the gruesome killings that plague the small town, but I'll admit that it leads up to a predictable "twist" ending. The final scene in the film was well-crafted in terms of special effects and an all-revealing montage that explains everything (reminiscent of the Saw franchise, I'll admit). Toss in Tom's former girlfriend, played by Jaime King, who happens to be married to...who else? Sheriff Palmer, and you've got yourself a typical love triangle in the midst of a massacre.

The other thing this film had going for it was a strong female lead. Jaime King gave a stellar performance as Sarah Palmer, a woman who was genuinely terrified yet still able to keep a cool head. I can always respect a female character that doesn't act like a complete bimbo in a horror film.

In short, My Bloody Valentine certainly earns its R rating, what with the amount of gore and the ten-minute porno scene at the motel. Hokey aspects aside, slasher fans will appreciate this tribute to the genre and to the original film, in this rare instance where the latter surpasses its predecessor.