Review of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) by Kyler D — 16 Sep 2012

Good: Good acting overall, bloody, suspenseful chase scenes,.

Bad: I haven't seen the original (yes I know this is disgraceful), writing and dialogue are pretty simple-but that isn't what we're here for.

I can't quite decide whether I would like to give this movie a 3 star or 3 1/2 star review, but I believe I will be sticking with the 3 star review. For an exploitation horror film this has surprisingly good acting. Especially by R. Lee Ermey, who plays Sheriff Hoyt, and the lead Jessica Biel, who plays Ein Hardesty. The movie is bloody, although compared to other modern horror films of the same genre it isn't anything awful. The chase scenes are very suspenseful, and were my favorite part of the movie. The chase scenes however don't really start up until the later part of the film.

Now I haven't seen the original, which I realize is really bad, however it is next up on my Netflix as I write. This version just happened to be on tv and I started it without realizing it was the remake. After watching the original I will return as it will most likely affect my review greatly. The writing and dialogue are pretty simple-but that isn't what we're here for. The film really did not rise above an average rating for me. I would suggest watching if you're a fan of the series, but I would not have this be the first film in the series you watch. My advice would be to watch the original first, then watch them in order. Worth watching if it is free.