Thundarr
Superhero
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2008
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Just bought a DVD double feature of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre & The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.
I know I tend to crap all over movie remakes on these forums, and especially those done by Michael Bay & Platinum Dunes. And I stand by my convictions that the originals are almost universally better than he remakes in every conceivable way. However, of all the horror remakes that Platinum Dunes has put out over he years, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the one I dislike the least.
The protagonists are all relatively likeable and relate able enough so that you can root for them throughout he movie, but not be so invested in them that you feel cheated when they die. It was well paced, and built up the tension and suspense admirably throughout the film. I liked he fact that they expanded Leatherfce's family of inbred homicidal rednecks to include the entire town, as that is more frightening than three inbred redneck men out in the middle of nowhere (in the remake they have female family members to breed with). And who could possibly dislike seeing Jessica Biel in those skintight jeans?
However, I still maintain that the movie's biggest failing was neglecting/glossing over the cannibalism aspect of the story. All they had to do was have them serve one of Jessica's friends for dinner during the scene where she wakes up tied to a dining room chair, and the movie would have been the perfect remake. Maybe have her recognize her friend's tattoo on the roast as Leathrface and his f**kd up family sit down to dinner, something like that. It worked in Wrong Turn 2, as well as 2001 Maniacs, and the TCM remake came out before either of them.
I absolutely will NOT spend any money on copies of Platinum Dunes' remakes of A Nightmare On Elm Street, or Friday The 13th though. And certainly not Rob Zombie's remakes of Halloween & Halloween 2. Those are all prime examples on how NOT to do a remake.
I know I tend to crap all over movie remakes on these forums, and especially those done by Michael Bay & Platinum Dunes. And I stand by my convictions that the originals are almost universally better than he remakes in every conceivable way. However, of all the horror remakes that Platinum Dunes has put out over he years, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the one I dislike the least.
The protagonists are all relatively likeable and relate able enough so that you can root for them throughout he movie, but not be so invested in them that you feel cheated when they die. It was well paced, and built up the tension and suspense admirably throughout the film. I liked he fact that they expanded Leatherfce's family of inbred homicidal rednecks to include the entire town, as that is more frightening than three inbred redneck men out in the middle of nowhere (in the remake they have female family members to breed with). And who could possibly dislike seeing Jessica Biel in those skintight jeans?
However, I still maintain that the movie's biggest failing was neglecting/glossing over the cannibalism aspect of the story. All they had to do was have them serve one of Jessica's friends for dinner during the scene where she wakes up tied to a dining room chair, and the movie would have been the perfect remake. Maybe have her recognize her friend's tattoo on the roast as Leathrface and his f**kd up family sit down to dinner, something like that. It worked in Wrong Turn 2, as well as 2001 Maniacs, and the TCM remake came out before either of them.
I absolutely will NOT spend any money on copies of Platinum Dunes' remakes of A Nightmare On Elm Street, or Friday The 13th though. And certainly not Rob Zombie's remakes of Halloween & Halloween 2. Those are all prime examples on how NOT to do a remake.
