MovieChat Forums > The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) Discussion > A remake so good that haters have to tur...

A remake so good that haters have to turn positives into negatives.


Some of the 'criticisms' this movie gets thrown it's way makes me laugh. The truth is people just pick a side and try find some bullshit reason to disparage the other movie (often a sequel or remake.)

"The cinematography is too good. It's a hollywood production compared to the original which is like a snuff movie."

Since when has good cinematography been a criticism? It's baffling. Also very annoying because the cinematographer for this was Daniel Pearl who was also the cinematographer for the 1974 original, makes this 'criticism' even sourer. Pearl is a good cinematographer and should be praised for his great work on this movie.

Some people extend that to include the editing as well. Basically the movie is well shot and edited therefore it's inferior. It just doesn't make sense. At all. I'd love someone to remake The Shining, Alien, The Exorcist or The Thing and make it a scuffed low-fi production and see how the fans of the originals react. You know all too well they'd slam it for being a cheap amateurish production that pales in comparison to the superbly made original.

"The cast look like models and feel like actors compared to the more believable cast in the original."

Heaven forbid they cast good looking people. It's hollywood tradition. Also Marilyn Burns and Terri McMinn are good looking women. Feels harsh to imply they were ugly or something.

I've seen others say the camera leers over Biel too much. The original has the 'under the swing' shot with McMinns ass dominating the screen. It also has Burns running around bra-free with her nipples nearly tearing a hole in her vest. Double standard.

As for them 'feeling like actors'. This feels like people are slamming it for having acting that is too good. Yeah we need more Franklins up in this bitch. It's a disgrace that R. Lee Ermey put on an acting clinic in this.

"The original is gore free but feels brutal. The remake had to rely on gore."

Horror fans are so fickle on this topic. Movies that are gory with great FX are routinely praised and worshipped. See The Thing, The Fly, An American Werewolf in London, The Evil Dead or all of Tom Savini's work.

Yet whenever a classic is gore free suddenly being gore free is the superior method and is superior craftsmanship. This argument is used for early slasher movies like TCM, Halloween or Black Christmas. "It didn't need blood and guts to be scary."

"Will Smith don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell records. Well I do, so fuck him and fuck you too!"

reply

Movie discourse is random and biased.

People will find something to bash a movie they don't want to like with and then other people repeat the same criticisms en masse. Suddenly it's the canonical narrative. The movie is worse because it's better.

Brilliant stuff. People lap it up.

reply

Agreed, this is a worthy remake of the original whilst it also works really well on it's own terms with the chase sequences, gore and cinematography. The palpable sense of dread this film has throughout is brilliant and for me it equals the original. Haters gonna hate.

reply