The purpose of the remake? Too many questions unanswered
I'm just confused. Remakes are usually re-imaginings of the original. The point of them is to reinterpret something by a new director or to modernize it. This film attempts (? I think?) both, but falls short IMHO.
1) Why is it reset in Paris? Aside from a beautiful setting, I don't find it any eerier than NYC. And I thought that was the point -- that something sinister can be so close to home.
2) Then I thought the purpose of the new setting was to put Rosemary on unfamiliar soil without anyone to help her -- but her best friend is actually in the city with her and she doesn't appear to have other family anyway.
3) THEN I thought a new country with an unfamiliar language would make her reliant upon those around her (the Castavets and Guy) -- but everyone speaks English, so nope again.
4) Why show her to be such a feisty, strong woman who would recklessly run after a purse snatcher -- only to be such a sycophant to everyone regarding her pregnancy.
5) Still waiting for the cat to have some function. Why include it? A black cat? Can you be any more cliche for a witch? Except this IS NOT about witches -- it's about Satanism and this confuses me even more given the immense info available on the Internet in 2014 which was not available in 1968.
6) The intimations of lesbianism: ummmmm....why? Was it supposed to be another layer of seduction? Isn't Margaux supposed to be a maternal figure (like Ruth Gorden in the original)? If so, why is this here?
7) In what parallel universe does a police officer place value in supernatural imaginings? He was more interested in it than she was.
8) Other people have already addressed this, but there are two Guys in this miniseries. He oscillates between wanting to take her away ("You promised she would be ok") to being cruel to her -- and then from seeming uncomfortable with this entire scheme to showing a smirk as he twirls the cross necklace he manages to steal off of his ex-girlfriend's neck.
9) Gratuitous violence: OK I get that a "modern" audience expects more visual gore in horror and special effects. But seriously? What the hell is the point of making the cop bleed from his eyes (and was his car leaking water?!?!) if he is going to be mowed down by a mack truck anyway?
10) The tongueless dog/man handyman....wtf?!? Was there a point?!?!?! Was it just to make Rosemary hunt in her room for something? Completely superfluous.
11) The sniveling Rosemary in 1968 was sort of understandable (or at least Mia Farrow can play that convincingly) -- this just didn't fit. I kept waiting for the stronger Rosemary to emerge -- including pulling a Nena when she took the baby in her arms to feed it and hurl herself and the demon spawn out the window. I kind of hoped that the dreams she had were foreshadowing that -- or that she would follow Nena's example. But, no - she just drinks the kool aid and takes the kid out in public.
12) Bright blue eyes. Really? I get that it clearly identified Marcado as the father, but since we can do cool special effects, couldn't there be something a little MORE here?!?!
The part of the reinterpretation that I thought was interesting ...and fairly appropriate...was letting the audience "in" on the evil machinations of the pregnancy. Since 90% of the audience who would watch this has either seen or heard of the original, they would know the "catch" at the end. Margeaux's scene in the chapel was particularly chilling. It demonstrated the "cult" to have serious power -- but if that is the case, why Rosemary? There is not one single thing to reveal that she is the "chosen one" for motherhood. And since Satan was in the US hospital at the time of the miscarriage and Roman was on the board of the Sorbonne where Guy got the job, it's clear she was selected -- but then why would they try to use Nena....?
SMH. I feel like the director could have done something interesting with this mini series....but that didn't happen. Instead, too many paths were left abandoned and I left the movie feeling empty and disappointed.