CARRIE (2013)
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Kimberly Peirce
Cast: Chloe Grace Moretz, Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Alex Russell, Gabriella Wilde, Ansel Elgort, Julianne Moore
RunTime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Violence)
Released By: Sony Pictures Releasing International
Official Website: http://www.facebook.com/CarrieMovie
Opening Day: 24 October 2013
Synopsis: A reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother (Julianne Moore), who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.
Movie Review:
If there’s one way to get ignorant youngsters these days to know how things were done in the good old day, it’d be through movie remakes. Some may call these productions re imagining projects, but regardless of which snazzy term you choose, such movies help to raise interest in younger audiences. Problem is, they may piss off traditionalists. Look at the general consensus for movies like Psycho (1998), Godzilla (1998) and The Planet of the Apes (2001).
We remember the original tagline for the 1976 version of this movie. With blood soaked Sissy Spacek on the promotional poster, the copy read “If You’ve Got A Taste For Terror, Take Carrie To The Prom”. This may not sound far from original or clever, but it still manages to send shudders down our spines. The movie directed by Brian De Palma also told us how cruel the world can be, in particular how proms are but superficial events reeking of alcohol and sex for the more popular kids.
Kimberly Peirce takes on this re imagining of the classic horror story by Stephen King, and tells the tale of the titular Carrie, a girl who is socially outcast by her peers in school. It doesn’t help that her religious mother is some sort of a freak, and the over protection will only drive her nuts. After being pushed too far at her senior prom, Carrie makes sure all hell breaks loose in the small town she lives in.
Horror buffs should know this story inside out, and will only watch this to see how bloodily fun this contemporary version can go. With box office earnings as one of its main concerns, things will not get out of hand in this 100 minute movie. The filmmakers still have a duty to carry out – to ensure that they capture as large a pool of viewers as they can. The plot builds up slowly, and things get a little more exciting after Carrie is humiliated at prom. Even then, the blood and gore doesn’t come fast and furious at you. Just to disclaim that we aren’t sick in the mind here – the horror is delivered in a competent manner that does its job of shocking viewers.
The up and coming Chloe Grace Moretz does a good job at portraying the socially awkward Carrie, and one can’t help but imagine her crushing limbs and breaking necks as her Hit Girl (Kick Ass) persona. Her co star Julianne Moore effortlessly plays the freaky Margaret White, a holier than thou woman who obviously has issues with her mental stability. This is another reason we are convinced why
Other characters played by Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday and Gabriella Wilde give acceptable but forgettable performances in this modern take of the classic horror movie peppered with a radio friendly soundtrack and references to social media. The movie moves along at a comfortable but predictable pace, and although it doesn’t do anything groundbreaking that will leave you freaked out after leaving the theatre, it is a recommended movie if you are looking for a quick fix to stir your senses in the cinema.
Movie Rating:
(Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore deliver competent performances in an otherwise forgettable re imagining of a classic horror movie)
Review by John Li
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