First off, let me start out by saying this isn't a terrible movie. It certainly is not one of the worst horror movie remakes out there, but I can't help but feel disappointed from the 2013 version of Carrie. First off, this movie does not really add anything new to the mix. It's basically a copy of the original 1976 film, just with a modern setting. I generally am less critical of remakes than most, so the fact that I didn't like this should indicate that it just wasn't that good. I found myself bored throughout a lot of the movie. I've already seen the original, so why do I need to pay to see the exact movie again?
The director really should have gone out of her way to differentiate this film from its predecessor, instead of making a near shot-for-shot remake like 1998's Psycho. One example of a remake that attempts to add something new to the mix is Rob Zombie's Halloween. While that film was pretty weak also, at least it tried to inject something new to the storyline. The only thing I can say that was better about the 2013 Carrie is that the gym teacher lived. I never understood why she died in the 1976 version since she was one of the few people that was nice to Carrie, so her survival made more sense in this movie. Other than that, the original far surpasses this version. If you haven't seen the original, you might like this film as you have nothing to compare it with. However, some that haven't seen the original still might find themselves bored. One last criticism with this version is the prom scene. You'd think with the special effects improvements between 1976 and 2013, this version's killer prom sequence would blow the original's out of the water. Not the case, as the original killer prom scene was much better in my opinion
Overall, this wasn't a terrible film, but cannot even remotely compare to the original. Those that haven't seen the first film might very well enjoy it, but for those who have, you most likely will leave the theater disappointed. This remake was completely unnecessary, and adds absolutely nothing to the mix. If you've seen the original, then you've basically seen this as it's a hollow copy of it.
Final Rating: 4/10
The director really should have gone out of her way to differentiate this film from its predecessor, instead of making a near shot-for-shot remake like 1998's Psycho. One example of a remake that attempts to add something new to the mix is Rob Zombie's Halloween. While that film was pretty weak also, at least it tried to inject something new to the storyline. The only thing I can say that was better about the 2013 Carrie is that the gym teacher lived. I never understood why she died in the 1976 version since she was one of the few people that was nice to Carrie, so her survival made more sense in this movie. Other than that, the original far surpasses this version. If you haven't seen the original, you might like this film as you have nothing to compare it with. However, some that haven't seen the original still might find themselves bored. One last criticism with this version is the prom scene. You'd think with the special effects improvements between 1976 and 2013, this version's killer prom sequence would blow the original's out of the water. Not the case, as the original killer prom scene was much better in my opinion
Overall, this wasn't a terrible film, but cannot even remotely compare to the original. Those that haven't seen the first film might very well enjoy it, but for those who have, you most likely will leave the theater disappointed. This remake was completely unnecessary, and adds absolutely nothing to the mix. If you've seen the original, then you've basically seen this as it's a hollow copy of it.
Final Rating: 4/10