At the Theater - "Carrie (2013)" - The first two-thirds of this cinematic re-imagining of Stephen King's 1974 novel and Brian De Palma's subsequent 1978 film adaptation concerning an outcast, telekinetic, teenaged girl pushed beyond her breaking point is overproduced and glossy to a fault, with precious little tension or eerie buildup to speak of. The film doesn't really ignite until the pig's blood drops, Marco Beltrami's decidedly ominous and highly effective original soundtrack offering "Driving Her Crazy" kicks in and Carrie goes into full rampage mode- in my opinion, it's a case of too little too late.
Director Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry, Stop Loss) struggles to find her comfort zone and neglects to implement any kind of memorable visual style for the majority of the film- every issue I had with this movie that involved it's direction, tone and execution was damned-near at the opposite end of the spectrum from her 1999 film, Boys Don't Cry. The alienation, isolation and the undeniable sense of impending doom were conveyed so expertly in that film that it's a head scratcher as to why and how it's missing here. Peirce is a capable filmmaker, yet there's so little energy involved with this film's visual presentation and so little interest in those finer details that mark a fresh, substantial narrative that I conceded early on that I was watching a near paint-by-numbers, safe remake produced as a result of studio meddling and/or expectational pressure. All things considered, the bulk of this film could have very well been handled by the merely efficient Directorial mercenary, Brett Ratner. The experience comes across as more of an all-too-common money grabbing excuse to "update" a popular film made nearly 4 decades ago by simply adding technological advancements (the internet, Youtube.com, cell phones, etc.,) and state of the art special effects. I will admit to being pleased to find that the CGI effects here are respectably unobtrusive.
Only a fraction of the extensive destruction left in Carrie's wake showcased in a teaser trailer for this film made the cut here, with Lykke Li's haunting cover of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" used in one of the film's full trailers nowhere to be found- they're elements that suckered me into thinking I was in for a more substantial Drama/Thriller/Horror viewing. I'm of the mindset that an Unrated/Extended Director's Cut will be released at some point on DVD/Blu Ray, but I can only comment (obviously) on what I paid to see in the theater at this time.
Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass) rarely seems a natural fit for the titular role, either missing that inherent vulnerability or simply unable to tap into it here- strange that she was so much better in a similar turn in 2012's Let Me In. Hers isn't a bad performance- it simply isn't emotionally authentic. Perhaps a couple of outings as the spunky, hard-as-nails "Hit Girl" have burned that bridge for myself. I'm of the opinion that Sissy Spacek's (Coal Miner's Daughter) naturally haunting, cornflower blue eyes worked wonders for the '76 film. Production trivia for this release mentions Bella Heathcote as a talent that was up for the role and I can only wonder if her piercing blues would have made a difference...
Julianne Moore (Magnolia) gives a solid performance in a supporting role as Carrie's religiously fanatical mother, "Margaret White"- while Moore is a superior actress, Piper Laurie's hair-raisingly weird performance in the '76 film has defined her career and will be remembered for generations to come (yes, the same could be said for Sissy Spacek in the original, as well). Give it a year or two and most will forget Julianne Moore was even in this film. I think the filmmakers/screenwriters would have been better served in beefing up her character and supplying more dynamic screen-time between the Mother/Daughter duo.
The two performances here that I would call out as the strongest were that of the undeniably likeable Ansel Elgort, making his feature film debut, as "Tommy Ross", and the gangly Gabriella Wilde (The Three Musketeers 2011) as the sympathetic "Sue Snell". I've always liked William Katt, but I sure was glad his golden 'fro was nowhere to be found here...
Portia Doubleday (Youth In Revolt) is adequately unpleasant as the main teenaged antagonist and resident mean girl, "Chris Hargensen", while Alex Russell (Chronicle) portrays her violent boyfriend, "Billy Nolan".
A decidedly miscast Judy Greer (Three Kings) pops up a few times as Ms. Desjardin, the compassionate gym class teacher- for some reason, I kept envisioning Elizabeth Banks in the role...(then again, maybe that's a case of good ol' fashioned infatuation).
De Palma's 1976 film adaptation was admittedly a triumph of style over substance, with the auteur's love for unusual camera angles, strange compositions, lengthy tracking shots and all things distinctly Hitchcockian certainly adding up to a highly memorable whole- his visuals were an extremely effective, contrasting mixture of light and hazy and dark and eerie that defined that film as it did many of the other early releases in his filmography. I did not, however, miss his ungodly drawn-out slow motion sequences. It's weird that De Palma could tap into that "feminine" feel so long ago while Pierce could not.
The Civil Wars' "Dust To Dust" is the song playing at the prom as Carrie enjoys her very first slow dance- I recognized that particular scene as the film's last/best opportunity to establish an emotional payoff in regards to the compassion of the moment and the heartbreaking reality of what was to come. So many creative possibilities in utilizing cinematography, music and editing to capture the last touching moments of a tender soul's tragic life before her segue into hell only to go disappointingly unrealized by the filmmakers. Carrie 2013 never aims high and that is it's inherent flaw.
The filmmaker's have claimed that this 2013 version "is a more faithful adaptation to King's novel" than the 1976 movie, yet the film adheres so much to the prior film's script that Lawrence D. Cohen, the same screenwriter who penned the '76 release, gets top screenwriting credit here... C'mon, Man!
Carrie 2013 isn't necessarily a bad film, it just wallows too long in generic, phoned-in territory- my call is to skip it and check out De Palma's 1976 film (if you haven't already), 1978's The Fury (also from De Palma) or 1984's Firestarter (also based on a Stephen King Novel).
6.0 out of 10
Director: Kimberly Peirce
Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Gabriella Wilde, Ansel Egort and Alex Russell
Running Time: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated R for bloody violence, disturbing images, language and some sexual content.
FWIW- Carrie (1976) - 7.5 out of 10
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