(Matthijs van Heijningen Jr, 2011)
Coulda been much better, coulda been a lot worse. Bland remake - err, I'm sorry, PREQUEL - of John Carpenter's classic (itself a remake) that boasted trademark Carpenter elements: ominous score, terrifying use of anamorphic widescreen, Kurt Russell. This one has a largely forgettable score by Marco Beltrami (though Carpenter's has a nice cameo), shots that could have been directed by anyone (there are some lovely shots of Antarctica or whatever land that was) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Regarding the leading lady, I get that she's cute and on a geek's "to bang" list after Scott Pilgrim, but she's sooooooo bland. This part really could have been played by anyone and I, of all people, have no problem with a woman stepping into Kurt's badass shoes. But bah. Can we send her to TV? All things considered, the thing (har har!) that does this one in is its overuse of CGI. Yes, the Carpenter film boasts wildly dated makeup effects. I will take those anyday over actors staring at tennis balls in front of a green screen. In fact, I really wish filmmakers would drop CGI when practical makeup effects can be used. There's also way too many characters here, none of which we care about. Other than lead Ann Veal, Eric Christian Olsen, Joel Edgerton and the black guy, everyone else in the movie looks exactly alike. They all have scruffy hair and beards! AND I LOVE SCRUFFY HAIR AND BEARDS!!! I sound like I'm being pretty negative against this film, but it is decently paced with some effective jolts and not the worst remake/prequel/whatever Hollywood has put out probably even this year. GRADE: C
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (not pictured)
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