With mediocre computer graphics and semi-decent acting, the Halloween flick Carrie falls at about the same level as the original movie. While the storyline was intense and captivating, the rest of the movie fell short of my expectations.
Based on author Stephen King’s first novel, the movie tells the story of a high school girl named Carrie (Chloe Grace Moretz), who is bullied by a group of girls at her school.
After discovering that she has telekinetic powers, Carrie is able to gain control over her zealously religious mother and eventually exact revenge.
This new version contains some 21st century updates which include a scene where Carrie is cyberbullied and an online video of her goes viral.
This update did not add much depth to the story and was an obvious ploy to appeal to the teenage audience of today.
The graphics and action scenes did not add much either. They were visually appealing and captured the audience’s attention but distracted from the storyline.
Stephen King’s Carrie is not supposed to be scary because of flashy graphics and cyberbullying. It is supposed to be scary because it shows how good human beings have the potential to become evil.
As the movie progresses, Carrie undergoes a transformation; in the beginning of the movie she is a timid, victimized outcast, but by the end she’s an evil villain, taking on the role of the bully.
Carrie’s big scene at the end of the movie is probably the most dynamic part of the entire movie.
Wearing a prom dress drenched in dark red blood and hunching her shoulders forward with an animal-like persona, Moretz perfectly portrays the anguish and distress of Carrie’s character.
Julianne Moore also delivers a good performance as the mentally unstable and outrageously religious mother of Carrie.
One aspect that stood out from the generic horror movie plot was one of the ideas behind the basic storyline.
Carrie’s character, portrayed as a sort of devil-like persona, was opposite the character of Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde), who represents an angelic foil of Carrie.
The religious angel-devil metaphor added a layer to the story.
Unfortunately, director Katherine Peirce’s interpretation of the classic horror story does little in terms of adding creativity or depth to the original terrifying tale as told by King.