I never would have believed that Anthony Michael Hall could act like this! This endeavor is wholly impressive. This is the same guy who played Rusty Grizwold in the first Vacation movie. He also starred in Weird Science, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and more recently he portrayed Bill Gates in the Pirates of Silicon Valley! *rolls my eyes* Geez.
And now, here he is, putting out the quality performance of an accomplished actor! Simply amazing. It simply is not possible that Robert Lieberman pulled from him a great performance, as nothing Mr. Lieberman has ever done has been noteworthy, as yet. Is this a fluke?
We can only wait and see.
In my opinion, Mr. Hall successfully surpassed Walken's performance with this remake!
He is completely believable in the impassioned portrayal of a coma victim who awakens to find himself imbued with powers he can neither explain nor understand.
The cinematography of this straight-to-video endeavor is astounding. The pans and the cut-ins are pure professionalism; truly inspired work. The flash backs experienced by Mr. Hall's characters are quite realistically portrayed, lending a feeling of reality to the tale that otherwise was not present in the original theatrical release.
Some critics and movie fans have questioned my rating this version higher than the original, but I stand by my judgment of this work. The sense of reality is so high with this adaptation, where the Christopher Walken version is now badly dated and lacks the serious hard-core feeling of this production. "Atmospheric" doesn't cover it.
All in all, this is much more poignant. The finished product really surprises you. The original is still a classic, and should not be negated. Rather, I suggest you watch the original, then watch this one, and determine for yourself.
It rates a 7.4/10 from...
the Fiend :.
And now, here he is, putting out the quality performance of an accomplished actor! Simply amazing. It simply is not possible that Robert Lieberman pulled from him a great performance, as nothing Mr. Lieberman has ever done has been noteworthy, as yet. Is this a fluke?
We can only wait and see.
In my opinion, Mr. Hall successfully surpassed Walken's performance with this remake!
He is completely believable in the impassioned portrayal of a coma victim who awakens to find himself imbued with powers he can neither explain nor understand.
The cinematography of this straight-to-video endeavor is astounding. The pans and the cut-ins are pure professionalism; truly inspired work. The flash backs experienced by Mr. Hall's characters are quite realistically portrayed, lending a feeling of reality to the tale that otherwise was not present in the original theatrical release.
Some critics and movie fans have questioned my rating this version higher than the original, but I stand by my judgment of this work. The sense of reality is so high with this adaptation, where the Christopher Walken version is now badly dated and lacks the serious hard-core feeling of this production. "Atmospheric" doesn't cover it.
All in all, this is much more poignant. The finished product really surprises you. The original is still a classic, and should not be negated. Rather, I suggest you watch the original, then watch this one, and determine for yourself.
It rates a 7.4/10 from...
the Fiend :.