On it's own this film could maybe be a passable (perhaps 5/6 stars), but it commits the horrific crime of undoing the infinitely better work of the original movie.
The pacing in this film needs serious work. The movie spends a long time in a mostly needless flashback sequence that slows the movie to a crawl. What took ten minutes in the original takes forty minutes here. A lot of this film just feels like padded runtime.
The intricacy of the original also involves a a slowly unfolding series of twists which, ironically considering my last point, is harshly rushed in the remake. The late scene revelations of the original get hurried out here.
The camera work has suffered greatly between the two films, as has the acting. Somehow despite having a high budget and modern tech the new film fails to capture the exceptional camera angles and spot on facial expressions of the original cast.
All in all, it was a remake that wasn't asked for, I'd much rather have seen a digital remastering of the first film.
The pacing in this film needs serious work. The movie spends a long time in a mostly needless flashback sequence that slows the movie to a crawl. What took ten minutes in the original takes forty minutes here. A lot of this film just feels like padded runtime.
The intricacy of the original also involves a a slowly unfolding series of twists which, ironically considering my last point, is harshly rushed in the remake. The late scene revelations of the original get hurried out here.
The camera work has suffered greatly between the two films, as has the acting. Somehow despite having a high budget and modern tech the new film fails to capture the exceptional camera angles and spot on facial expressions of the original cast.
All in all, it was a remake that wasn't asked for, I'd much rather have seen a digital remastering of the first film.