Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Hills Have Eyes - Just as good as the original., July 1, 2006
Well, I must admit to you that I was a bit skeptical about this movie. One of the reasons for this was the fact that the movie was a remake. With the constant stream of remakes pouring out of Hollywood lately, I was worried that this would just be another worthless movie, a remake of a movie that didn't need to be remade. And, while I did see promise for this movie in the trailer, I just didn't think that it would be as good as the original. The second reason for my skepticism going into watching this movie was because the original was directed by Wes Craven, arguably the greatest horror director ever. Nobody can match what he did with the original, can they?
Alexandre Aja, the director of the movie Haute Tension, stepped up to the plate to direct this remake. As a matter of fact, Aja was selected by Wes Craven to direct this remake, which Craven also produced. If you aren't familiar with Aja, I'd recommend that you check out Haute Tension, which was later released in the United States under the name High Tension. It was only the third movie that Aja had directed to that point and was, in my opinion, one of the best mainstream horror movies of 2005 and was the movie that got Aja noticed among the horror community, as represented by the fact that Craven hand-picked him to direct the remake. Haute Tension was a movie that didn't cave in to achieve a teenage audience, and for once, an idea that was truly an original. And, for that, I guess you could say the movie resurrected something that had been missing in horror movies since the release of The Ring in 2002...originality.
The opening begins in a setting that looks almost like Mars, where some research on the effects of nuclear weapons on the environment is being done. The story about the nuclear testing goes back to the period of 1943-1962, where the US supposedly tested nuclear weapons around the area of New Mexico. This form of testing was outlawed in 1962, but testing continued underground until 1992. Anyway, before the researchers can get their finish, however, they are all savagely and brutally murdered, starting the movie off very well.
The movie begins to slow down, however, as we join the Carter family on their trip to California. Big Bob Carter, the father and obvious leader of the family, played very well Ted Levine, decides that the family needs to see the desert, rather than driving on the highway all the way down to California. On their way through the desert, however, they are directed to take a shortcut by a gas station owner, in what is obviously a set-up, even if you haven't seen the original. Of course, they are sabotaged, their tires are popped, and they end up crashing the car into a rock, stranding them in the middle of the desert. It is here that the movie begins to pick up pace yet again, as Big Bob Carter and his son-in-law, Doug, played by Aaron Stafford, who also shines through with his role, begin to get into it a bit, showing their frustration and the obvious difference in their characters.
With the family stranded, the two go for help, and this leads up to the biggest scene in the movie, the scene where the mutants attack the family's trailer. This scene is directed very well, and shows the brutality and quickness with which the movie delivers it's fright. It begins with the family being taken away from the trailer when finding Big Bob tied to a tree, burning to death. As this is going on, Brenda Carter, played well by Emilie de Raven, is being raped by two of the mutants. The family comes back to the trailer after hearing their family member's screams, but this only leads to the Lynne, Doug's wife, and Ethel, Brenda's mother, being gunned down in what is a very quick scene. This scene just symbolizes what the movie is all about, nothing is really dragged out and all of it is just so blunt and to the point, which is what the original was.
The movie continues to pick up pace for the last half of the movie, as Doug goes in search of his baby, which had been kidnapped in the trailer scene. He reaches the mutants' town, which has a very cool look to it, and in his hunt for his baby becomes the unlikely savior of the film. At the beginning of the film he seemed like the last person that would be hunting down mutants, but his quest to get his child back shows two things. First, it displays the dramatic change in his character from the beginning of the film. This may have always been in him, but it took a situation this desperate for him to become the savior he is at the end of the movie. Second, it also shows what a parent will do when their child is in danger, to a very extreme extent, of course.
While I do agree that Aja may have had a bit of an advantage over Wes Craven in the fact that his actors were all a lot more experienced than in the original, it is still quite an accomplishment for him to create a remake that was just as good as the original, especially when the original was directed by Wes Craven. As a matter of fact, the acting wasn't even what I was truly impressed with. What really stood out for me was the environments that Aja created. From the beauty of the hills and desert around our characters to the grittiness of how our characters, especially Doug, looked at the end of the movie, after battling with the mutants. He just portrayed so much on-screen to us, through the bluntness of some of the death scenes, or through the obvious frustration and desperation that the family was feeling. He portrayed that all on screen and di it very well.
Through this movie, Alexandre Aja has solidified his name as one of the new premier directors of the horror movie genre. While I enjoyed Haute Tension, Aja's remake of The Hills Have Eyes proved to me that Aja knows what the horror genre is all about. This movie proved that he can hang with the legends of the horror genre and I must say, my skepticism eliminated, Aja's version of The Hills Have Eyes was just as good as Wes Craven's orginal.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can't wait to see the unrated version, May 2, 2006
As a somewhat "jaded" horror fan (pardon the cliche)I can honestly say this movie kicked my ass. I watched this before I saw the original, and although I appreciate the gritty filmstock and grindcore mentality of Craven's work, I was far more entertained by Aja's slick update. As some have pointed out this movie does start relatively slow, although the acting and family interactions are more convincing and effective than in most horror films. The action begins with the family gathering around a nice bonfire, and man once it starts it does not stop. This movie is very violent, unrelenting, and brutal in a good way(probably won't phase you sick Cannibal Holocaust, Guinea Pig nerds). Unlike Hostel, the other decent horror movie released this year, this movie relies on old tactics of making the audience jump at both expected and unexpected moments. Based on one viewing this is one of my favorite horror movies of all time, and it is the kind of horror movie I like to watch. I'm sure some will complain that it relies on too many cliches(creepy gas station, deformed inbreds that won't die, people wandering off like idiots) but hey it is a remake--its got an excuse(Unlike the very similar, Wrong Turn, which I liked too). Definitely check this one out...you won't be dissapointed.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Deeply disturbing, July 18, 2006
Oh My God!!! I was very dubious about this remake as I wasn't that impressed with the original but two minutes into the film I realised I was in for something not quite normal. The suspense and gore in this unrated version is relentless and very in your face....not for the sqeamish and I must admit during the scenes where the family are being terrorised I was at the point of shedding tears. I watched this alone on my lounge room wall until the last quarter of the film where my Dad joined me. Even though he hadn't seen the first half of the film he sat riveted to the screen and I don't think he believed exactly what he was witnessing. Ten times better than "Hostel".....and ten times more graphic..
Enjoy
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