|
The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
|
 |
Reviewed
by: |
Wayne Klein |
| Genre: |
Horror |
| Video: |
1.85:1, Widescreen
Anamorphic |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
5.1, Dolby Digital ES Surround Sound |
| Languages |
English |
| Subtitles |
English,
Spanish |
| Length |
98 minutes
|
| Rating |
R for gore,
language, violence and drug content Release Date: |
| Release Date |
3/30/04 |
| Studio |
New Line
Entertainment |
| Commentary:
|
3 Commentary
tracks |
| Documentaries:
|
Gein: The
Ghoul of Planifield; Chainsaw Redux |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Original Theatrical Trailer,
7 TV Spots |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
Alternate
opening and closing and deleted scenes |
| Music
Video: |
Motograter "Suffocate"
video |
| Other:
|
Art gallery;
DVD ROM Content including the original script with comparisons
to the film; cast screen tests; Crime photos |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Jessica Biel,
Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen, Mike Vogel, Eric Balfour and
R. Lee Ermey |
| Written
By: |
Scott Kosar
based on the screenplay by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper |
| Produced
By: |
Michael Bay,
Mike Fleiss |
| Directed
By: |
Marcus Nispel
|
| Music:
|
Steve Jablonsky
|
| The
Review: |
If your spouse picked his nose and
you witnessed it, he'd deny it happened and would claim he
was just itching his nose. Those are the kinds of things spouses
do to preserve a marriage. If you asked your spouse if he
watched "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and enjoyed it, well,
you know the drill. Why Hollywood feels the need to remake
things that were done right the first time is beyond me. Maybe
it's that endless desire to screw up a film that got everything
right the first time. That and it allows Hollywood to remake
it yet again. ***
Once again we hapless teens in
peril.. It's 1973 and our five unsuspecting victims (Jessica
Biel of "7th Heaven",, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen, Mike
Vogel and Eric Balfour from "Six Feet Under") travel the highway
through Texas with front row tickets to see Lynnrd Skynrd.
Along the way they chance upon a dazed young girl walking
along the side of the road. It's clear she's been through
some sort of trauma. They head into town hoping to find a
hospital to take her to. Unknowingly these five innocents
have fallen into Leatherface country and the heart of evil.
We've lucked out as it's clear that both the producer and
director are fans of Tobe Hooper's original classic horror
film. ***
Kudos to the creative team for creating
an well crafted remake of a horror classic. Although the film
falls into the predictable clichés one has come to expect
from this genre, the cinematography, performances and direction
manage to be a cut above the average gore fest. If you're
a fan of the original film, you'll probably like the update
although a couple of characters and plot points have been
jettisoned in favor of streamlining the film and picking up
the pace. It'll never be mistaken for art but "The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre" delivers on its premise. ---
|
| Image
and Sound: |
The creepy
cinematography (the remake was shot by the first film's cinematography)
telegraphs the fate of these five individuals. The transfer
looks sharp and looks very detailed. The color tends to be on
the muted side but that's representation of the overall look
of the film. The creepy soundtrack works very well in this 5.1
transfer and there's considerable background detail. |
| The
Extras: |
Be warned
that there are two editions of the film. The no frills edition
features the trailers/TV spots for the film, a music video but
not much else. The deluxe edition includes a lurid but effective
documentary on the real life inspiration for the film. There's
also a standard "Making of" style documentary where everybody
goes on about their love of the first film but how they saw
this remake as an opportunity to revisit the same themes in
a different, modern style. Folks, this ain't Shakesphere. The
alternate opening and closing not used for the film allow us
to glimpse how this film could have been quite a bit different
just from the set up and close. The most interesting moments
are provided by the screen tests. All of the major actors in
the film clearly have considerable charisma and that's demonstrated
even in the clips we see here from the screen tests. We also
get a fistful of photos and a script-to-screen comparison that's
less than illuminating but does provide an example of how a
director can interpret the material. --- |
| Commentary:
|
There's three
commentary tracks with the most interesting provided by producer
Bay and the director Nispel. We get to learn a lot of technical
details but also pick up how some scenes were changed on the
fly to reflect inspiration. Again, there's not a whole lot to
be learned about the acting or other aspects of the film from
the commentary but the commentary is at least entertaining.
--- |
| Final
Words: |
The advertising with its "Inspired
by a true story" tagline promised a lame remake of a horror
classic. Luckily style king Bay and director Nispel have crafted
a predictable but occasionally shocking variation on Tobe
Hooper's original. Missing much of the loopy black humor of
the original film, the remake seems a bit straight laced by
comparison but will keep you glued to the screen. ***
If you're a fan of the film and
want all the extras make sure to look for the Special Edition
with the embossed cover. It's loaded with extras while the
other version retailing for about half the price has only
the movie, a lame music video and trailers/TV spots for the
film.
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