effective and enjoyable remake of the original..
Added 2/2/2010
I was a fan of the original film and this re-make does a good job of "being true to the original source material". I liked the acting of Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George- two very good actors with great careers ahead of them.
the house itself is a character (of sorts), since it is haunted by the murdered family that previously lived there. The film wisely doesn't over-do things with a bunch of phony special effects that are common today. Instead, it uses creepy sounds, shadows, musical score, and paranoia by the characters to be effective. Reminds me of the way Hitchcock used to make movies.
fun movie to rent on the wkend.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Expected more...
Added 1/11/2010
First, let me say that yes, I am a huge fan of the original "Amityville Horror"; but that is not to say that I HATED this film...I didn't hate the film, nor the performances, but I hate in general the whole "re-imagining" trend. If it's a classic, it's a classic for a REASON.
In actuality, I found a SOME redeeming merits to the movie, but sadly, I can't shake the feeling that regardless of the performers involved, the film was made with the "let's remake a classic and make a ton of money regardless of how good it is" mentality firmly in mind.
The actors, specifically Ryan Reynolds, turned in outstanding performances; I could really FEEL what was going astray in the character of George Lutz's mind, and his inability to cope with it. So for the actors themselves, a big thumbs up.
But that's it. Otherwise, I felt cheated. New, expensive eye-candy, a complete rewrite of the original, including characters and events, and an overall reason for the whole haunting that was not so subtly "borrowed" from "Poltergeist II".
For a great performance of a man slowly losing his sanity, check out Reynold's performance in this movie. For a fun "scary" movie, with some good jumps and CGI laden effects, plug this one in late one night...
...but for a genuinely frightening, well written, acted, and directed version of the allegedly "true" events that this story is based on, complete with a haunting score and a gently but irrevocably building sense of palpable dread, stick with the original.
For just another Hollywood scare flick, I give it two stars...with another one tacked on for the superb performance of Ryan Reynolds.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Not Impressed!
Added 12/30/2009
I love Ryan Reynolds, but this movie was not a good depiction of the real story. The original was better. Get the book "Mentally Ill In Amityville" if you want to know the real story.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Amityville Hunk
Added 11/18/2009
The camera totally loves Ryan Reynolds from beginning to end, it follows him around one way or another, whether up close facial shots, eye shots, torso shots, and especially shirtless shots. It doesnt matter how stressed out he is, or becomes, the camera wants hunk in this spooky shadow of a well worn story of a family taken residence in a possessed and haunted house. From the reading of other reviewers the first movie still has bad karma. Ha, ha. Well, I liked the first movie not because of its execution (sorry) in style, but by some really memorable scenes that just creeped up on you that this movie doesnt have. Like the ill begotten nun who came to visit, or the psychic woman who immediately felt an outside presence of evil from within. These are the moments good movies make because they are lasting impressions of horror in any true good horror movie. Even the trivial encounter with a dragon statue and loss of money made the first one memorable which, by the way, this movie doesnt have.
What it does have is a well stressed family, and Ryan losing his grip with reality. The visuals and incorporated spooks are the results of more formulated horror movies of recent years. So in the midst of Hellraiser, Saw, and the like, this movie should please. If not, than munch your popcorn to Ryan's wonderful bod and puppy dog lost eyes in this haunted visual nightmare.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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The Amityville Horror(Stop Remaking Movies!!)
Added 11/6/2009
The movie is a remake of the Original Which I prefer, I always prefer the Original, Remakes always are bad, this movie is not horrible, it is scary, but Great it is not, And Ryan Reynolds? Come on? Is it a Horror Movie or Comedy?
2 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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effective and enjoyable remake of the original..
Added 2/2/2010
I was a fan of the original film and this re-make does a good job of "being true to the original source material". I liked the acting of Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George- two very good actors with great careers ahead of them.
the house itself is a character (of sorts), since it is haunted by the murdered family that previously lived there. The film wisely doesn't over-do things with a bunch of phony special effects that are common today. Instead, it uses creepy sounds, shadows, musical score, and paranoia by the characters to be effective. Reminds me of the way Hitchcock used to make movies.
fun movie to rent on the wkend.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Expected more...
Added 1/11/2010
First, let me say that yes, I am a huge fan of the original "Amityville Horror"; but that is not to say that I HATED this film...I didn't hate the film, nor the performances, but I hate in general the whole "re-imagining" trend. If it's a classic, it's a classic for a REASON.
In actuality, I found a SOME redeeming merits to the movie, but sadly, I can't shake the feeling that regardless of the performers involved, the film was made with the "let's remake a classic and make a ton of money regardless of how good it is" mentality firmly in mind.
The actors, specifically Ryan Reynolds, turned in outstanding performances; I could really FEEL what was going astray in the character of George Lutz's mind, and his inability to cope with it. So for the actors themselves, a big thumbs up.
But that's it. Otherwise, I felt cheated. New, expensive eye-candy, a complete rewrite of the original, including characters and events, and an overall reason for the whole haunting that was not so subtly "borrowed" from "Poltergeist II".
For a great performance of a man slowly losing his sanity, check out Reynold's performance in this movie. For a fun "scary" movie, with some good jumps and CGI laden effects, plug this one in late one night...
...but for a genuinely frightening, well written, acted, and directed version of the allegedly "true" events that this story is based on, complete with a haunting score and a gently but irrevocably building sense of palpable dread, stick with the original.
For just another Hollywood scare flick, I give it two stars...with another one tacked on for the superb performance of Ryan Reynolds.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Not Impressed!
Added 12/30/2009
I love Ryan Reynolds, but this movie was not a good depiction of the real story. The original was better. Get the book "Mentally Ill In Amityville" if you want to know the real story.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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