Is anyone going to see the new Nightmare on Elm Street tomorrow? [Archive] - Page 2

mredskins

04-30-2010, 08:13 AM

BDK review from the Junkies he gave it two stars.

A Nighmare On Elm Street is cookie-cutter horror at its best and its best just isn't good enough. The film is neither scary nor frightening in the least but does deliver a fine performance by Jackie Earle Haley. We have all been saying for years that Hollywood is out of ideas, hence the constant remakes, reboots, robots or whatever we are calling these things. A Nightmare on Elm Street was actually a film I was looking forward to seeing considering one of my favorite actors was playing Freddy. Jackie Earle Haley is easily one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, with scene stealing performances where he can be both fragile and bad-ass at the exact same time. He blew me away as Rorshach in Watchmen and then again as George Noyce in my favorite film of 2010 so far, Shutter Island. Now he's taking on one of the most iconic horror characters of all time. Robert Englund will never be able to walk down the street without people calling him Freddy. That role was a gift and a curse because anytime he is in a film nowadays, you think of Freddy. Filling those shoes is a pretty big deal and I thought that Jackie Earle Haley nailed the part but the rest of the film needs major surgery.

A Nightmare on Elm Street relies heavily on trying to scare you and trying to make you laugh. I am all for the funny version of Freddy Krueger. When mixed with the sick twisted and brutal Freddy, you get the perfect horror icon. Now, Jackie Earle Haley does a good enough job at getting those two aspects across but the movie ultimately fails in scaring its audience. The scares were very cookie-cutter and felt too predictable. You could almost predict every move Freddy would make, which has nothing to do with the performance of Earle Haley but more to do with the script and direction. His one liners kept the movie afloat, at least.

I would compare the character of Freddy to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Crazy, you say? Well, here me out. In all of Arnold's classic films like Commando, Predator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, he is known for delivering great action scenes with his cheesy one liners. Freddy is known for delivering his ultra-violence and his cheesy one liners. Movies like Predator and Commando perfectly balance out that line of funny and serious with the action. This new Freddy film failed to engage its audience in any tension, making the movie feel flat. The only thing the movie really has going for it is its performance from Jackie Earle Haley, the score and a couple of the death scenes. One of the major issues of the movie was how flat the cast was. Every character in the movie felt bland and unoriginal. Whether it be the possible love interests of Nancy (Rooney Mara Youth in Revolt) and Quentin (Kyle Gallner Jennifer's Body) or any other character. It just didn't work.

One of my favorite aspects of the film were the sound effects and film score. Freddy's main theme was rather brutal and worked perfectly for the dream sequences. The opening credits film score was also very nice to listen to though when are films going to start realizing that audiences don't want three to four minutes of film credits before a movie starts. Heck, Avatar didn't even have credits at the beginning and that's the highest grossing film of all time. When it comes to sound effects, the loud sounds of bass rattling through the theatre worked really well for effect. Also, the sound effects of Freddy's knife fingers going against metal pipes as the sparks start to fly was pretty cool to listen to. I looked forward to those scenes because the sounds could have been cringe worthy but ended up working to the film's advantage.

The film opens and we meet a character named Dean (played by Twilight star Kellan Lutz). Dean is having a hard time going to sleep considering a creepy man with a red sweater and knives for fingers keeps chasing him. He finally starts to think it's weird when he wakes up sitting in a diner and his hand had been cut wide open. Dean's friend Kris (played by Katie Cassidy) comes to visit him but gets up to use the restroom only to get back to see Dean cutting his own throat (which was one of the more brutal scenes of the film). At least that's what it appeared to be. We the audience know that Mr. Freddy Krueger was doing the dirty work. Like every Freddy movie, he is terrorizing teenagers in their sleep. There is nothing scarier than the idea of not being able to go sleep, hence the reason there have now been nine films featuring the character of Freddy Krueger.

As other teenagers start to die off, the two lead characters of the film Nancy and Quentin start to figure out the past of Freddy (Jackie Earle Haley). What is making him want to kill them in their sleep? As Nancy and Quentin start to piece clues together, they begin realizing that all of the kids dying are connected back to a Pre-school somehow (Following the exact story line as the original). I don't want to give anything away but Freddy is really angry at these kids and has come back to kill them now that they are in high school. Since Freddy has been forgotten, he needs to instill fear to "refuel" his killing spree. The question is whether or not Nancy and Quentin can stop him before he kills them both. The film does explore a bit of Freddy as a normal human being working as a gardener at a Pre-school. I almost wish we got to see more of the human Freddy before he turned. That's interesting and adds depth to his character.

For those of you not familiar with Freddy Krueger, anytime a character falls asleep, they are taken to an alternate world where Freddy can totally mess with them. In this world, the character is subject to Freddy's torture and brutality. If the character dies in Freddy's world, he/she dies in real life. Therefore, they are forced to stay awake as long as possible but once you reach three days of no sleep, your body will start to experience micro naps, in which you can dream while you are still awake. The concept is great but it's all in the execution. I will say the use of micro naps during a scene that takes place in a pharmacy was phenomenal. It keeps cutting back and forth to Freddy's world and the real world. I wish there were more scenes like that in the film.

The ultimate question that everyone wants to know is whether or not Jackie Earle Haley is better than Robert Englund. The short answer is no because Englund has eight films behind him (if you count the awesome Freddy Vs. Jason). Haley still has to prove himself but he did embrace the sickness of the character well. The make-up effects were amazing and you could tell that Haley completely transformed into Freddy. He just needed to be scarier. The problem is that we are used to all of these scares and they feel old.

A Nightmare on Elm Street brings absolutely nothing new to the franchise. Is the film bad? I wouldn't go that far because it does deliver some great one-liners, a good performance from Haley and some great kill scenes. Though, as a horror film, the scares are not there. I was hoping for a really scary horror movie considering the material we are dealing with. It just went down the normal horror route with cheap predictable scares. The film deserves a 2.5 BDK rating out of 5. If you go in with low expectations, you should be fine but just don't set the bar too high. My co-host Josh and I said before the movie started that the film wouldn't be bad because of Jackie Earle Haley but because of the script. It turns out we were right.


	Commanders Post at The Warpath > Off-Topic Discussion > Parking Lot > Is anyone going to see the new Nightmare on Elm Street tomorrow? Log in Is anyone going to see the new Nightmare on Elm Street tomorrow? Pages : 1 [2] 3 4 mredskins 04-29-2010, 02:51 PM So NOES is holding currently at 00% on Rotten Tomatoes, very impressive. A Nightmare on Elm Street Movie Reviews, Trailers - Rotten Tomatoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nightmare_on_elm_street_2010/) MTK 04-29-2010, 02:54 PM So NOES is holding currently at 00% on Rotten Tomatoes, very impressive. A Nightmare on Elm Street Movie Reviews, Trailers - Rotten Tomatoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nightmare_on_elm_street_2010/) lol jeez I figured it would be bad but 0%?! mredskins 04-29-2010, 03:16 PM lol jeez I figured it would be bad but 0%?! I know 0% takes some work. Riggo44 04-29-2010, 03:46 PM The first one scared me pretty good when I was in 5th grade but after part 3 I stopped watching them. The trailers do look kind of cool so I'll probably catch it when it comes out on DVD in a month or two. tryfuhl 04-30-2010, 12:26 AM 12 % Reviews Counted:33 Fresh:4 Rotten:29 Average Rating:3.8/10 Consensus: Visually faithful but lacking the depth and subversive twists that made the original so memorable, the Nightmare on Elm Street remake lives up to its title in the worst possible way. itvnetop 04-30-2010, 12:55 AM I will just because I'm a horror freak. Even though it may suck. mredskins 04-30-2010, 08:12 AM 12 % Reviews Counted:33 Fresh:4 Rotten:29 Average Rating:3.8/10 Consensus: Visually faithful but lacking the depth and subversive twists that made the original so memorable, the Nightmare on Elm Street remake lives up to its title in the worst possible way. IT was at 0%, I guess four horror web sites finally reviewed it. mredskins 04-30-2010, 08:13 AM BDK review from the Junkies he gave it two stars. A Nighmare On Elm Street is cookie-cutter horror at its best and its best just isn't good enough. The film is neither scary nor frightening in the least but does deliver a fine performance by Jackie Earle Haley. We have all been saying for years that Hollywood is out of ideas, hence the constant remakes, reboots, robots or whatever we are calling these things. A Nightmare on Elm Street was actually a film I was looking forward to seeing considering one of my favorite actors was playing Freddy. Jackie Earle Haley is easily one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, with scene stealing performances where he can be both fragile and bad-ass at the exact same time. He blew me away as Rorshach in Watchmen and then again as George Noyce in my favorite film of 2010 so far, Shutter Island. Now he's taking on one of the most iconic horror characters of all time. Robert Englund will never be able to walk down the street without people calling him Freddy. That role was a gift and a curse because anytime he is in a film nowadays, you think of Freddy. Filling those shoes is a pretty big deal and I thought that Jackie Earle Haley nailed the part but the rest of the film needs major surgery. A Nightmare on Elm Street relies heavily on trying to scare you and trying to make you laugh. I am all for the funny version of Freddy Krueger. When mixed with the sick twisted and brutal Freddy, you get the perfect horror icon. Now, Jackie Earle Haley does a good enough job at getting those two aspects across but the movie ultimately fails in scaring its audience. The scares were very cookie-cutter and felt too predictable. You could almost predict every move Freddy would make, which has nothing to do with the performance of Earle Haley but more to do with the script and direction. His one liners kept the movie afloat, at least. I would compare the character of Freddy to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Crazy, you say? Well, here me out. In all of Arnold's classic films like Commando, Predator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, he is known for delivering great action scenes with his cheesy one liners. Freddy is known for delivering his ultra-violence and his cheesy one liners. Movies like Predator and Commando perfectly balance out that line of funny and serious with the action. This new Freddy film failed to engage its audience in any tension, making the movie feel flat. The only thing the movie really has going for it is its performance from Jackie Earle Haley, the score and a couple of the death scenes. One of the major issues of the movie was how flat the cast was. Every character in the movie felt bland and unoriginal. Whether it be the possible love interests of Nancy (Rooney Mara Youth in Revolt) and Quentin (Kyle Gallner Jennifer's Body) or any other character. It just didn't work. One of my favorite aspects of the film were the sound effects and film score. Freddy's main theme was rather brutal and worked perfectly for the dream sequences. The opening credits film score was also very nice to listen to though when are films going to start realizing that audiences don't want three to four minutes of film credits before a movie starts. Heck, Avatar didn't even have credits at the beginning and that's the highest grossing film of all time. When it comes to sound effects, the loud sounds of bass rattling through the theatre worked really well for effect. Also, the sound effects of Freddy's knife fingers going against metal pipes as the sparks start to fly was pretty cool to listen to. I looked forward to those scenes because the sounds could have been cringe worthy but ended up working to the film's advantage. The film opens and we meet a character named Dean (played by Twilight star Kellan Lutz). Dean is having a hard time going to sleep considering a creepy man with a red sweater and knives for fingers keeps chasing him. He finally starts to think it's weird when he wakes up sitting in a diner and his hand had been cut wide open. Dean's friend Kris (played by Katie Cassidy) comes to visit him but gets up to use the restroom only to get back to see Dean cutting his own throat (which was one of the more brutal scenes of the film). At least that's what it appeared to be. We the audience know that Mr. Freddy Krueger was doing the dirty work. Like every Freddy movie, he is terrorizing teenagers in their sleep. There is nothing scarier than the idea of not being able to go sleep, hence the reason there have now been nine films featuring the character of Freddy Krueger. As other teenagers start to die off, the two lead characters of the film Nancy and Quentin start to figure out the past of Freddy (Jackie Earle Haley). What is making him want to kill them in their sleep? As Nancy and Quentin start to piece clues together, they begin realizing that all of the kids dying are connected back to a Pre-school somehow (Following the exact story line as the original). I don't want to give anything away but Freddy is really angry at these kids and has come back to kill them now that they are in high school. Since Freddy has been forgotten, he needs to instill fear to "refuel" his killing spree. The question is whether or not Nancy and Quentin can stop him before he kills them both. The film does explore a bit of Freddy as a normal human being working as a gardener at a Pre-school. I almost wish we got to see more of the human Freddy before he turned. That's interesting and adds depth to his character. For those of you not familiar with Freddy Krueger, anytime a character falls asleep, they are taken to an alternate world where Freddy can totally mess with them. In this world, the character is subject to Freddy's torture and brutality. If the character dies in Freddy's world, he/she dies in real life. Therefore, they are forced to stay awake as long as possible but once you reach three days of no sleep, your body will start to experience micro naps, in which you can dream while you are still awake. The concept is great but it's all in the execution. I will say the use of micro naps during a scene that takes place in a pharmacy was phenomenal. It keeps cutting back and forth to Freddy's world and the real world. I wish there were more scenes like that in the film. The ultimate question that everyone wants to know is whether or not Jackie Earle Haley is better than Robert Englund. The short answer is no because Englund has eight films behind him (if you count the awesome Freddy Vs. Jason). Haley still has to prove himself but he did embrace the sickness of the character well. The make-up effects were amazing and you could tell that Haley completely transformed into Freddy. He just needed to be scarier. The problem is that we are used to all of these scares and they feel old. A Nightmare on Elm Street brings absolutely nothing new to the franchise. Is the film bad? I wouldn't go that far because it does deliver some great one-liners, a good performance from Haley and some great kill scenes. Though, as a horror film, the scares are not there. I was hoping for a really scary horror movie considering the material we are dealing with. It just went down the normal horror route with cheap predictable scares. The film deserves a 2.5 BDK rating out of 5. If you go in with low expectations, you should be fine but just don't set the bar too high. My co-host Josh and I said before the movie started that the film wouldn't be bad because of Jackie Earle Haley but because of the script. It turns out we were right. MTK 04-30-2010, 08:20 AM Hollywood needs to chill out with the remakes. mredskins 04-30-2010, 08:34 AM Hollywood needs to chill out with the remakes. Agreed but some have been done well. Texas Chainsaw the remake was an awesome movie, I would say better then the original. Even Amityville Horror was also well done. So it can work but generally it fails. This had potential to really scary the F out of us but they decide to go down the campy horror film road.