(Holy shit!!! That pick-axe actually flew out of the screen! Or maybe I shouldn't drink so much vodka before going to the movies....)
CAST: Jensen Ackles, Jamie King, Kerr Smith, Tom Atkins, Betsy Rue, Megan Boone, Kennth Tighe, Edi Gathegi.
DIRECTOR: Patrick Lussier
WARNING: Minimal SPOILERS and flying pick-axes - straight ahead...
By the mid-80's, the slasher genre which had roared to life with the success of HALLOWEEN in 1978, was starting to sputter like my first car. Weakened by too many substandard entries, and hampered by too few successes like A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, the genre was in a steep decline. Eventually, it would flame out completely - and remain pitch-dark until 1996, when SCREAM re-ignited the genre with a vengeance. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, SCREAM 2, I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, and URBAN LEGEND soon followed and were all bonafide hits. It appeared as if the slasher genre had been revived.
Unfortunately, as with the earlier wave of slasher films, the films started to wear out their welcome. By the time URBAN LEGENDS: THE FINAL CUT and VALENTINE were released at the beginning of the decade, the box-office wasn't being set on fire by them the way SCREAM and the earlier post-modern slashers did. But just when it appeared that the slasher genre was dying yet again, some genius decided to kick it up a notch - and start remaking the classic slashers.
Soon, remakes of HALLOWEEN, PROM NIGHT, HALLOWEEN 2, and BLACK CHRISTMAS were terrorizing the mutliplexes. With the exception of the BLACK CHRISTMAS remake, most of these "re-imaginings" fared well at the box-office. With the back catalog being so ruthlessly plundered, it was only a matter of time before the "remake scavengers" would find another slasher film truly worthy of remaking, er, re-imagining. Yes, folks, I am talking about that slasher flick which has special place in my, uh, heart: MY BLOODY VALENTINE.
Basically using the original film's framework of a tragic mining accident triggering a subsequent murder spree, the remake doesn't diverge too far from the previous plot. What it does different, of course, is the 3-D angle. This means a lot of chase scenes and attack sequences with characters running at the camera or weapons being jabbed at you. Fortunately, the sequences are all suspenseful and well-executed, and you don't mind the gimmicks. The movie also plays just as well in 2-D, by the way.
As with the original, a love triangle anchors the film. And like before, it's between old friends Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles) and Axel Palmer (Kerr Smith), and the woman they both love, Sarah (Jamie King). Tom has come home to try to face his demons - and sell the family business which just happens to be the mine. Turns out there are some people that will do anything to keep this from happening. And when the murders begin anew, so do the questions. Is the killer Harry Warden, sole survivor of the mining accident? Is it one of the townspeople who wants to stop Tom from selling the mine? Or someone else?
Find out for yourself. But don't forget your 3-D glasses. And watch out for that pick-axe!
BUT, SERIOUSLY: While the original MY BLOODY VALENTINE was chock-heavy with atmosphere and moved at a brooding pace that accentuated the dread, the remake is far more kinetic and propulsive. This isn't a bad thing, as we get a lot of chase scenes that are edge-of-your-seat caliber. Indeed, one of the things I wished the original did more was show the killer miner going after more people in extended chase scenes. We get that there.
The cast takes the material seriously, which helps a long way in building and maintaining suspense. Jensen Ackles is merely okay as the hero, but this is made up for by the soulful Jamie King as Sarah. As with Lori Hallier from the original, King makes a compelling heroine whom you are firmly on the side of. She ably suggests the internal conflict over the men in her life, and the external terror over the murders. It's a fairly layered character she plays, and King pulls it off. As for the third point of the triangle, Kerr Smith as Axel is a good blend of authority, decency, and intensity - and he more than makes up for Ackles's somewhat low-key presence. The rest of the cast is competent and, as with the three leads, approach their various roles with conviction.
Bottom line: MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3-D is an above-average remake of an above-average slasher film. While the original was more of a moody, slow-building type of horror film, the remake is a more twisty, adrenaline-charged thriller ride that gets your blood going. They have different strengths, but both work well in their own ways.
