Day 24 - Poltergeist (2015)
Platform:
Borrowed disc from Clermont County Public Library.
Quote:
“They’re here.”
Synopsis:
A young girl becomes the center of a supernatural haunting, and her family will have to band together to drive out the spirits.
Review:
This remake of the original Spielberg film is a modern update to the classic. Let’s begin with some definitions. A reboot is when they take an old movie, and they tell a similar story but with a fresh take to make it more interesting and most likely hoping to spin-off a new version of the franchise (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and Child’s Play are all examples of this). A remake is when they redo the exact same movie, just updating it for a modern audience and updated effects (Nightmare on Elm Street, House on Haunted Hill, and The Haunting are good examples of this type). A soft-reboot is when they start fresh with a story to take it in new directions, but they don’t necessarily discount the previous films (I can’t think of a good horror example of this style, but The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton is the best example I can come up with for this style). Lastly, we have the newest trend of the requel (I might be making that term up, but I think it works), where they reboot the franchise with a new sequel that tells a very similar story to the original, but it’s actually a follow up to the original (Halloween H20, Halloween 2018, Jurassic World, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens are all examples of this new trend). Now I go into this so that everyone understands what I mean by calling this a remake, and not a reboot. Yes, they are a different family. Yes, there is a different dynamic with the dad being out of work as opposed to working for the development company. BUT the story beats are all exactly the same. The only change that they make to the story are that instead of having Tangina, the psychic medium, come to help get their youngest daughter back, they have a TV host of a paranormal investigation show come to help them get their daughter back. Even that change though does little to nothing to make this a new take going in a different direction.
So, the question is, “is this a good remake that improves on the original?” That’s the only reason to do a remake. It has to be an improvement on the original, or why even do it? Just watch the original if it still holds up. As a film, this is a pretty good movie. The effects are pretty good, and the cast does a good job of making us like them and feel their tension as they deal with the haunting. The major fault in this film is some lazy story telling. We learn that the dad was recently laid off from his job, the mom has been a stay-at-home-mom who is planning to get back to writing now that her kids are getting older, and for some reason this has prompted them to buy a new house. I’m assuming they needed something with lower house payments since they are going to be low on income, but if that’s the case, why buy? How could they buy? I can’t imagine the loan company that would give them a loan under those circumstances. It seems like you’d sell your old house and rent using the equity on the house you sold to help live off of until you get back on your feet. It doesn’t make much sense. Then there’s the haunting itself. In the original classic we learn that the reason behind the haunting is that the little girl has a powerful life force, and that the development they move into was built on an old burial ground, but that while the headstones were relocated, the bodies were left on the site. This causes those disturbed spirits to be drawn to the young girl. In this one though, the paranormal investigator just says that’s what he thinks is going on. We never really know for certain. It’s pretty lazy and really relies on knowledge of the original to understand which is not something you want to do in a remake that’s meant to be a replacement for the original. And if it’s meant to be a reboot, then they need to update the mythology and give us a new reason for what’s happening.
I decided to go back and watch the original to see if it held up against the new version. If this new version really did look better, have better acting, told a cleaner story, then this would get a solid recommend. Unfortunately, for the new Poltergeist, the original actually was much more effective. There were creepy moments I had forgotten about from the original that really surprised me. Everything about the original works better, except maybe the acting. The acting feels very much like a movie of the ‘80s. Other than that though, I say go watch the original over this one. I will still give this one a recommend, if only mildly. It’s a good film, and is worth a look considering what I’m doing with this years reviews. I will say, this has inspired me for next year's list. I’ve already decided that next year, I’ll be doing originals vs reboot/remake/etc. I’m looking forward to next year’s challenge already!
Movie Count:
New = 15
Total = 24
DVD/Blu-Ray Borrow Breakdown: I'm sure this feature is not new to anyone really, but I'll still point out some of the benefits and drawbacks. Let's start with the benefits. Most of the digital titles you find on the Hoopla and OverDrive platforms are going to be a few years old or going to be fairly obscure titles. New release, major motion pictures are going to take a while before they relinquish streaming rights to general public services like these. But the library regularly purchases physical copies of new releases for patrons to borrow. Libraries also offer hold services so that even if your library's copies have all been checked out, you can go ahead and put in a request to be put on a waiting list so that you hold your place in line to borrow that title when it's ready for you. Interlibrary loans also allow you to check out books and movies even if your local library branch doesn't carry the title, so your options are pretty much limitless as long as you have the patience to wait for delivery. The drawbacks to this service are that you do have to pay close attention to due dates. Videos usually have a higher late fee than books, and you have them for a shorter loan period (usually 7 days). One big leg up on borrowing physical copies that the digital platforms have, is that you don't have to worry about late fees because the titles automatically return when your loan period expires. However, if you know that the movie you want is very popular, and you want a little more time with it, you could always shell out the extra $1 to keep it another day. Another drawback is that you are using shared materials. That means that you are at the mercy of the treatment that other patrons apply to the material. Sometimes you get a DVD or Blu-ray that could be scratched (I know that Blu-ray's are supposed to be nearly unscratchable, but it seems that some people have taken that as a personal challenge), or dirty to the point that it skips, or is even unwatchable.
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