Hollywood seems to be at a loss for new and creative ideas for movies as the remake of the 1976 cult classic, "Carrie" hit Phoenix theaters Friday. However, this remake may actually be worth the trip to the theater for moviegoers, if only to see the iconic pig's blood at the prom scene that skyrocketed this movie to fame more than thirty years ago.
The "Carrie" remake stars Julianne Moore as Margaret White, Carrie's radical bible-thumping mother who oppresses Carrie in many ways, including making her pray for forgiveness in a closet for "becoming a woman." Moore manages to portray this character as entirely eerie, as she speaks in mostly Bible verses and prayers throughout the movie.
She certainly did a great job with her performance, as one can clearly see her deterioration throughout the film as she realizes that her daughter has the capabilities to wreak havoc wherever she goes.
Chloë Grace Moretz stars as Carrie, and the casting of this role could not have been any better. Moretz brings something to the table that Sissy Spacek, the original 1976 Carrie, just couldn't. As a sweet and harmless-looking adolescent girl, Moretz is completely misunderstood and trying to fit in, while Spacek had naturally more severe features that made her seem less innocent and frankly, scarier.
The filmmakers used the adaptation to make the humiliation of Carrie by her peers even worse with the addition of cell phones and social networks.
In the first half- hour of the movie, Carrie is publicly humiliated when she gets her very first period in gym class. Her classmates, your stereotypical mean popular girls, proceed to take videos and throw toiletries at the poor girl as she writhes in pain on the floor. The lights then flicker and burn out as Carrie's frustration manifests into a telekinetic power that eventually causes the destruction of those who so mercilessly mocked her.
“Carrie” is certainly a film to go see if one liked the first adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, and the acting and special effects make this movie a remake worth seeing.
The original “Carrie” will always be a cult favorite, however, and no matter how good the acting or the special effects, nothing can really top Sissy Spacek walking around in a town riddled with destruction in her prom dress dripping with pig's blood.
Reach the reporter at Alexa.Dangleo@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @alexa_dangelo
