Brutal Upgrade

Rating: 8/10 (1 April 2009)

I am not a fan of most remakes and despise the fact that in Hollywood there is a faction that feels the need to remake excellent original films, some only a few years old, and completely take the limelight away from the originals. Just look at 'The Eye' & 'Quarantine'. They insult our intelligence by assuming we won't be able to watch foreign language films and would prefer to have millions of dollars spent remaking it in the English language.
In saying that, Hollywood remakes are sometimes not necessary but occasionally it seems that a film is dug out of the archives that is so ready to be remade or in this case totally and brutally upgraded. Because it doesn't really feel as though you are watching a remake it just feels like you are watching the same film that you vaguely remember all those years ago but it has undergone a brutal upgrade.
The look of the film is very very good and the cinematographer and director should be very proud of the look of the film. The landscape looks brilliant bathed in bright sunlight and the gore is well done and plentiful especially as we move into the 'Test Town' toward the end of the film.
The acting is top notch but for some strange reason I couldn't get out of my head the fact that I thought Cilian Murphy would have been better cast in the lead hero role and could have maybe brought a different aspect and depth to the character.
I must say as well that I have an incline that as far as horror remakes go this could be the first film that possibly outshines the original, which is a rare feat and one that should be applauded. Most Horror films are set at night for obvious reasons but a large proportion of this film is set during the daylight which I believe makes the film stand out from its peers even more and looks so much better.
I think this is an excellent survival horror film by any standards and is up with the best of them in my horror collection. I would totally recommend it to any horror fans and anyone who wants to join the Carter family for a brutal ride. But be warned as the new version contains an extended and very visceral rape scene in the family's trailer.
Not for the faint hearted 8/10