Customer Reviews

Carrie (2002)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This remake is a good one to watch even if it is in widescreen and blu-ray high definition version. I hope they will come out with this as soon as possible because high definition television is here.

With Stephen King's first novel, Brian dePaulma's classic, and the outrageous sequel, I really did not see this coming. But now I am glad it did.

If you don't really know much about Carrie, it is basically a story about a girl in high school who happens to get bittersweet revenge on her classmates, who are way too cruel.

It starts off showing Carrie in her gym class, being humiliated because she cannot hit a ball with a baseball bat. Later, she has her first period in the shower and everyone starts to laugh at her. Fortunately, only one student had the heart to make up for her classmate's cruelty, and sends her boyfriend off to take Carrie out to the prom. Meanwhile, Mrs. Desjardin, the gym teacher, goes very tough on all the students who had laughed about Carrie's incident and threatens to remove their prom tickets unless they attend her daily detention classes. One student, Chris, backs out and decides that she did nothing wrong, so her prom tickets are taken away. So.. she decides to get revenge on Carrie.

Meanwhile, Carrie is "stuck in hell" with her mother who takes christianity a little over the top. Spending her hours in a "prayer closet" to beg for forgiveness, she is reading teen magazines. Once she gets asked to go to the prom, Carrie fears that she will be stood up, but decides to go.

But before this happens, we learn that she has the amazing, yet terrifying power of telekinesis. She practices hew powers on a hairbrush and researches it on the internet. Her mother, however, believes Carrie is a witch and forbids her to go to the prom, because it would be a sin. So what does Carrie do? She scares the jesus out of her by throwing things around in her rage. Finally, she goes, and has the time of her life with people who seem to accept her...

This made-for-TV remake has many ups and a few downs. First off, please don't expect another classic, although I doubt you were. Sissy Spacek's mousy go at Carrie is not seen here. Angela Bettis seems terrified of everything because of the fear that she may be hurt. Everyone has been in Carrie's shoes, and can relate to her in even the smallest measures. There is more of a story here and a glimpse of one incident that happened in Carrie's past is shown. The fantasy, dream-like texture shown out in the picture, the camera angles and the special effects does get a little annoying, but it is so easy to look past it. The length of this movie is very much appreciated, because for people who have not read the book, things not explained or revealed in the original keep viewers interested here.

There are some downsides to this movie too. For example, Margaret White is just not the same in this movie. Piper Laurie was hysterically over the top! In this version, she looks possessed and surreal. Another complaint was the prom scene. While I was completely shocked, a few things dePaulma had introduced are not seen here. Things such as the slow-motion, tidal wave effect when the blood is spilled, and the dual camera effect are not seen here. Maybe that's for good or for bad, I don't know. I just missed it. Another complaint was the ending. This ending dissapoints, leaving room for a television series. Then again, I didn't really like dePualma's version of Carrie either.

Overall, I think this movie deserves your worthwhile. While Sissy Spacek is "the" Carrie, Angela Bettis still does a great job and makes you feel.. well, you have to see the movie for yourself!

IN THE ORIGNAL I HAD TO FAST FORWARD TO THE PROM SEEN CAUSE THE FILM WASNT INTERESTING.THIS ONE I LOVE IT KEPT ME INTERESTED FROM START TO FINISH.THE FILM AIRED ON TV LIKE A YEAR AND A HALF AGO OR SOMETHING.I WAS BUSY I COULDNT WATCH THE FILM HARDLY AT ALL.YESTERDAY I SAW THE FILM ON A SALE STAND AT THIS CLOTHES STORE,I HAD TO BUY IT.THE ACTING,SUSPENSE AND EVERYTHING WAS AWESOME.I SPOTTED A GIRL FROM THE HIT MOTION PICTURE FREDDY VS. JASON.AND THE GIRL WHO PLAYED CARRIE WAS IN MAY. THE MOST GORY FILM IN CINEMA HISTORY. AND A COUPLE OTHER FACES I DID SEE. ITS A MASTERPIECE.SO DO YOUR SELF A FAVER GO SEE IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!

Well it was something that made her bleed

Though I enjoyed the original film that was made by Brian DePalma, who I always felt was a modern-day Hitchcock. I really enjoyed this new movie about Carrie. Movies have been remade since their invention. And why not? I like watching how other directors handle the source material. This new take on the novel was very good and very close to the novel except for the more upbeat ending--which I appreciated because the ending of the book always bothered me. The direction and camera work in the new Carrie is refreshing, real, and very atmospheric. The hazy light in study hall, the greenness of the institutional lights in the interview room, the shadows and light in Carrie's house, the surreal use of blue-screen backgrounds all contribute to make this film play like an odd bad dream. Angela Bettis was remarkable in her portrayal of Carrie. Many folks complained that the other characters were played all wrong--well, that is wrong! And you would know that if you read the novel. Far more improved on the original was the relationship between Chris and Billy. The acting in this movie is excellent and the young cast is very talented. Being a miniseries, there was more time to flesh out characters and actually do the some of the scenes that DePalma wanted to do back in the 70's but couldn't do to time constrants and hasseling from the studio. I bought this DVD and I have it next to the DePalma movie on the shelf. My only complaint is that there were no extra features other than ads for upcoming movies. I even liked the music.

This is in response to some of the previous reviews for this film. One should realize that this is an adaptation of Stephen King's original novel. It is not a remake of Brian de Palma's 1976 movie. If you read the novel and then compare with this telefilm you will find that it is one of the most faithful transfers from book to film. Just wanted to wake some people. Also, Angela Bettis's performance doesn't surpass Sissy Spacek's but it isn't any less in my humble opinion, kudos to her portrayal of Carrie and to the rest of the cast and crew. A truly accurate portrayal of high school life.

This is the kind of film that you will probably only want to watch once. You'll want to watch it if you've seen the original (which is a great film in itself) but don't keep your hopes up high as this remake really falls short.

The DVD really has no extras so far from what I can tell except for some trailers on other movies such as "The Howling" and "The Fog". Amazon states that this DVD has "TV spots" on the DVD but I have yet to find them which means that there aren't any TV spots on the disc or they're hidden.

The picture quality isn't all that great though considering this was made for TV I guess I'll let it slide. This is a bare bones disc that only fans of the remake will probably buy. I only bought it because I love the original movie and that this version has never been played in Australia (to my understanding). I'm not sure if it ever would have gotten played here in Australia. I'm kind of disappointed, I was expecting something better.

Check it out. The gym teacher looks like Demi Moore's long lost twin sister, lol.

Like a good number of remakes of classic movies, especially in the horror genre, the 2002 NBC-TV remaking of CARRIE is a problematic film. The basic allure of Stephen King's first novel, which touches on religious fanaticism, high school fascism, and telekinesis, is as relevant now as it was in 1976, when Brian DePalma's film was released. Even a good premise, however, can be derailed by mediocre execution, as was the case in the TV remake of THE SHINING or in the 1999 "sequel" THE RAGE: CARRIE 2.

Angela Bettis does a good enough job as the tormented Carrie White. Given that she has some pretty big shoes to fill, namely those of Sissy Spacek who had received an Oscar nod for the role in 1976, I think Bettis does better than most. Patricia Clarkson is fair as the unglued Margaret White, although her low-key insanity still might make one pine for Piper Laurie's extremist performance in the first film.

But for me, what undid this film were not only the many politically correct cosmetic changes to the identities of her torturing classmates (the Sue Snell character is African-American here), but the fact that the bucket of blood scene is poorly done. When it's poured on Bettis, it just looks like what it is--red syrup. In the original, when the blood hits Spacek, it slams into her like a tidal wave (thanks to DePalma's slow motion), creating such an emotional impact that caused that film to transcend the mere boundaries of horror.

The CARRIE remake is thus forever in the shadow of the original, even as Bettis' performance stands on its own. It is an okay film, even for TV; but for a true combination of horror and drama, the 1976 original is still the one to watch.

Carrie White (portrayed by Angela Bettis) is your typical High school girl...except she is hated by all, and she has telekinesis. This movie is alot better than the original for many reasons. First of all, i am only 15, so i am going to think that the special effects are better right off the bat. I loved the original, but this one is so much better. I have read the book, and this one follows the book pretty much to the t. For instance, in the shower scene, they weren't supposed to yell "PLUG IT UP!", but rather "period" over and over. Also, the way the mother dies follows the book rather than the original. This is the way the movie was meant to be, and this version should've been made in 76, rather than the original. It would've worked just as good, had the original cast been in this version...These stars are just as good though.

First of all the Carrie with Sissy Spacek is a classic and always will be. when i first heard this was coming on tv i was wondering what to expect, being the original carrie is my favorite movie. well i wasnt dissapointed but i wasnt thrilled. Angela Bettis is an excellant actor. She pulled the part off. This version stuck closer to the book, and the acting was good for the most part. The ending was pretty stupid(leaving room for a sequel). but the prom scene was interesting . all in all a nice try but it doesnt compare to the original. patricia clarkson and the gym teacher also turned in convincing roles. look for angela bettis in may(an excellant movie) and girl interrupted.