This is kinda plain once you’ve seen the original. Snyder isn’t interested in the satire, this remake is a lot sleeker, faster and commercial. James Gunn’s script emphasizes the pulpy element of this story, which is great for a filmmaker like Snyder who tends to be at his best when he doesn’t overcomplicate things. As such, this has some admirable qualities to it. The filmmaking certainly isn’t devoid of personality, which immediately becomes clear during the impressive opening. The way that it’s presented makes it feel like a brother to Shaun of the Dead, it has a similar 2000s indie feel to it. The craft and acting are a lot more competent than Snyder’s more recent work, the pace/editing are smooth and the action is genuinely exciting to watch. He creates moments here that are tense, shocking and even … dare I say it … fun? Any moment that takes place at the rooftop definitely stands out in that regard. There’s a lot to respect about this for a debut feature, it seems like Snyder never had any trouble finding his directorial voice. However, the weaknesses are also pretty obvious. It’s too monotone throughout, the characters lack a distinct personality or arc, the score feels overblown (almost every horror beat is punctuated like you’re watching a parody) and some of the colour grading can get ugly (e.g. more than a few shots are blatantly overexposed). It’s not the most engaging film, but as a stylish, energetic genre exercise, the good outweighs the bad for me.
Review by JordyVIP 8BlockedParent2024-04-19T22:59:16Z
This is kinda plain once you’ve seen the original. Snyder isn’t interested in the satire, this remake is a lot sleeker, faster and commercial. James Gunn’s script emphasizes the pulpy element of this story, which is great for a filmmaker like Snyder who tends to be at his best when he doesn’t overcomplicate things. As such, this has some admirable qualities to it. The filmmaking certainly isn’t devoid of personality, which immediately becomes clear during the impressive opening. The way that it’s presented makes it feel like a brother to Shaun of the Dead, it has a similar 2000s indie feel to it. The craft and acting are a lot more competent than Snyder’s more recent work, the pace/editing are smooth and the action is genuinely exciting to watch. He creates moments here that are tense, shocking and even … dare I say it … fun? Any moment that takes place at the rooftop definitely stands out in that regard. There’s a lot to respect about this for a debut feature, it seems like Snyder never had any trouble finding his directorial voice. However, the weaknesses are also pretty obvious. It’s too monotone throughout, the characters lack a distinct personality or arc, the score feels overblown (almost every horror beat is punctuated like you’re watching a parody) and some of the colour grading can get ugly (e.g. more than a few shots are blatantly overexposed). It’s not the most engaging film, but as a stylish, energetic genre exercise, the good outweighs the bad for me.
5.5/10