KnotStronger
This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
Keeley Coleman
The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
Payno
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Jean Frederick
This will be hard to explain. First of all. If you are that guy or girl who hates remake, stop watching them and reviewing them. If you can't separate the 2 movies then why are you even wasting your time.OK. Now to explain how, in my opinion, this movie is better and worst than the original.On the plus side, the movie looks better and is easier to fallow. I am french but the original have the actor mumbling so much it is hard to fallow. The first half of the movie is very much the same as the original. They give a little more of Anna and Lucy as kids becoming friends witch, to me, was not better or worst from the original. Some key moments are almost shot by shot. The second half of the movie, on the other hand, has the same premise and reason but taken from a very different way of doing it. It is less gory and much less brutal. I like it. The original was good but at some point it becomes just pointless torture that could be abbreviated.On the down side, the director played it a little too safe. To start with the kids. The first shot in the original, the little girl Lucy, looks like she was torture. On the remake, she only has a bruise on her cheek. If a kid is torture then you need to show it to make us feel bad. The ending is also played safe. To start, if you switch it from Anna to Lucy then give a reason why they didn't come back for Lucy at any point in the last 10 years. I like the fact that they took the face punching out of this one but they should of finished the same way or closer to the original.If you have not seen the original then you will like this. If not, I can see it going both way. I like it better but would improve by using a few more things from the original. I guess if you like films that are more nihilistic than the original is better.Both worth to watch. I would recommend the remake as much as the original.
MattyGibbs
A remake of a perceived classic will always be on a hiding to nothing and this is definitely the case here. I'm pretty sure that if this was an original film it wouldn't be rated so lowly. Saying that I'm not entirely convinced there was a need for a remake of it. Whilst not as brutal and bleak as the original movie ( is this necessarily a bad thing)this is still an unnerving and difficult film to watch. If you haven't seen the original then this is likely to have much more of an impact on you. For a film rated 4.0 I was expecting a poorly made and badly acted film which this really isn't with both the two leads are both convincing. This does lack the overall tension of the original and the ending is nowhere near as well done which does bring the film down a bit. This is worth watching if you haven't seen the original but it isn't on the same playing field as the French version
manuelasaez
I have to start off by saying that I believe that the French version of the film is the most depression, soul-wretchingly horrific movie I have ever seen in my life. It is a masterpiece in the use of atmosphere, nuance, and tact in horror film-making, and will most likely not be topped as a horror film for quite some time. This Blumhouse version is NONE OF THAT. Imagine if someone told you that France has the best burger you have ever tasted. You want to eat it so bad, but you don't want to travel to France or learn to read the menu at the restaurant because you are lazy. You wait for an American chef to create the same burger, but the meat is dry, it has no lettuce, tomatoes or pickles, and the condiments lack taste. That is exactly what you are getting with this remake. It is tasteless, like New York BBQ is tasteless compared to Texas BBQ. Like Taco Bell is compared to REAL Mexican Tacos. It lacks any redeemable elements that would make it palatable for anyone over the age of 14, and who has a more refined palette. It is simply a hollow imitation of the French film. It tries so hard to shock and disturb, but in the end, it just makes you feel sorry for everyone involved. People woke up and went to work for this. They have their names attached to the credits. It will be a film they will be forced to use on their resume. It just makes me sad that production companies like Blumhouse can outright spit on real artistry in the name of profit margins. Blumhouse, you are the worst thing to happen to horror movies since the advent of Found-footage. You have ruined one of the most definitive horror experiences since The Exorcist, and your whole company should be ashamed of yourselves.This film was absolute garbage and an insult to horror films. We will never speak of it again, and never within the same sentence as the original. A complete and utter failure, it should not be seen by anyone. It is, without a doubt, one of the worst films ever made, regardless of genre.
stivan-amed
Unlike most others, I welcome horror movie remakes. I know that most end up being trash. But there are the few that end up being decent horror movies in their own merit. Yes, I'm a fan of the original 2008 French film Martyrs. I mean I really loved the intense raw terror of the original mixed. But like most have said, it wasn't just about the terror. It had deep meaning. Which is why it has become one of the biggest horror cult classics of the past 20 years. So when I heard that they were making an American remake, I was honestly excited. The producers promised to keep the intensity of the original. This announcement was way back in 2010. So you can imagine I've been waiting nearly 6 years for this. Now the film is finally here. I will admit that the trailer for the film released online made it look very mediocre. And I knew that most other fans of the original would trash the film relentlessly regardless of its true value. It is hard to not compare this to the original. The critics reviews seem implausible too. I guess I'm the rare fan of the original that actually liked it.
