What a week. From working almost every day to sleeping the whole day, [because of work] this week has been torture. I’ve been insanely busy and when I do get a free minute, I don’t want to do anything productive. This of course, includes writing on here. But now, it’s been over a week since I wrote about the awesome horror novel Dwelling and I’ve been feeling antsy to get back into writing – so here we are.
Naturally, when I woke up this morning, I did my usual routine: make a coffee, turn on my computer, and search the Internet for new and exciting things that are happening in the movie world. The first thing I notice is today’s topic – and it’s something I’ve been meaning to go over in more detail; especially after it was announced. But now we have a trailer, and…I’m skeptical. Let’s talk about it though, let’s talk Martyrs – the remake.
If you’ve seen the original Martyrs film, [which is both fantastic as it is terrifying] you’ll no doubt notice that this trailer makes seems to look more like a mean-spirited take Pascal Laugier’s original 2009 French film. It also seems to take away a lot of the mystery that the original had, only to try and make it “scarier” by filling it will even more torment and violence. Is this a good thing? Not entirely. Out of curiosity, I looked up some of the reviews for early viewers of this remake, and many were unenthusiastic, saying it lacked the same intense feeling that the original had. Not to mention, the original pushed their R-rating, while this remake is getting PG-13 – so…there’s that. I’m not saying all PG-13 horror is bad, I mean Insidious, Gremlins, and even Fire In The Sky were all rated PG-13; and I love these films. I just feel this means that this version of Martyrs is going to dramatically toned down.
As it turns out though, Anchor Bay recently set January 22, 2016 as a limited theatrical and Digital HD release of this reboot, which will eventually arrive on VOD, DVD and Blu-ray on February 2, 2016.. Feels kind of quick, doesn’t it? For those that don’t know what Martyrs is about – at least this version – here’s a plot synopsis and only you can be the judge if this movie sounds like your cup of tea. [or in my case; coffee]
“Ten-year-old Lucie flees from the isolated warehouse where she has been held prisoner. Deeply traumatized, she is plagued by awful night terrors at the orphanage that takes her in. Her only comfort comes from Anna, a girl her own age. Nearly a decade later and still haunted by demons, Lucie finally tracks down the family that tortured her. As she and Anna move closer to the agonizing truth, they find themselves trapped in a nightmare – if they cannot escape, a martyr’s fate awaits them…“
So does it seem worthwhile? I mean, maybe. I enjoyed the original [as extreme as it is] for what it was. It was violent, brave, and extremely horrific. This quick “Americanized” remake, seems to come off as toned down, but we won’t really know until it’s been watched. It has the same fearful elements of the original, but I can’t tell if there’s going to be the same horrific feeling that the came with the original French film. There’s already talks about how this remake is going to have a “happier ending to appease North American audiences”, so that alone has me concerned for the end result of this film.
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definitely not a film for those with a weak heart.
THANKS FOR READING.
