Sadly Over-hyped

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

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

Being a huge fan of the French 2008 movie "Martyrs", I had strong doubts about the quality and necessity of a remake. Still I tried to push all those negative feelings aside and give the movie a fair shot. Like the original, it starts out when the young girl Lucy escapes from a terrible situation unknown to the viewer. She lands in an orphanage where she meets her best friend Anna while being haunted from the past. Ten years later, Lucy kills a family claiming they are her former capturers. One aspect I love about the French version is, it basically consists of two stories with the turnaround in the middle of the movie. The remake adapts the first half of the film more or less faithfully though clearly worse than the original and the second half deviates completely from it. With those drastic changes it feels more like one consisting story rather than two. They tried to create a new story instead of copying the French movie shot for shot and the attempt of doing so I appreciate about it. Still the second part fells illogical and is a mess. For me it does not work and felt even cheesy sometimes. The acting is not exceptional but also not terrible. It has some beautifully shot scenes but there is some shaky cam in it which is bothering. Furthermore the movie is a lot less violent and gory which basically is okay but leads to some illogical moments in the second half. Also there are some genuinely boring moments considering the short running time and overall it is a lot less emotional than Pascal Laugier's Martyrs. Especially an aspect from Lucy's struggle with the past is left unresolved and you care a lot less about her. Over all, I think someone who has not seen the French version or does not like extremely brutal movies can watch this toned down version and might actually enjoy it for its story. Fans of the New French Extremity masterpiece should stay away from the remake and everybody else I clearly advise to check out the former one!

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.

So, yes, I have seen the original and it still haunts me to this day, and I watch a lot of movies...but the opening of the original is just brutal...and we know that won't fly in USA movies, thanks to censors, so it is not right to really compare this to the original, that could never be done here...so I did not go into this expecting to the see the original movie "remade"...it will never be done and does not need to be.So, from my point of view, this was not a horrible movie...I did not come out of this feeling I had wasted the time I spent watching this. The story is a little more fleshed out in this one without all the torture scenes of the first one and it was made to reflect our current times and the location of it. Not a bad movie at all, and I do still prefer the original...nothing will ever touch the way the original makes me feel to this day...BUT, I don't think this movie deserves all the trash talk it gets...there are so many "bad" horror movies out there that are a lot worse than this was.Overall, not bad, just don't expect the original, it could never be made in an American movie. I definitely think it was worth the watch, it was done well.