ENGLISH - (18PL) - 18 June 2009 - Horror/Thriller Distributor: Universal Pictures/Rogue Pictures
Running Time: 110 mins.
Director: Dennis Iliadis
Producers: Wes Craven, sean S Cunningham, Marianne Maddalena
Writers: Adam Alleca, Carl Ellsworth, Wes Craven (original)
Casts: Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, Garret Dillahunt, Spencer Treat Clark, Martha MacIsaac, Sara Paxton
Plot: After kidnapping and brutally assaulting two young women, a gang led by a prison escapee unknowingly finds refuge at a vacation home belonging the parents of one of the victims -- a mother and father who devise an increasingly gruesome series of revenge tactics
Running Time: 110 mins.
Director: Dennis Iliadis
Producers: Wes Craven, sean S Cunningham, Marianne Maddalena
Writers: Adam Alleca, Carl Ellsworth, Wes Craven (original)
Casts: Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, Garret Dillahunt, Spencer Treat Clark, Martha MacIsaac, Sara Paxton
Plot: After kidnapping and brutally assaulting two young women, a gang led by a prison escapee unknowingly finds refuge at a vacation home belonging the parents of one of the victims -- a mother and father who devise an increasingly gruesome series of revenge tactics
THE VERDICT...
Green Tea Bern Says...
In yet another remake of a classic horror, it never fails to make you wonder why Hollywood would continue to produce such when the outcome is still terrible. One can never stop questioning that but thankfully; this remake is still bearable and still intriguing somehow. Wes Craven’s original writing may have been altered a little and some of the original elements have lost in translation.
The Last House On The Left tells about Collingwood family on their vacation to their lake house. Mari, the daughter, goes out to look for her friends – Paige and Justin. However, things turn ugly when Justin’s relatives whom are wanted criminals, arrive in the hotel after successfully broke out of police custody. Believing it’s too risky to let Mari and Paige go, the bandits kidnap both of them. After the Collingwood know what happen to their daughter, they plot revenge against the bandits.
Talking about coincidence, the storyline reflects what it is about. The moment of coincidence appears in two occasions – when the bandits – Krug, Francis and Sadie arrive at the hotel and later at the Collingwood’s lake house. It is easy to say that these are deliberately written to fit the bill and to serve the storyline merely. But that is not important actually, what most is that the fact the plot is thick, well-delivered, and tense and holds some suspense to the audience.
Unlike the original, Mari did not die and Justin did not leave the family in the moment of need. These changes have little help in changing the course outcome but simply leaving a note of urgency and suspense to the story. However, I still felt a sense of mixed about it, thinking that if Mari was death like in the original, there is a probability that the course of the story may be different, darker and more violence when revenge is much deeper than this.
There are no obvious star-powers in this movie but in general they perform pretty well. Each character has a different approach and sense to the story. I particularly like Mari (portrayed by Sara Paxton) and Krug (Garret Dillahunt) simply because they are the one that keeps the story very alive and has an ample transformation to allow the movie to move on. However, one thing I notice character development is lacking in somehow
In a nutshell, this horror thriller is average and passable. You shall not expect anything greater than what you have already known. The film is tense but did not have the mode to keep the horror very long. The particular way how the revenge is executed is moderate and leaves a gap of improvement patching on everywhere. If the story and plot can be polished more, this would be an exciting turn-out.
In a nutshell, this horror thriller is average and passable. You shall not expect anything greater than what you have already known. The film is tense but did not have the mode to keep the horror very long. The particular way how the revenge is executed is moderate and leaves a gap of improvement patching on everywhere. If the story and plot can be polished more, this would be an exciting turn-out.
THE RATING...
STORY – 3.5 stars
CASTS – 3.5 stars
CINEMATOGRAPHY – 3.5 stars
EFFECTS - 3.5 stars
Average - 3.5stars
Green-Tea-O-Meter: 14.0