mschumann

So, I saw FD5 at its midnight release after purchasing my tickets days in advance. Yes, I'm that big of a fan; next to Nightmare on Elm Street, the FD franchise is my favorite. I don't want to make this a long review, but I will sum up my thoughts on this movie in one word… AMAZING! FD 5 is, IMO, the best installment to the franchise, and in some cases, surpasses the original. From start to finish, the movie is full of suspense, tension, excitement, and anticipation. It's enough to keep ME, someone who has followed this movie's production for the past year and knew just about everything about the movie going into it, at the edge of my seat. Yes, I knew who'd die, when they'd die, and how they'd die even before stepping foot into the theater. But, regardless, I wasn't let down one bit. This movie, unlike the others (minus the 1st), succeeded in giving character development. The death scenes were awesome and not too overly fictional, and even managed to throw in a new rule, "kill or be killed." Which gave a breath of fresh air to the almost stale plot that we all know of. The premonition scene is definitely the best of the franchise and the acting was on par. Not Oscar worthy, but definitely believable for what it is. I just can't say enough how great this movie is. Now I won't spoil anything for anyone, but the ending was EPIC! Words can't describe how amazing it was. Steven Quale did wonders with the use of 3D as well. Should it be seen in 3D…? YES! The film was shot in 3D and Quale knew when to emphasize the use of it without shoving it in our faces (except for the extra long title sequence, and credits). Anyways, while I loved this movie and everything about it, it did have a few things about it that underwhelmed me. The use of CGI blood was a bit more than I wanted, and at some points did look a bit fake. Also, some parts of the film were a bit too comedic. The comedic level should have been toned down for a particular scene (I'm looking at YOU, Issac.) Other than that, the movie was fantastic and an excellent installment into the FD family. I really recommend this movie, but only to those at least knowing what they are getting themselves into.

Platinum Dune's "re-imagining" of A Nightmare on Elm Street was in my opinion a wonderfully make film that far surpasses the remakes of this time (Friday the 13th, Black X-Mas). This film finally brings Freddy back to his roots as the dark, ominous, and terrifyingly sadistic dream killer. After its premiere, I was shocked to see so many negative reviews, stubbornly comparing this film to the original. Even though this film was basically a remake, viewers should take a disinterested approach when watching this film. Meaning, they should judge this film solely on its form.

This film did a wonderful job giving the a new background to Freddy, including wonderful flashback scenes that really gave us some temporary sympathy for poor ole' Fred Krueger. I loved how this film actually had us guessing if he was innocent or not for a good bit of the film, even though it was vaguely obvious that he wasn't from the start. This background information really built a solid foundation for this film to stand on, and that is what sets it apart from various other horror flicks that just focus on the next kill or sex scene.

I'm not going to make this review long and boring, so I will get straight to the main points.

The GOOD: - The acting was not bad at all. Yes, Rooney Mara's character was a bit dry and monotonous at sometimes, but thank goodness that Kyle Gallner stepped in to save the day. Katie Cassidy does wonders with her small role as well as Dekker's solid performance. - Jesse's death scene was the best of the film... but it was mostly Freddy who did a wonderful job on this scene. - The background of Kruger was phenomenally done, with his death and his life as the school's grounds keeper. - The death scenes were very nice, not overly CGI'ed and actually suspenseful. I really did not see the generic scare formula in these scenes as so many critics have been complaining about. - Haley's Freddy is absolutely wonderful. Not taking anything away from Englund's Freddy which was very iconic for his Nightmare films. But, Haley really stepped it up, as expected, making Freddy scary again. I loved his one liners, which weren't over done. - The tone of the movie was perfect, and YES, the serious route is the way to go. I have not the slightest clue why some critics have complained about how the film does not make Freddy funny like in the original. This film makes Freddy what he should be, a burned up, enraged killer. Come on, that's what this film needed! Platinum Dunes does right with Freddy, making him into the sadistic pedophile he should be. - The idea of Micro naps was ingenious and a refreshing way for Freddy to attack. - The ending was perfect, not the fight scene, but the ending with Nancy's mom. This was a wonderful homage to the original and was really done well. - Kris's death scene, like Tina's from the original, was also done well, maybe not as good as the original, but certainly awesome. - I don't care what people say, I loved his new look. It had just the right amount of CGI to take his look to whole other level. Well done!

The BAD: - The film did seem to be a bit rushed. - They killed Freddy way too fast, however, if we all remember in the original, they got rid of him just as fast. Although, if they wanted a fight scene, it should have been longer. The way he died was lame, and Nancy's final words to him was basically the same as in FvJ. - As well as the bathtub scene, Quentin being pulled underwater kind of took care of that. But, why even have Freddy's glove come up from the water if nothing eventually happens? - Marcus Yeon... ehh, could have done without this web cam scene. But, it was understandable why it was added... just saying, it could have been gone about in a different way. - Platinum Dunes cut too much from the film... I read about all the deleted scenes and was a but frustrated why some of them weren't kept in the theatrical version... oh, well, I guess the DVD will have tons of extra features to satisfy me.

The UGLY: - The CGI wall scene... yeah, I'm with everyone else on this one. It was overly done and not effective; pretty much useless.

So, overall... this was a very solid film. I very much enjoyed it. Like I said, I just don't understand its negative reviews, especially Roger Ebert's review. I can't believe he gave it one star and Friday the 13th remake 2 stars. (probably because he liked the sex scenes in that one, heh...yep.) Anyway, I understand everyone is entitled to their opinion, and this was mine.

Furthermore, I DO recommend seeing this film, especially for those die-hard fans like myself. But, I will suggest not overly comparing it to the original... you'll enjoy it much, much more. And yes, I will buy the DVD when it comes out. :)