Pet Sematary (2019)
1/4
Starring: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow, Jete Laurence, Hugh Lavoie, Lucas Lavoie
Rated R for Horror Violence, Bloody Images and Some Language
The original "Pet Sematary" back from 1989 was a pretty sorry excuse for a horror film, so the idea of remaking it isn't shameful. I went it with optimism. Horror movie lover (and stingy rater) James Berardinelli reacted positively to it. And it's a box office success (not that that means much). I figured it at least had to be better than the first attempt. Boy was I in for a rotten surprise.
The Creeds are leaving Boston behind. Louis (Clarke) and his wife Rachel (Seimetz) have packed up their children Ellie (Laurence) and Gage (Lavoie), and Ellie's cat Church to move to the countryside for a slower pace of life. Life gets off to a strange start when Rachel and Ellie see a bizarre funeral procession for a deceased pet, and Ellie runs into a cemetery for the departed furry friends, where she meets Jud (Lithgow), her new neighbor that obviously knows all about the place. When poor Church is found dead on the side of the road, Louis and Jud decide hide the news from Ellie. However Jud recognizes that Ellie will be devastated either way, so he takes Louis further into the woods so he can resurrect the poor kitty (I kept waiting for a neon sign saying "BAD IDEA", but it never happened). Lo and behold, the beloved cat does come back, only he's got a temper.
It's here where the movie starts to fall apart. Of course, it takes forever to get there, making the proceedings even more painful. But I think the problem is that the movie has no real story. It has a gimmick, but no follow through. So there's a special place that can bring the dead back to life, only they become twisted and evil. Okay, now what? Unfortunately there isn't much. Oh, there's an attempt with flashbacks, an attempt at atmosphere and dread, guilt and some gore, but little of what happens is explained or put into any sort of context. The movie really can't decide what it is about, so how can we be expected to understand how we feel?
The acting does not impress. Jason Clarke is well on his way to becoming a known name, but he lacks the presence and charisma to be a leading man. He's a character actor. He's done a solid job in other efforts such as "Everest," but this might go down as the worst performance he's ever given. Whether or not it's a case of miscasting, Clarke never sells the character. Amy Seimetz isn't much better, leaving little impression. Young Jete Laurence was given the most important role as Ellie, but her performance is far too cute. The only interesting performance is given by John Lithgow as the not-so-strange neighbor. The movie would have been better had it focused on him instead of this family of dunces.
A certain amount of stupidity is acceptable for horror movies. Even good ones like "Halloween" or "The Descent." But those movies got us to the point where we were too scared to notice that the characters were acting like idiots. "Pet Sematary" does not get us to this point. Raising the dead with high hopes is one thing. When you know that if you raise the dead and it turns out badly, yet still do it again, that's something else. And that's not the only instance of such blatant stupidity. I guess everyone underwent a lobotomy before the opening credits.
Maybe the book by Stephen King is simply unfilmable. Not having read it, I can't say. But the film doesn't have much of a plot. It has a gimmick and not much else. The result is a movie that is as nonsensical as it is boring. I left the theater feeling angry and sad.
Starring: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow, Jete Laurence, Hugh Lavoie, Lucas Lavoie
Rated R for Horror Violence, Bloody Images and Some Language
The original "Pet Sematary" back from 1989 was a pretty sorry excuse for a horror film, so the idea of remaking it isn't shameful. I went it with optimism. Horror movie lover (and stingy rater) James Berardinelli reacted positively to it. And it's a box office success (not that that means much). I figured it at least had to be better than the first attempt. Boy was I in for a rotten surprise.
The Creeds are leaving Boston behind. Louis (Clarke) and his wife Rachel (Seimetz) have packed up their children Ellie (Laurence) and Gage (Lavoie), and Ellie's cat Church to move to the countryside for a slower pace of life. Life gets off to a strange start when Rachel and Ellie see a bizarre funeral procession for a deceased pet, and Ellie runs into a cemetery for the departed furry friends, where she meets Jud (Lithgow), her new neighbor that obviously knows all about the place. When poor Church is found dead on the side of the road, Louis and Jud decide hide the news from Ellie. However Jud recognizes that Ellie will be devastated either way, so he takes Louis further into the woods so he can resurrect the poor kitty (I kept waiting for a neon sign saying "BAD IDEA", but it never happened). Lo and behold, the beloved cat does come back, only he's got a temper.
It's here where the movie starts to fall apart. Of course, it takes forever to get there, making the proceedings even more painful. But I think the problem is that the movie has no real story. It has a gimmick, but no follow through. So there's a special place that can bring the dead back to life, only they become twisted and evil. Okay, now what? Unfortunately there isn't much. Oh, there's an attempt with flashbacks, an attempt at atmosphere and dread, guilt and some gore, but little of what happens is explained or put into any sort of context. The movie really can't decide what it is about, so how can we be expected to understand how we feel?
The acting does not impress. Jason Clarke is well on his way to becoming a known name, but he lacks the presence and charisma to be a leading man. He's a character actor. He's done a solid job in other efforts such as "Everest," but this might go down as the worst performance he's ever given. Whether or not it's a case of miscasting, Clarke never sells the character. Amy Seimetz isn't much better, leaving little impression. Young Jete Laurence was given the most important role as Ellie, but her performance is far too cute. The only interesting performance is given by John Lithgow as the not-so-strange neighbor. The movie would have been better had it focused on him instead of this family of dunces.
A certain amount of stupidity is acceptable for horror movies. Even good ones like "Halloween" or "The Descent." But those movies got us to the point where we were too scared to notice that the characters were acting like idiots. "Pet Sematary" does not get us to this point. Raising the dead with high hopes is one thing. When you know that if you raise the dead and it turns out badly, yet still do it again, that's something else. And that's not the only instance of such blatant stupidity. I guess everyone underwent a lobotomy before the opening credits.
Maybe the book by Stephen King is simply unfilmable. Not having read it, I can't say. But the film doesn't have much of a plot. It has a gimmick and not much else. The result is a movie that is as nonsensical as it is boring. I left the theater feeling angry and sad.
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