Movie Review: 20th Century Fox's Poltergeist

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Poltergeist Movie (2015)

Release Day: May 22nd 2015 in 3D
Director: Gil Kenan
Writer: David Lindsay-Abaire
Main Cast: Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris, Jane Adams
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense frightening sequences, brief suggestive material, and some language
Genres: Horror | Thriller
Running Time: 93 mins

Official Sites: Facebook | Twitter | IMDb | Web

Legendary filmmaker Sam Raimi (“Spiderman,” “Evil Dead”, “The Grudge”) and director Gil Kenan (“Monster House”) contemporize the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever.

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Poltergeist (2015) is the latest in the seemingly unending list of remade movies. It appears the Hollywood is all out of ideas for new movies, so it has decided to re-visit many of the classics from decades ago. Watching this latest version of Poltergeist is going to make you wish that the remakes would stop. I always try to say something good about a movie. I am mindful of how much effort it takes to make a film, but there is just not much good to say about this one.

It is a big disappointment given how much I enjoyed the original. The original still scares me. It ruined clowns for me. I can still hear Carol Anne's "They're hear." And this version just isn't akin to the original. It's changed, and not in a good way. You expect that it would be updated. This version has cell phones and drones. Right. No problem there. The problem is that there are other parts of the story that were not updated, but just changed. I didn't think the changes did anything to add to the story. Where was Carol Anne?! Why did they have to change her name? I didn't get it.

Also, the film isn't scary. It's a horror movie. It's supposed to be scary. I have a very low threshold for scary movies. Think big chicken. Well, I didn't jump during the film, not once. Poltergeist (2015) is rated PG-13, so you expect that the the gorie violence is left out. But, more than leaving-out the gorie violence, this film is down right tame. It could be rated PG, except for a few curse words. It is no more scary than a grade school haunted house.

The acting wansnt great. I usually like Sam Rockwell. (Rockwell plays Eric Bowden, the patriarch.) I didn't like him here. He has a scene where he sheds tears. I could hear snickering from the crowd in the theater. One of the snickers may have come from me. None of the other cast members were any better. I found myself laughing when I should have been shaking in my seat.

I wanted to like it. I love the original version. This isn't the original. And it's not as good as any of the new horror films. I watched Poltergeist (2015) in 3D. There is no need to pay the up-charge for 3D. Even the effects was underwhelming. If you think I've been too harsh, please go see it for yourself. Never take my word for it. Just don't say I didn't tell you so. Poltergeist (2015) is in theaters now.

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