"Carrie" Review

I have never seen the original Carrie nor have I read the original book by Stephen King, so I had to defer to judgement of my good friend Mr. Robert Miller for any comparison purposes, and for that I would like to extend him my gratitude in advance.

Carrie tells the story of the eponymous teenager who discovers she possesses telekinetic abilities. After she she is taunted and bullied in gym class for not understanding what is happening when she experiences her first period, her classmate feels remorse and encourages her boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom. Meanwhile, her punished tormentor plans revenge.

According to Robert, the movie contains a number of scenes both remarkably similar to the original film, and some that were present in the original novel yet not in the first adaptation. For my personal takeaway in that respect, I was able to perceive a sense of modernization such as the incorporation of smartphones and the films modern setting. The story possesses a number of horror movie cliches, yet the story is quite engaging. The film is willing to go to places that most films do not, and it explores rather explicit material. I've never been much of a horror movie fan. Not due to fear of being scared, rather due to their common trait of having rather cut and dried plots without exploring character development and over use of cliches and darkness. Yet Carrie is complex and shows growth. The characters never feel forced, and it goes against formula.

Child actors usually end up one or two ways. Either A) They are a sensation when they are young, yet fade into obscurity and drug use only to resurface for "Where are they now?" specials. (Yes you, Macaulay Culkin). Or B) they go the Neil Patrick Harris route and continue to grow and retain their talent and popularity. Chloë Grace Moretz will most likely explore the latter. She gives us a chilling performance that goes into new territory for the young starlet. We've seen her as the controversially explicit badass Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass, we've seen her as the innocent little girl in Hugo and we've seen her as the conniving Kaylie Hooper in 3o Rock. Here, all of her talents merge into one. This feels like the first time her entire range is given a chance to shine. I predict that in about 4 to 5 years, she will become the new Jennifer Lawrence, being a conversation piece at the Oscar water cooler.

The always welcome Julianne Moore gives a skin-crawling turn as Carrie's deeply religious mother Margaret. Her character is twisted and borderline psychotic, and Moore is not afraid to take her to those places. You don't know whether to appreciate her devotion to her lord, or to hate her for the strict, brutal, parenting she practices on her daughter.

For this film, Andrew's Standout is Judy Greer. She has made a career out of playing delightfully quirky, sometimes insane characters. Most famously as secretary Kitty Sanchez in Arrested Development and as Cheryl Tunt in Archer. Here, much like her character in The Descendants, she explores her dramatic side. She portrays Carrie's gym teacher Ms.Desjardin, who is warm and nurturing. When it comes to discipline however, she is tough but fair. As much fun as her quirkiness is, it is refreshing to see her tackle unexplored territory.

Overall, Carrie is definitely worth a look. It isn't the best horror movie, but it is rather well made. But I recommend doing so before Halloween.

B