So, I had a couple spare hours today and for some reason I remembered that there was an American remake/re-imaging of the classic French original of  2008.  I searched on Amazon Prime, and there it was, so I figured WTF...let's see why everyone has been hating on it so much.

And, what do you know, I actually thought it was quite good and quite different, which may be why so many shat on it.  It's tough to do a remake of a "beloved" movie, and very rarely is the remake praised, but kudos to Mark L Smith for taking a chance and really changing things up in the 2nd half.

I remember seeing the original and feeling downright dirty, disgusted, and...sad.  It was a powerful movie that was hard to watch and impossible to leave without having real feelings.  I think I told myself I wouldn't watch it again, so my memory isn't that great on the movie as a whole, but I sure do remember certain images that were branded into my brain...or were those memories created in my head based on what I "thought" I was seeing, and the feelings they stirred?

I've read alot of feedback after watching today, and scenes that I thought I saw in the original, were more implied than actually shown, but isn't that saying something great about the movie?  Yeah, it is, and love it or hate it, the original Martyrs is something that doesn't come along very often.

The 2015 re-imaging was filmed on a small $1 Million budget, surprisingly, and the critics and fans alike both really panned it, saying it was terrible, unnecessary, and cheap.

I disagree completely.  The FX and CGI looked fine to me and the entire film had a look of a much bigger budgeted picture.  I think the first half was relatively the same, but things get a makeover in the 2nd half, and for me, for the most part, it worked quite well.  I'm not going to spoil anything for those who haven't seen it.

This is a quite bloody and graphic, and actually more-so than the original.  But, then again, sometimes graphic isn't as effective as implied. I guess it come down to viewing with an open mind and making decisions on what is here, vs. how does it compare to the original.

Acting was very strong, IMO, from the leads right down to the secondary characters.  Set design was also strong and visually, everything looked good...and as I said earlier, like a much bigger budgeted picture.

One thing that was noticeably absent here was the lengthy, hard to watch torture scenes from the original, which for me, were why the original was so hard to sit through.  I think it was a calculated decision, and I didn't miss them, per say, but I do see how important scenes (of the abuse and torture) seemed to go too quickly...or were glossed over, not giving us that hard to watch over and over feeling, which probably resulted in the finale being less powerful.

But, for me, at least, the finale was very strong and left me with a very different feeling as to what it all really means and was about.

I won't be watching this newer version again, as I won't be watching the original again, but IMO, this got a bad rap from both critics and fans alike, and I think they're all missing the fact that on its own, this is a solid and suspenseful horror flick.

Grade - B

You ever check out the Inside remake? I've heard it was similarly bad. Haven't seen either remake, bu the originals are both fantastic.

Quoted from Zack You ever check out the Inside remake? I've heard it was similarly bad. Haven't seen either remake, bu the originals are both fantastic.

Still looking for Inside remake.  Hopefully soon.

What about the nudity? Is there any nudity?

Quoted from Demento What about the nudity? Is there any nudity?

I like this guys mindset.  

When Dreamscale writes a review of a horror film on here, I expect him to tell me about two things:
- how's the gore?
- how's the nudity?

I've come to expect this over the years. I was left disappointed reading this review. I need answers.

Quoted from Demento When Dreamscale writes a review of a horror film on here, I expect him to tell me about two things: - how's the gore? - how's the nudity? I've come to expect this over the years. I was left disappointed reading this review. I need answers.

Well dammit, Jeff. Now he's got me curious too. The original had a bunch of nudity. What about the remake? Any good boobage?

Quoted from Demento When Dreamscale writes a review of a horror film on here, I expect him to tell me about two things: - how's the gore? - how's the nudity? I've come to expect this over the years. I was left disappointed reading this review. I need answers.

No nudity that I recall, and hard, mean spirited pretty good looking violence and gore.

Sorry.