‘Poltergeist’ is another attempt to remake the original horror of 1982 movie up – to such an extent that the new version becomes almost a copy. The 1982 flick with the same name was a very successful one, and has been considered a classic by many. ‘Poltergeist’ has been one of the much expected horror movies of the year considering the popularity of the original. But there are no worthy enough comparisons to be made here, and it is also no match for the director Gil Kenan’s last two movies, ‘City of Ember’ and ‘Monster House’.
Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt) and Eric (Sam Rockwell) Bowen along with their children Kendra (Saxon Sharbino), Griffin (Kyle Catlett) and Maddison (Kennedi Clements) move to their new house which did seem to be a very good for the price. But the result of the deal is not so positive for the family, as there are weird noises, and the devices working on electricity acts even more strangely. There will be more bizarre incidents when the parents are not at home. As the other two are grabbed by a tree and a ghost, Maddison is taken by a group of ghosts into her closet which seems to an infinite void. The rest of the story is about an explanation of the situation and about bringing her back.
‘Poltergeist’ surely had a nice beginning, and you can’t deny its ability to keep the audience expecting something big coming up, with that nice setting and there is also a certain amount of success in building up of expectations with some nice moments. The family is living in a neighbourhood, which is later known to have been built on a cemetery, and the audience realises that they can expect big, even though that much is not attained. The first half is evidently superior to the second, as the latter half doesn’t keep the level of the beginning.
The story doesn’t manage to be that interesting in the later parts, as there is the inability to catch the interest of the usual viewer. There is not much connection being made with the characters, and Saxon Sharbino is rather not much used in a character which could have been rather avoided, as the two younger kids get most of the attention and they mange the situation very well. Jarred Harris seems less suited for this avatar. The rest of the cast just manages to hold on in a movie which didn’t have much time for the characters.
The scenes related to the other world are rather too dim, and the lack of clarity there doesn’t really add to the mystery, if it was what they intended here. With so much improvement in available visual effects, they could have gone for a special world with clear reflections of the dimension. But there are some very interesting scenes including a drill, the clowns, the closet and tree, the last one not really completing the duty which is to scare big. The clowns might have become a little too common too. The visual effects could have been even better used, and the same is the case of 3D.
The makers could have used more horror, and also more innovation. The final stages of the movie become more disappointing, as there is no real impact which is made there. It might be fun at times, but the flick still remains pointless. A few slasher movies which were remade earlier had made a better point with bigger moments which represented the genre. ‘Poltergeist’ can still make you watch the original, as you can know how well that movie was made, and how better suited for the time it used to be. Horror surely hasn’t had the best of the year yet.
‘Poltergeist’ remains what you might have seen many times, and it is rather too close to the original. Being a remake, it was supposed to make things better considering the possibilities of this age, but that was not to be. Those who haven’t watched the original can surely give this one a try, and for the others, this might be a repetition which has lost a certain amount of quality from an earlier era of such supernatural horror. The choice is there, and with new releases coming up, it is your decision to make whether there is the need to watch this remake which is less time consuming.
Rating: 2/5