Though Chloë Grace Moretz is an talented actress with the unnerving ability to tug at your heartstrings, director Kimberly Peirce regurgitate the entire 1976 film, just with better graphics.
The 2013 version of Carrie, based on the novel by Stephen King, is essentially a remodelling of the 1976 version. The film follows the story of a high school girl in her senior year, named Carrie. Carrie is a shy girl, who is bullied by her peers, and sheltered by her ultra religious mother.
Carrie opens with a scene of none other than Carrie (Chloë Grace Moretz) herself, entering the showers. It quickly escalates when she realizes that she is having her period. However, she was not the only one to realize this. All of her peers jumped on the opportunity to bully the defenceless Carrie; laughing at her, throwing tampons at her, and even going as far as video-taping the entire ordeal. Fortunately for Carrie, her Physical Education teacher saved her from further embarrassment. It was during this scene that the viewers felt a real sense of sympathy for Carrie. However, it’s also the scene where the viewers get to meet the other devious high school girls: Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde), Chris Hargensen (Portia Doubleday). These two girls were the dominant girls in the bullying scene, and if you don’t hate Portia Doubleday’s character, you will learn to.
The following scene is one where Carrie’s mother, Margaret White (Julianne Moore), drives Carrie home from school. Inside the White household, the viewers get a sense of the strange, plain, religious ship that Margaret White sails. Margaret White is the true antagonist in this film, filling Carrie with ideas of sin and repentance. She goes so far as to lock Carrie in a cupboard to repent for having her period in school. Julianne Moore does an excellent job acting like an overly religious mother, and Chloë Grace Moretz plays her part well as the naive daughter. The two actresses have a strange, and eerie chemistry.
Eventually Sue Snell comes to sympathize with Carrie, and forces her boyfriend to ask Carrie to their Senior Prom. Unfortunately for the heroine and her lover, the Senior Prom did not go as expected. Chris Hargensen planned a wonderful prank that resulted with Carrie covered in blood. What an original plot twist, the weakest link breaks and tries to be the saviour. Where have I seen this before? In just about every other horror flick, including: Carrie (1973), Carrie (2002). This is the flaw of Kimberly Peirce, she is wonderful at directing, but fails at creating.
Carrie was an overall decent movie, and is especially good for anyone feeling the need to unleash vengeance. However, BE WARY, the ending is the strangest part of this film. It offers little closure, and is probably the most thought invoking scene throughout the entire film.
