Rating: 
Summary: Wow. Keep a box of tampons handy...
Review:
...because you'll want to throw them at the screen.
The good news is that this was made for TV - so there's no reason anyone has to pay to see it. (I'm sure glad I didn't!)
Brian DePalma's original was a prime example of how mediocre material with a strong idea at its center can make for great (really great) cinema with the right director and the right cast.
There is a certain interest in seeing how the wrong director and the wrong actors can cover more or less the exact same ground and lay a big, smelly egg with it.
While the soundtrack's screeching strings may have telegraphed a touch too obviously that Carrie was having a telekenetic moment in the original - that is nothing compared to the hilarious eye rolling spaz-attacks that this Carrie manifests. This Carrie deserves all the humiliation she gets. I would have picked on her.
And the mother... Instead of Piper Laurie's arias of crazy we get an attempt at "restraint" that comes off more like a kind of low grade retardation. Those mother daughter scenes that really sang in the original are reproduced here so flaccidly that it makes your jaw drop. You are aware that you are watching the same material, and are amazed at the degree to which it doesn't work. I mean REALLY REALLY doesn't work.
The silly-looking CG animated blood is a riot. There must have been enough for thirty pigs in that bucket! And the actress looks straight upward so it can hit her directly in the face for what seems like a full minute. Instead of style we get soggy.
And to cap it all (spoiler ahead, in case you want to be horrified by it yourself) there is a very stupid happy ending. I was hoping they wouldn't rip off DePalma's nifty climax - but this made me snort out loud.
There is a greater degree of fidelity to the King novel, but that's not necessarily a good thing. (And this thing does him no favors, either - beyond the royalties.)
I will say that the comparison makes for honestly compelling viewing of a sort. But without that train wreck facination this would just be boring and stupid.
See the '76 original. It's excellent. Suspenseful even when you know what's going to happen, thrilling, beautifully made, beautifully ACTED and a lot of fun.
Rating: 
Summary: LET'S PRETEND THIS IS NOT A REMAKE...
Review: ..and take it on its own. It's inevitable to think of Brian DePalma's original scarefest with the Oscar nominated Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie; but if we take this made for TV movie on its own merits and try not to compare it, we may find it's a pretty good movie. Angela Bettis is mesmerizing as Carrie White, the daughter of a religious fanatic, who made it rain rocks when she was born and also when she got angry as a child. We obviously know this little girl is something out of the ordinary. But Stephen King's CARRIE really focuses on the loneliness of being different; of being mocked because you aren't like everyone else; the joy of being accepted at a prom with the handsome hunk Tommy; and ultimately, the irony of revenge on everyone whether they deserved it or not. The production values for a tv movie are very good, even if some of the CGI effects look a little forced, but director David Carson gives us the portrait of a lonely girl who just wants to fit in, and whose retaliation on a sad bunch of spoiled brats is carried to the extreme. Patricia Clarkson's understated performance as Margaret White is just as chilling as the over the top fanaticism of Piper Laurie; Tobias Mehler is a likeable and hunky Tommy; Rena Sofer brings a lot of punch to her role as the gym teacher; Katherine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps) is a bitchy Tina, and the young lady who plays Chris (didn't catch her name, but she's currently on the hit series LOST) is also effectively sinister. Kandyce McClure seems slightly out of place as Sue Snell, and I'm not sure the addition of the police investigation (led by the sturdy David Keith) is necessary. I also felt the ending paled in comparison to the original (Mama being impaled by knives in a mock effigy of the horrible crucifix she had). Seems like the writer wanted to shy away from doing the same ending, but didnt come up with one as memorable.
All in all, though, Bettis is magnificent as Carrie, and Sissy Spacek should be proud of her.
Rating: 
Summary: Worthy Successor to Creepy Classic!
Review: Angela Bettis is GREAT! I mistakenly purchased this, thinking it was the Sissy Spacek version and decided to watch it because of the marvelous Patricia Clarkson. What a great, updated version of the Stephen King novel...lovingly yet innovatively produced with great performances, special effects and direction.
A bit overlong (it was a TV miniseries), but wonderfully executed. The ending was not as satisfying as the original, but it remains a great story of terror and vengeance, well worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Loved It- review by a 10-year old S. King reader
Review: CARRIE (this v.) is good. Angela Bettis is a very good actress- great looks, great act, ya know. It's practicly what you imagine in your head when you read Carrie. It deserves AT LEAST 4 and a half stars. I'd have to say- it's better for kids to watch. Sissy Spacek was in the "R" one, Angela Bettis is in this TV14 v. Way cool!
Rating: 
Summary: So Much Better
Review: Carrie White (portrayed by Angela Bettis) is your typical High school girl...except she is hated by all, and she has telekinesis. This movie is alot better than the original for many reasons. First of all, i am only 15, so i am going to think that the special effects are better right off the bat. I loved the original, but this one is so much better. I have read the book, and this one follows the book pretty much to the t. For instance, in the shower scene, they weren't supposed to yell "PLUG IT UP!", but rather "period" over and over. Also, the way the mother dies follows the book rather than the original. This is the way the movie was meant to be, and this version should've been made in 76, rather than the original. It would've worked just as good, had the original cast been in this version...These stars are just as good though.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as The original but a nice try
Review: First of all the Carrie with Sissy Spacek is a classic and always will be. when i first heard this was coming on tv i was wondering what to expect, being the original carrie is my favorite movie. well i wasnt dissapointed but i wasnt thrilled. Angela Bettis is an excellant actor. She pulled the part off. This version stuck closer to the book, and the acting was good for the most part. The ending was pretty stupid(leaving room for a sequel). but the prom scene was interesting . all in all a nice try but it doesnt compare to the original. patricia clarkson and the gym teacher also turned in convincing roles. look for angela bettis in may(an excellant movie) and girl interrupted.
Rating:
Summary: Great but no where near as good as the origional
Review: First off I have to say that I LOVE the 76 version of Carrie! It has to be one of my top 5 favorite horror movies of all time! And for me this re-make was highly anticipated! It was all I could think about since I had seen the previews on TV and it lived up to my expectations, which were high, but I knew it wouldn't surpass the origional! Well, it basically is a mirror image of the first but it follows the book more closely! And I love the book aswell. Well Carrie is a social outcast with a Jesus freak as a mother ( I mean no disrespect in that I am a Christian myself ) and Carrie has telekinisis the ability to move objects with the mind. So, she has her first period in the locker room one day and everyone makes fun of her and fills her locker with tampons and they are just very cruel to her. And it is clearly noticible that this is an updated re-make with talk of Freddie Prinze Jr. movies and the songs, that this is modern day rather than taking place back in 1976. So of course sex is brought up a few times and rumors that Sue and Carrie are in a lesbian relationship and stupid things like that that could have been left out and still the movie would have been good. And I like the feel of this movie more than I do the origional, the color I like better, but the way it was filmed is odd, it's like someone was holding the camera the whole time and never put it on a solid holder, cuz the camera is always moving and at times it can get frustrating. But the music is good and so is the acting, except from Carries mom, she could have been a lot more agressive like Piper Laurie in the origional. But everything was good and Carries rampage over the school and town was very realistic and very good looking. I only have a problem with the ending. SO stupid and completely different from the 76 versiona nd I hated the end!!! That was what gave it my **** rating! But it is still a very good re-make! They did the right thing by putting it on TV cuz it wouldn't have done very good at the box office! I'm glad they decided to put it on DVD and VHS! I highly recommend this movie, but if you want the better version, rent Depalma's first, then this one!!
Rating:
Summary: Angela Bettis Makes The Movie Good!
Review: For anyone who didn't like Angela Bettis as Carrie, I would say that's a shame. For anyone who thought May was a bad movie, I'm left speechless. Anyway, I do like the modern twist of the movie and the best part of the movie is when Carrie wreaks havoc on everyone. She is very scary! Anyway, although this "Carrie" will always be compared to the original movie and book, I think it was well done.
Rating:
Summary: Faithful to the book
Review: For anyone who has read the novel from which this teleplay was based, they know as well as I do, it is far more faithful to King's original work. While Brian DePalma made a great movie, he went off in his own direction, making a melodrama with a terrifying last 20 minutes. This movie itself is definitely a TV movie, lacking in the large scale production of its predecessor, but worth a watch if you were a fan of the book.
Rating:
Summary: AND THE NOMINEES ARE :
Review: for best reason to drink Drano -- 1 ) The NBC rehash of 'Carrie'. 2 ) The fact that this debacle is available on DVD. 3 ) The Elizabeth Berkeley Acting School is obviously
still accepting applications.
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