Film Review: Footloose

Another day, another remake of a 1980s film. Craig Brewer’s Footloose is a respectful remake of the 1984 dance favourite, and a film that entertains just as it should.

Ren McCormick moves from Boston to Bomont, a small town in Georgia, to live with his uncle. Ren is a bit of a fish out of water, and is perplexed by the town’s unusual rules which ban public dancing. After five students were killed in a road accident, strict rules were brought in to protect the town’s teenagers. Ren, however, is determined to show his new friends in Bomont what they are missing…

Footloose is fun piece of entertaining fluff. It is not in the least bit taxing, and is a slice of escapism. The narrative is run of the mill, but the film provides enough amusement to make up for this. Footloose provides a good mix of humour, drama, and of course dancing.

Footloose is similar to this summer’s Fright Night remake in that it pays homage to the original. In its choice of music and the styling of protagonist Ren, Footloose acknowledges its antecedent. Unlike Fright Night however, Footloose‘s narrative sticks pretty close to the original. The minor changes in the film are really to update it for the twenty-first century more than anything else.

Given the film’s themes, music is of course pivotal. The filmmakers made a wide choice not to remix or alter two of the original film’s most memorable songs – Deniece Williams’ ‘Let’s Hear It for the Boy’ and of course the Footloose theme by Kenny Loggins. These tracks act as linchpins for both the original film and the remake. The soundtrack does include other songs which update the film to its modern-day setting.

The dance sequences are well choreographed in the film. Footloose features a range of dance styles. It seems unlikely that there would be several great breakdancers in a small town, but then again this is a film about a town that has banned dancing, so a suspension of disbelief is a prerequisite.

Casting in the film is good. Although not first choice for Ren, Kenny Wormald is a good choice for the lead. His unassuming persona works well. Julianne Hough is a little hammy as Ariel, while Dennis Quaid is given little room to manoeuvre in a rather cheesy role. Miles Teller brings many of the film’s laughs as Willard.

An unnecessary remake it may be, but at least Footloose brings the feel-good factor.

Film Review: Fright Night

This new version of Fright Night does not match the 1985 original. Having said that, it is still tremendous fun, and one of better films in the recent spate of horror remakes.

High school student Charlie Brewster is dating the popular and beautiful Amy. He has left behind his geeky ways, much to the annoyance of former best friend Ed. When a new neighbour moves in next door, Charlie becomes suspicious of the things he hears in the night. He suspects that new neighbour Jerry is a vampire, but no one believes him…

Director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Marti Noxon eschewed the option of producing a faithful update of Tom Holland’s 1985 film. Thankfully they chose to alter the screenplay significantly. The changes made offer a sense of unpredictability to those familiar with the 1985 film. Although the film seems a little preoccupied with the social hierarchy of high school, for the most part these alterations work well.

The characters have also been changed for this remake. Perhaps most interesting of the updates in Peter Vincent. Holland wisely chooses not to emulate the Roddy McDowell character in terms of stature and personality. Instead, the character is much younger and more comparable to Criss Angel than McDowell’s Vincent Price-type legend. This makes the film more distinguishable from its predecessor, which is only a good thing.

Fright Night offers the same blend of comedy and horror as the original. There are some jumpy moments in the film, as well as a healthy dose of gore. The comedy, however, keeps the tone of the film light for the duration. There are also some amusing references to Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and even the original film, as well as a great cameo appearance.

The special effects are sometimes lacking, but even this is in keeping with the overall jovial tone of the movie. The 3D seems to have been employed purely for novelty value. Nonetheless, this doesn’t really matter, as it is fun in a throwback, schlock kind of way.

Colin Farrell is well cast as Jerry. The actor is perfectly suited to the role, bringing the right combination of menace and allure. Anton Yelchin once again offers a solid performance; the actor is quickly becoming one of the brightest young talents in Hollywood. David Tennant is wonderfully outlandish as Peter Vincent; he clearly seems to be having much fun with the role.

Fright Night should satisfy those with a hankering for comedy horror, and shouldn’t offend fans of the original film. An enjoyable watch.

Fright Night Trailer

A new trailer for horror remake Fright Night has been released. I have seen the film but I think it is still embargoed so I can’t say what I think. I can’t say whether Fright Night is a decent remake or not. I can’t say whether the film successfully updates a 1980s classic or not. I can’t say whether Colin Farrell makes a decent vampire or not, but the trailer does offer a fairly good indication. So watch the trailer and see what you think for the time being. The film is out 2nd September 2011 in UK cinemas.