Brian DePalma has come up empty since the mid-90's. He has quite a few pieces of work since then which all fail, including "Mission to Mars" and "Snake Eyes". I recently watched "Carlito's Way", one of DePalma's last decent movies. His successful works are all just pretty good at best. He has put together some popular stories, like "Scarface" and "Untouchables". "Carrie" is likewise a popular film, one of the classic horror films.
The first few minutes of the film really didn't have to exist at all. The generation of media that exists today has spoken out against lude behavior from adults playing teenagers. Of all the films I have seen so far, this is the chief. The beginning of the film starts out as a porn, full of supposed teenage girls in a school shower. They are all awkwardly nude, it doesn't even strike me as something that has ever been real. The way all the girls are just uniform in their careless state of nakedness is dumb. I understand what the director wanted us to feel, but a director with any ounce of creativity could have created something better with ease.
If you remove the lude shower scenes in the beginning, the film holds together a bit better. Doesn't hold together like name-brand super glue, but more like 99 cents store school glue.
The filmmaker really goes out of his way to try and show us a Christian lunatic in Carrie's mother. There is a problem when creators create something with a lacking insight. I don't care if you wander the halls of a mental health facility, you will find some rhythm in lunacy that doesn't exist here.
Sissy Spacek does a good job portraying Carrie, she really doesn't have much in the complaint department from me. The rest of the cast is "made for television" at best. If anyone from this cast outside of Sissy impressed any of its viewers, that would be amazing.
The story seems like its demanding more than this film allowed it to be. I am going to sit back and wait for a remake, its too bad I may have to wait for 5 remakes to finally get a director with talent. After all, horror remakes are somehow the trend right now, and none of them good.
"Carrie" wasn't as bad as a lot of so called "classics", but it was sure offensive in the beginning, and not with profound meaning or reason. I would try and find this when it comes on television to help remove some of the unessential nonsense, and you should enjoy watching the film. This is not a film for youth, and I know its taboo now to think someone may hide content from their children, but this is a case in which it should exist.
In the end, the movie comes together in an enjoyable and memorable way, with an occasional downpour of obscenities.
"Carrie"
6.5 / 10
