Why I prefer 'The Rage' to the original 'Carrie'

I just saw the original "Carrie" and "The Rage" back-to-back and I liked the latter better with the exception of the original's prom scene, which is iconic with the blood-splattered Sissy and the fire in the background. Plus, the '76 version is the original version and it gets points just for that whereas "Carrie 2" loses points for merely being another take on the same basic plot. You could also argue that the original has better mood, which it does.

Yet I prefer this sequel because Rachel is a much more interesting character than Carrie in the original film and Jesse is really attracted to Rachel -- even loves her -- rather than Tommy just doing his girlfriend a favor and feeling sorry for Carrie in the original.

Also, the thin plot of the original is clearly padded -- unimportant scenes are drawn-out to almost twice the length they need to be -- and this makes the movie seem long at 98 minutes and some parts boring. "The Rage," by contrast, runs 104 minutes but it doesn't seem as long (or boring) as the original because the story and characters are more interesting and the film isn't padded.

Don't take this to mean I don't like the original -- I think it was great as the original film and iconic -- but "The Rage" features an overall more interesting story and characters.

=========================

"I... don't... see... any... method... at... all... sir."