How do you guys think this compares to the original?
Cleary the acting quality is better here, but there is something about the late 1950s/early 1960s timing of the original that makes it a bit more intriguing...
I think the remake was a big missed opportunity to follow what made the original so great. It’s clear they didn’t want to be too controversial or divisive, so they went with the usual “Bond villain” evil corporation instead of something more intriguing. Imagine fundamentalist Muslims or some Middle Eastern power having managed to infiltrate the United States and plant one of their own on the inside, and the “war on terror” was in fact devised by them all along. It seems so strange that they tried to up the ante in this film by increasing the creepiness and surrealist vibes, but wimped out in the story department.
shareI like Demme, and got a kick out of the "Silence of the Lambs" reunion aspect. But that, too, detracted from this missed opportunity. The poor rewriting wasn't necessary except for updating the Cold War aspects. They totally defused the "Josy" conflict and almost made "mom" a heroine. Plus changing the Rosie character to add to the "women strong, men weak" theme.
I'd maybe give it a 5 and tell a friend: "See the original." It's at least 10x better.