MovieChat Forums > Straw Dogs (2011) Discussion > Does anyone think this is better than th...

Does anyone think this is better than the original?

posted 8 years ago by RynoII
2 replies | jump to latest

The original I thought mainly had a lot of pacing issues and some scenes needed to be cut altogether, such as the scene with the reverend, who came for a visit, which didn't have anything to do with the rest of the story... and the scene with the two kids spying on the main couple in bed, which also didn't really have anything to do with anything.

I also found some of the early scenes developing the main couple to be over extended, and some of the Susan George's behavior, such as how she acts towards David, did not ring genuine to me. She just didn't sell her character to me. Some people do not like the new Amy because she is not as bratty as the original, and David does not leave her in the end, but I find that the new Amy was just sold to me better, and it's the execution of the character that matters, rather than the idea of the character.

I felt the new version corrected most of the original's problems. What do you think?

[–] A-Zupreme 8 years ago

I'm not going to try to pass the remake off as some perfect film or anything, but I know that when it comes to watching this particular story unfold, I'd watch the remake over the original. I saw the original first; it wasn't terrible or anything, but it's not like it inspired me to want to see the remake right away after seeing it. It took me a good year to finally seek it out. And I'm glad I did, because I really thought it was well-done compared to most other rehashes on classic movies.

Respect for the original aside (not really arguing against the respect the film has at all so please do not be offended by what I'm about to say), but it still feels too dated for me. Also, being from the USA, I'm much more aware of the culture here than I am of that of the U.K., where the original is set. I'm sure bringing the action here takes aware some of the foreign flavor for some people, but I felt like this one hit closer to the home than the original ever could. I don't know how rural people in the U.K. act, but I do know living in smalltown U.S.A. that there are men who never amount to much past high school, despite good looks, talent, and popularity. You see small-town girls coming home after a period away in the city and them being more assertive, more flashy in their clothes, and sure of themselves in demeanor. You also see city slickers coming into town and being unaware of the customs of the community, not because they're disrespectful but because they haven't grown up under a microscope of a small-town, filled with people who can't help but whisper about them amongst themselves but be polite since that's the way they were taught. A lot of this just seemed to ring true to me, though thankfully most cases don't result in a home invasion of this nature.  If I was more aware of the social scene in the U.K., I would probably be more attached to the original. I can respect it, but I definitely don't prefer it.

I also agree with you regarding the story flowing better here, but I think I chalk that up more to the movies of the day. 70's movies were much slower paced than movies nowadays ever could be... now it's a lot of drama and action, whereas then they had time to build characters up in a realistic way. That's either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the viewer and what period of movies they grew up watching. I grew up with the modern stuff, but I love my share of 70's stuff so I don't think it was a pacing issue for me much. I just couldn't relate as much to the characters, for reasons stated above.

[–] daughterofolaf 8 years ago

I don't remember thinking it was better, however I have never understood the bitter hatred for the remake and it is one of very few remakes that I actually thought was as good as the original. Additionally, most people who say this remake is horrible, atrocious, etc, never actually state WHY they feel that way or what it is about the remake that they feel is so different and terrible compared to the original. I think some of them just hate it because it's a remake of a classic and that's all. Some may have specific reasons but most don't explain them.

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