It's like...

they took all the elements that were iconic about the original movie and deliberately sat down and tried to figure out how to render them as ineffective as possible. Even the nuances of some of the identical line deliveries are invariably less convincing, delivered with less conviction and to less effect. The result is a tension-less, fairly boring film that lacks a cohesive story. Once they bring in the 'scientists', they forget to continue the threats and it seems to just be about the missing daughter, with all the surrounding activity totally calmed. Instead of the anxiety and frayed nerves of the family in the original movie we get people just kind of talking about what's happening without investing any feeling. The boy goes from being terrified to being basically just curious without transition - in short there's no conviction in this remake. It's a cynical cash grab, just like you'd expect.

I just would have expected more of Sam Rockwell. The guy's gotta eat, but really.