Martyrs

disappointed

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I went into this with low expectations having been burnt by the old 'American remake of a European great' before. Yes I too love the original and did find it hard to stop making comparisons to it. Once I managed to accept this film on its own merit and enjoy the slightly different direction it was going in, I had a great time with it. Slightly watered down from the 08 classic but for gods sake - what was ever going to match that in brutality, Still a worthy addition to any horror fans collection or a great view for a movie night with friends when you feel like a good scare (yes this still has a high level of tension and scares). All up a 7/10 and I say turn off your movie snob meter and just enjoy the fun horror ride that follows. I've not mentioned the plot because if you've got this far you already know what the film is about I'm just here to tell you to give it a go.

People have actually lost their minds, just because the original is much better doesn't make this a 1/10.. They think you have to hate on the remake for the sake of being a remake. If this is 1/10 what is Paranormal Activity -9/10 Fast and Furious 12 is -34/10? Come on think a little bit, you don't have to hate this one with all your soul to be able to say you liked the original. People just go way overboard. If it wasn't a remake it's a pretty decent movie by itself, that's all you need to know.

As I watched this film I thought to myself, did the directors (Kevin Goetz and Michael Goetz) believe this remake would be better than the original?! I'm thinking, they seen the French version of Martyrs, did they not feel the original film was at the very least a horror masterpiece?! What possessed them to think..."We're going to remake Martyrs and make it SO much better than the original". I've read somewhere that the directors had no intentions of implementing a lot of graphic violence in this version, instead they were going to carry over the 'mood and elements' of the original film...really?! I can say with certainty this version did incorporate violent scenes, yes violent... but not even close to the brutality, vicious, eerie, creepy, cringe worthy moments of the original. The directors even had the audacity to throw in a (semi) happy ending?! I'll go as far to say that this film could've been considered a 'Lifetime' movie of the week if they removed one scene, or done a off camera shot to imply what was going on, which by the way was done throughout the film during the torture scenes. We're also supplied with a cute little back story of how 'Anna and Lucie' become friends as little girls, of which I didn't feel helped the film at all. In my opinion the performances were an insult to the original. I felt nothing for our protagonists in this film, nothing whatsoever. Watching the original Martyrs, as the viewer you felt all sorts of emotions, most of which were pain, terror and fear, OK 'pain' is not an actual emotion, but you did feel the pain actress Mylène Jampanoï from the original, had exhibited in Martyrs (2008). In closing, I'm not going to tell anyone NOT to see the film, we all love or like movies. I love watching movies of all genres, and I knew I was going to watch (Martyrs 2015) when it came out. I didn't expect it to be better than the original, maybe I was hoping it would've been a nice little compliment to the 2008 version. But it wasn't. Note the film was a NOT a shot for shot remake, thank God. But I'll bet anything as you're watching it, you'll say to yourself, where's this, what happened to the part when...etc etc. If you've never seen the original...see it, before you view this film and think you've just seen a fantastic horror film. Because I know some numskull will view this version of Martyrs, who never seen the original and think they watched a good or even great horror film, people are weird like that. Lastly...hey Hollywood...please leave original bad*** classics alone! These films stand on their own. Didn't anyone in Hollywood learn from the remade 'Oldboy' afterbirth of a film??? Kevin Goetz and Michael Goetz (Martyrs 2015)...nice try.

I'm not even going to lay out a plot blurb for this, because if you are planning on seeing it, chances are you have already seen Pascal Laugier's 2008 original and know what's up. In fact, it's probably not inaccurate to say that the only people who may be seeing this film are those already acquainted with the source material, as this remake had virtually zero publicity, a sad excuse of a theatrical release, and a buzz that was DOA. By most accounts, this remake of "Martyrs" was doomed by the mere fact of it being a remake; it's difficult to outdo something with as much palpable intensity and thematic abhorrence as the original film. and that's precisely where this film most falls flat. There is an inexplicable feeling of shallowness to the picture that pervades it from nearly beginning to end. Part of it is the lackluster cinematography, and part of it is the lack of dynamism in the performances, but most of all, it feels like the filmmakers in general were dispassionate about the material itself, and it shows. The truth is, a remake could have worked, but it would have needed at least a little life breathed into it, and this film feels like it was taken off life support from day one. The script here is near identical to the original film's, and it begins as a near shot-for-shot remake, but falls off that train within the first ten minutes. In fact, the film only really begins to diverge in the final act, which is honestly where I found the it to be most convincing. I may be the minority here, but I actually thought the way they rewrote the conclusion was clever and intriguing without being too much of a touchy-feely tradeoff—it still maintained the dark nerve of the original's ending, which I respected, and the last five minutes may be the only portion of the film that I truly thought was worthwhile. The acting here is decent, but the lead female actresses at times seem to be going through the motions. Some obtuse dialogue doesn't exactly help matters either. Kate Burton is an interesting and solid choice for the cultist matriarch, and I actually enjoyed her performance in this quite a bit. Overall though, "Martyrs" only barely begins to scratch the surface of what the original film did, and it's unfortunate. It fails to capture any of the remote coldness, psychological disconnect, or stark brutality that made the original film so unforgettable, and ends up feeling like little more than a direct-to-video horror flick with about a fifth of the vitality. When watching the remake, one feels like the film is self-consciously going through the motions, and when taking into consideration its stodgy demeanor, failed distribution, and complete lack of any and all promotion, "Martyrs" 2016 ultimately feels like a production that was given up on before it had even begun. Where the original was gutsy, stylish, and unsparing, the remake manages to be the film equivalent of a death rattle. 4/10.

So many mixed emotions about this remake of one of the holy trinity from France. The only problem that I had was that I've seen the original from 200. It was brutal flick back then were the whole horror community was speaking about and let me say, people will speak of this one again. Why there are so many haters walking around and why it has a low rating is an enigma for me. For a US remake this is also a brutal flick with a few gory and creepy moments. it didn't shock me like the original did but still it's straight in your face. For people not common with horror this can be shocking. For the gore hounds I must say that the gore as seen in the French version is left out but still it can offend some. This remake was top notch for me, just like the Evil Dead (2013) remake it wasn't made PG wise. Finally not a Hollywood teen remake, excellent.. Gore 2,5/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

Okay so I am a movie fanatic and I have seen almost every scary movie and damn near about every other genre as well. I thought this was the original when I watched it and I have been trying to see that one for years, however have not been able to find it. Let me say for someone who has not seen the first one (which is why most of the reviewers said they hated this one) but this movie was soooo good!!! I will be recommending it to everyone. It was a little hard to watch as it was really intense and just crazy. This movie has a totally unique plot line and great acting. It is definitely a must see if you like the horror genre. At the end when everything came together I just sat there for a minute thinking "that was such a good movie".. If you like things that are out of the box and just a thrill to watch this is it. I am still trying to find the old one so I can watch it however I am scared it going to be way to gory for me as this one even almost got turned off and I am not squeamish at all.. But this is a MUST SEE!!