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Boys in the Trees (2016)
Well worth your time
Boys in the Trees is a well shot, well acted and smartly put together film - with a story that plays out remarkably well and leaves a firm imprint.
While it might not be the film that the cover art might suggest, its a brilliantly paced coming of age drama, with some solid suspense and interesting surreal supernatural elements. It does a great job of capturing the transition from adolescence into early adulthood and the choices we all have to make, but offers something more as well.
For anyone who was a teenager through the mid to late 1990s, the soundtrack will undoubtedly resonate, and some of the music choices go very nicely beyond the common big hits of the time.
Boys in the Trees has a seemingly fairly straightforward story overall, which feels a little bit predictable at times, but carries enough depth and purpose for that not to matter. As the movie progresses we get to know the characters better, their choices start to matter more to us, and the story moves away from where you might think its taking you.
It's one of those rare films which doesn't quite give you what you're expecting when you first head in, but what it does give you is something quite powerful and special.
A genuinely criminally underappreciated film which deserved a much wider audience and praise.
The Hunted (2013)
Extremely slow. No payoff
I always try to write reviews which (despite my limited writing skill) are objective and consider the component elements and expertise which go into making a film - giving credit and critique where its due. This makes reviewing The Hunted (UK title) a problem, because there is so little to write about.
The Hunted is a below-mediocre found footage film, which (despite the fact that it has experienced individuals involved) feels like it's a first film from college students.
The performances and dialogue are unconvincing and uninteresting. The camerawork is what you'd expect from video-camera found footage.
Overall, The Hunted tries to follow in the footsteps of The Blair Witch Project (1999), but fails to capture that same sense of escalation and tension - so just becomes a very slow walk through the woods, through night and day, never really leading anywhere.
There is an attempt to squeeze some jump-scares towards the end - but by this point, you'll likely to be too bored to notice them.
Overall, it's a wholly unnecessary film, which does absolutely nothing new and offers no improvement over a myriad of found footage films already released.
You only live once; so I would suggest spending your precious time on something else.
Barbarian (2022)
Greater than the sum of its (already great) parts
I'm not sure whether the trailer was cut to satisfy execs and producers or whether it was a genius act of misdirection - but either way Barbarian was nothing like the movie I had expected - and it was all the better for it.
It takes some time to establish itself in the first instance but the payoff as the film moves into Acts 2 and 3 is fantastic.
Barbarian is a stylishly shot and incredibly well acted movie. Justin Long gives a particularly good performance - but the entire cast are on great form.
While some elements are a little predictable, these are absolutely deliberate and create space for a few moments of welcome and well-timed comic relief which offset some of the very pointed (and excellently delivered) social commentary.
The editing is outstanding. With the film effortlessly stepping out of tension and horror into scenes which give greater context to the story, and create tension in other ways. As well as giving relief from the damp labyrinth with scenes of bright, lush colour.
Once it gathers momentum, Barbarian is like a run away minecart speeding into the darkness with sparks flying. Barbarian a film which has no intention of being subtle and doesn't need to be.
Shortcut (2020)
Not completely terrible, but definitely not good
The story is a decent enough premise for a fairly standard low-budget horror: school bus (?) takes a wrong turn in the woods and some sort of creature stalks and tries to kill everyone, during a "spooky" lunar eclipse.
On the more positive side, the film is shot well and the production values feel solid.
There's an interesting game of cat and mouse, some good story telling and reveals, and some plausible character development. The creature design is good fun and the finale is decent, but overall, this doesn't quite make up for the lacklustre and generic characters, and the sub-par acting.
For whatever reason, the script hits points where it just doesn't feel like how young people talk. The inexperience of the cast probably exacerbates this, where a more experienced cast would ad-lib or make adjustments, the cast here tend to read every line verbatim. But largely both the characters and their dialogue come off as cliche.
Sadly, the forced script means that some of the characters are so cliche that they become irritating to watch at times, with one being SO lacklustre, that I didn't even notice them until around the 40 minute mark.
As with some other reviews, I have many questions about the set up: Why is the bus driver american? Why are there only five children in the class? Where are they actually supposed to be going?!
If you want something to kill 80 minutes which doesn't require too much thought or investment, this could fit the bill... as long as you don't mind rolling your eyes at a slightly cringy one-liners and an extremely cringy epilogue.
The Redwood Massacre (2014)
"It's gonna be a long weekend..."
Long weekend?! It was a long 1hr 22mins.
If you're here because you watch a lot of horror films, then you've already seen this movie, even though you might not have watched THIS exact movie.
Young people with very questionable acting capabilities are camping in the woods, and would you believe, they have no phone reception AND they've lost the map. Unheard of.
Despite the fairly generic script and questionable performances, the production values are actually quite high. The photography and lighting are very good, the practical effects are exactly what you hope for from a film with "massacre" in the title. The score and sound design are effective and would build tension very well, if not held back by the lacklustre performances, and being able to practically watch the cogs turning as the cast try to remember their lines.
The film has a very strange quality to it - where the dialogue and conversation almost gives it the tone of an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? But offset against scenes of violence that channel Eli Roth. Brought together, this makes Redwood Massacre feel more comedic than I think was the intent. However, because it fails to succeed at being either particularly scary OR particularly funny, its hard to know which (if either) the production were aiming for.
Because the action starts very quickly, the film doesn't initially feel like it's going to be very long, but in trying to slow things down in Act 2, it starts to feel padded and drawn out - even for a film that comes in at under 90 minutes.
The design of the antagonist is to all intents and purposes a cut and paste of Jason Vorhees from Friday the 13th (Part 2). There isnt really an attempt to make him 'scary' as much as 'functional' although this doesn't hold the film back.
The finale is about as cliche of a twist as you can imagine from lost and away-from-civilisation horror. But again, despite the performances, it's shot very well.
Overall, Rewood Massacre is a film that doesn't worry about elevating itself beyond what it is; an adequate and straightforward slasher with buckets and buckets of blood.
For some horror viewers this will be like a cup of cocoa on a cold night, for others it will feel like an unnecessary cut-and-paste slasher which doesnt add anything new.
As a film viewed alone, Redwood Massacre is a somewhat flawed watch which feels predictable and clunky... BUT with the right group of friends, beers, and pizza, I could see it being hugely enjoyable.
The Odds (2018)
All filler, no killer.
It's very hard to deliver a compelling film with a minimal cast; the chemistry, performances, and the dialogue have to be of a very high standard.
It probably comes as little surprise that in The Odds, the chemistry, performances, and dialogue are not of that very high standard.
While Abbi Butler turns in a very solid performance as The Player, James Fuertes as the Games Master falls pretty flat. As the film goes on, the sense of one of the two carrying every scene starts to become frustrating.
Between each round of "the game" there are blocks of dialogue between the two, which have the intention (I presume) of making us feel more connected to both characters, and of conveying the stakes of the game. Because of the mis-match in performances though, and combined with quite a generic script, these drag and start to bog the whole film down.
Realistically, in editing they could have dropped probably around 20 minutes and helped the film to stay tighter and better paced, and lost some of the parts which fell flat.
The imbalance in the key performances, combined with the drawn-out pacing and filler, starts to hamper any attempt to build anxiety and tension as the film goes on. There are points where the stakes just feel unimaginably low, and it's hard to care what happens next.
The sense of not really caring about what happens next is largely exacerbated by the fact that the ending is very heavily telegraphed from around the mid-point of the film. In the end, it starts to feel very much like you're just waiting for the inevitable.
Overall, The Odds of finding this film as thrilling or gripping as the producers intented, are very low indeed.
Perfect Sisters (2014)
TV movie with a theatrical release
The premise is an interesting one; two sisters, growing increasingly exasperated with their alcoholic mother plot to end her life. Loosely based on a true story.
The lead performances are good enough, but not outstanding. The supporting performances are very hit and miss.
The key aspect which holds the film back, above anything else, is a lack of real chemistry between the sisters - especially when compared to a film like Ginger Snaps (2000) which focuses on sisters of a similar age.
The production values are more reminiscent of mid-budget TV than a serious theatrical release, and as a result Deadly Sisters looks and feels more like an episode of a TV show from a decade earlier, than a 2014 release.
The low value feel, and particularly voice-overs and narration, make the film feel instantly dated.
The pacing is also fairly hit and miss. There are blocks of time which feel very slow, and others where it feels as though you might have missed something.
If you have a passing interest in the "Bathtub Girls" case that sits behind the story here, I can imagine you'll probably find the film more interesting than those who go in cold.
Overall, Deadly Sisters is a passable movie, but not a great one. If there's something else that you're itching to watch, I'd put that on instead.
Amityville Scarecrow (2021)
Amazingly NOT the worst Amityville film, but not far off
This is a new low. Even for me.
Virtually impossible for this review to contain spoilers because this film already came out spoiled.
In this one, there is a camp ground on the site of the original Amityville house... only for some reason it's in the UK now. I've no idea.
I presume this is a different timeline to Amityville Asylum (one of the three worst films ive seen in my life) where an asylum was apparently built on the site of the original Amityville house.
Getting into the film itself... while the photography is actually pretty good the dialogue is as generic as you can imagine. Virtually every single death happens off screen. The scarecrow costume is an over-the-counter job. The score is very obviously free stock music. A "police officer" turns up whose costume is basically what you'd dress your kid in if they told you 15 minutes before school that it was "dress like a cop day" and you had to make a costume from household goods. The acting is (in the most part) a genuine embarrassment.
The cynic in me is 90% sure this film was only made as an excuse for the production to get an exemption from strict quarantine and lockdown restrictions in the UK - and have a good old get-together with their pals while the rest of the country couldnt even visit family. The chance of them intending to make this as a piece of lasting art to entertain future generations is zero.
It's only by virtue of the fact that I'm a weird freak, who deliberately seeks out terrible and extremely low budget films, that this ISN'T the worst film I've ever seen.
The Hatred (2017)
The most wooden acting I've seen in years.
The Hatred has a reasonable but slow set up, to establish the background for the "haunted" house that our protagonists move into in the "modern day".
Every single modern haunted house cliche gets wheeled out in this film - from the extremely irritating child who refuses to listen to the most basic of polite requests, right up the now classic "floor-drag".
The script is insultingly generic and bland and the delivery is utterly flat. There's no emotion in any of the performances at any point in the entire film. Even as characters die, no one seems particularly scared or upset.
This isn't the worst film I've seen, but it's incredibly weak. Within 15 minutes of of the credits, you'll have forgotten almost everything that took place.
The Innkeepers (2011)
Solid premise but missing the "spark" of West's other films
The Innkeepers has a fairly solid, tried and tested premise; there are unexplained quirks and "goings on" in an old building/business, which our protagonist(s) are drawn to investigate. It's been done multiple times, largely because it often does work.
The film has a decent cast and script. It's well shot and well acted overall, which on paper is great, but in practice just isn't quite enough.
Where The Innkeepers let's itself down is in the sound design and the score. If you're a film student looking for an example of how integral score is to a film, this might be it, but not as a good example.
Throughout the film, the score and sound design sit largely flat and fail to effectively build tension. A lot of the time, the score feels out of sync with the rhythm of what's happening on screen; a key example is where "jump scares" take place, but the score has either already peaked or just doesn't amplify or punctuate the moment. Imagine the iconic shower scene in Psycho (1960) but instead of the strings peaking in time with the thrusts of the knife, there's just some meandering oboe part in a minor key. That is how the score lands in The Innkeepers.
Overall, it's a shame that the film doesn't come together better. The direction, cast and performance are good enough, but the weakest link, the score, is enough to hold the film back from ever gaining real momentum.
Ku bei (2021)
Blood, gore, extremity and filth... but not much else
In short, everything you have probably read about this film is largely correct; in terms of gore and injury, this is one of the most intense and over the top films I've seen. The story isn't going to set the world on fire, but the amount of blood and gore is ludicrous. The practical effects and make up are very well done - and mostly disgusting (as intended).
The action in The Sadness is wild, vivid and horrible. Whether that is a good thing or not depends entirely on your personal tastes.
It's not a particularly original concept in some respects. It leans heavily into the post-28 Days Later (2002) new wave of "fast zombie/infected" films and beyond taking some cues from Baskin (2015) in terms of visualised depravity, its not going to be breaking a huge amount of new ground.
That said, the performances and visuals are all delivered excellently. The narrative and dialogue take a back seat to overloading the viewer with as many horrific and disgusting scenes as possible. Some may appreciate this, others may not. Its a film that really wastes no time; the action kicks in at about the 16 minute mark, and doesnt really let up apart from a few minutes here and there in the final act. In many respects, the film does exactly what it set out to do, and I can't imagine any viewers would go into it without knowing what to expect.
Overall, if you're the horror fan who seeks out the whole package of gore and violence coupled with a compelling narrative - you're probably not going to be as satisfied as you would be with Martyrs (2008) or Inside (2007). But if overall extremity and gore are your thing, this is probably everything you're looking for; 95 minutes of pure chaos and mayhem.
Onirica (2019)
Neat Argento homage piece
Onirica is an interesting film. It's a fairly straight forward lower budget cat-and-mouse story; following a police inspector and a Dario Argento expert as they search for a serial killer who is murdering people using motifs from Argento films.
The film is largely excellently shot and is filled with moments that are direct homage to Argento's work. Some which are more subtle and use clever location selection, and some which are very overt. Naturally some parts work better than others - there's a Suspiria segment earlier on, which while using all the right colours, just misses the mark in terms of shot selection and framing, and feels a little bit like copied homework.
On the most part, the acting is great. Which is quite something, considering much of the cast are lesser known. The dialogue sometimes lets the film down a little; some references are laboured to excess, but I can understand why, given that not everyone watching this movie will be an Argento aficionado.
For a big Argento fan, it's good fun trying to pick out some of the more subtle referencing and hints, including a couple of characters who appear to have been cast and wardrobed (?) to mirror minor characters from some slightly lesser known films (like Four Flies on Grey Velvet). On the reverse though, if you aren't an Argento fan, I can imagine that at times Onirica might drag or frustrate.
Overall, it's an enjoyable film that's well put together and thought out, well acted and well shot. If you're a big Dario Argento fan you'll likely get more enjoyment from Onirica than the casual viewer.
The Cleansing (2019)
Sub-par folk revenge
The Cleansing seems to have arrived in a wave of moody folk-horrors rushed out following the success of The Witch (Robert Eggers; 2015)
The plot is fairly solid. A young girl is a accused of being a witch and its up to the village "cleanser" to determine whether she is and cleanse her of her curse.
The film is a slow burn through the first two-thirds, but picks up pace in the final act.
It's atmospheric and well shot, with a decent score that underpins the mood, but doesn't show much variation. At times, this score is a bit too much and there are definitely moments which would benefit from either no background score or something more subtle.
The acting in the most part, and across the lead roles, is solid. The dialogue, on the other hand, has some questionable moments which feel clumsy and insincere.
As the film reaches its finale, the pace rapidly picks up, but at the same time some of the performances take a nose dive. There is at least one death which strongly channels Hot Fuzz 'am-dram' Romeo & Juliet, but unironically.
Overall, it's a film built on a neat story, which takes its time to build a decent atmosphere, but is ultimately let down by some inconsistent performances. Still worth a watch if you have the time.
The Block Island Sound (2020)
Solid drama. Weaker horror
At the core of The Block Island Sound is an interesting premise, solid drama, a sprinkling of interesting sci-fi and some good performances.
The film is undoubtedly a slow burn, which isn't to everyone's taste, but even those who enjoy steadier pacing might find the middle of the film a little too drawn out.
Where the film let's itself down, is that in trying to save some key revelations until the finale, it ultimately gives the viewer very nearly nothing to go off until the end - which at times gets frustrating.
Overall the film feels like more of a supernatural drama than a horror film and the pacing won't be for everyone.
For those who dont mind a very slow burn, there's a solid film in here with some great atmosphere and performances and an interesting finale.
Killers Within (2018)
Good ideas. Weak execution.
The actual premise here is a pretty solid foundation for a half-decent film... but it's not a new idea.
"Kidnappers/home invaders bite of more than they can chew" seems to have been a bit of a fad post-2010 in various shapes and forms, and delivered at varying levels of quality.
This one, sadly, has all of the same tropes that they all have;
- One overly-aggressive member of the gang ruining everything.
- One overly-soft member of the gang ruining everything.
- Multiple overly-stupid and easily manipulated members of the gang ruining everything.
The quality of acting really varies. Not just from character to character but from scene to scene. The dialogue in the most part, is about as generic as it comes, and at times painfully corny. Every mistake the kidnappers make is eyerollingly predicable.
If you've watched ANY "home invasion with a twist" film that came out in the last 10 years, then this has very little to offer in terms of new ground.
With that said, if you want something leave on in the background while you fold laundry or knead bread dough or something, then you could definitely do worse.
Il tuo vizio è una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave (1972)
Solid but not great Giallo from Martino
A solid-enough giallo offering from Sergio Martino, but falls a little behind his preceeding films; All The Colours of the Dark and The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh.
Your Vice... is largely built around Edgar Allen Poe's short story The Black Cat - which is an excellent platform to build upon and provides a great foundation - but the film loses its way several times.
While gialli and sleaze go together like burger and fries, Your Vice... adds a somehwat excessive number of sex scenes and encounters during the middle of the film, which only hinder and confuse the plot. It becomes easy to lose track of who is involved with who.
The bloated second act slows the film down to a crawl and stifles the momentum built early on, which never really recovers, as it wanders towards the finale.
There are solid performances and some beautiful photography and there's no doubt that Martino is an excellent director. But overall the film just lacks some of the punch and memorable moments that made Martino's previous offerings stand out.
The Amityville Asylum (2013)
Nothing at all happens
First off, I'll get the biggest issue out of the way: this film has nothing to do with the prior Amityville series of films, which are based around the demonic possession of the Amityville house (and later, objects from inside that house). It doesn't contain any themes around demonic possession or poltergeist activity. If that's what you're expecting from this film, then you'll likely be very disappointed.
Equally if you're looking for a so-bad-its-good hot mess like the glorious Amityville: The Evil Escapes, you'll also be sorely disappointed.
As another reviewer commented, the actual concept (asylum built on the site of the old Amityville house) isn't terrible in theory, but the execution is abysmal.
The pacing is way off. Nothing starts to happen until just after an hour has passed. And boy does that feel like a long hour. If you made/make it that far, then I would to take this opportunity to personally congratulate you!
The acting (with the exception of the psychiatrist running the asylum, played by Jared Morgan) is college standard at best. There is zero conviction in any of the other performances, and most of the time it feels as though the cast are reading their lines for the first time as they're being filmed.
It doesn't feel like they did a second take of ANY part of the film. Even where scenes are performed to an embarrassingly low standard.
The photography, however, is solid enough and there's some good use of practical effects in the final act. The score on the other hand, is pretty weak and fails to build any tension or atmosphere.
Overall, Amityville Asylum is a hard film to get through, with no pay off or reward for dragging yourself through to the end credits.
Dard Divorce (2007)
Lots of gore but extremely poor
First things first, make no mistake, everything about this movie serves as nothing more than a vehicle for the gore and visual effects. The effects themselves are decent enough but nothing you haven't seen done better by Fulci or Argento 25 years before this film came out, or more recently in films like The Night Comes for Us.
The script and the acting are both as bad as each other. Every line of dialogue is completely unnatural, and almost all of the delivery is abysmal and unconvincing.
The sound mixing and sound effects are beyond atrocious. I'm pretty sure the overdub for punches was lifted from Street Fighter II. The volume imbalance is wild - effects for stabbing are louder than gunshots. Footsteps in the distance are louder than dialogue.
The music is largely stock audio and very crap stock band tracks. There are huge blocks of dialogue which are entirely drowned out by the soundtrack. Not sure why or how.
Overall, the film is barely watchable, and even then, that's only if you've got a particular interest in gore and low budget practical effects. The story, script and performances are agonising.
Future Shock (1994)
Future Schlock
In this modern age of streaming, an insane variety and a vast archive of films are available right at the touch of a button. It makes it easier than ever to stumble across a hidden gem or lost work of genius. It also, however, makes it easier to land on a turd of a film which should have become a distant memory lost to time. This film is undoubtedly the latter.
The production is as low cost as they come; walls are seemingly made from wobbly cardboard, everywhere is absurdly sparse because there was no budget for props, the film itself seems to have been shot to a well used VHS on long-play.
The script and dialogue are as awful as they come. Almost every line feels completely unnatural and forced. The acting is no better.
There are three vignettes which make up the film, each as ludicrous as the last. Strung together with a very loose and thin thread, which also makes very little sense at all. Bill Paxton makes an appearance, which gave me a little hope, but those hopes were soon dashed. It feels like he turned up on a lunchbreak as a favour to someone and really wanted his part over and done with.
There's some use of visual effects, but similarly to other aspects, these are done as cheaply as humanly possible.
It feels like there were probably some good ideas here, but they definitely weren't executed.
That said, it could make for a good party film for drinking games: although if you took a drink every time there's a continuity error you may well be dead before the credits roll.
No One Gets Out Alive (2021)
More of the same from Netflix
No One Gets Out Alive has arrived at the same time as a few other Netflix "original" horrors; notably There's Someone Inside Your House, Prey and A Classic Horror Story.
All of these, this film included, suffer from the same issue more or less: they draw too heavily (some in plot, some in style) from greater films which have come before, and don't take those concepts any further. No One Gets Out Alive is, however, the best of this batch.
No One Gets Out Alive feels like a take on Guillermo Del Toro's movies of the early to mid 2000s, but while it emulates some of the look and feel, the story just isn't as strong overall and has difficulty linking the moments of tension together en route to the final act.
The performances throughout are solid and believable across the cast. There aren't any weak links.
The visual design, both sets and effects are also rock solid. There's some excellent creature design and use special effects and make up are excellent.
The final act is without a doubt the strongest part of the film and goes some way towards making up for the slow and slightly jumbled first two acts.
No One Gets Out Alive isn't a bad film at all, but it suffers from a slow start which fails to really set the scene, as well as drawing a little too much inspiration from its predecessors and not adding enough to give it a feel of its own.
Hippopotamus (2018)
A great idea that doesn't quite come off
Although I've rated this on the low side, it isn't objectively a bad film. Its neither the "masterpiece" that some of the reviews suggest, nor the "failure" that others suggest.
The film is well shot, with great set and lighting design and some solid effects and makeup in the finale.
The performances are pretty good overall, but seem much more natural in the few flashback scenes that come later in the film, than in the first act.
The main problem, however, is the dialogue. Frustratingly, the sentiment is there but the dialogue itself is so unnatural that it distracts from the performances. On paper I imagine it worked perfectly, but in practice it feels too far removed from how people naturally speak. Unfortunately though, because so much of the film is one-on-one dialogue, there's nowhere to hide.
I felt the ending worked well and was really well delivered. With some tweaks to the script it could have been a lot better, but it shows promise across the cast and production.
As the Village Sleeps (2021)
Painful to watch
The only reason that I haven't rated this movie as a 1 is that the camera work and editing are reasonable enough.
That is where any praise at all ends.
The script is terrible and the acting is (on the most part) even worse. The plot is weak and any attempt to build tension fails dismally, partly but not completely, due to the ineffective score.
I can't stress enough: this isn't one of those films that is "so bad it's good". It's just plain bad.
The Amityville Curse (1990)
By far the worst Amityville outing to date
Having recently re-watched all of the initial run of Amityville films (1979 to 1996) it is safe to say that the quality certainly has its ups and downs. The Amityville Curse, however, is without a doubt the lowest low point amongst the downs.
The film struggles to decide whether it wants to be a serious attempt at a horror outing, or a dark comedy, and in the process it fails to succeed at either.
The script is weak - and clunkily shuffles from one cliched one-liner to the next. The set pieces are predictable and tired, and land with little to no impact. The characters who have been added as comic relief, feel out of place, and act as more of an annoyance than anything else.
Unlike every other film in the series, the plot seems to have very little to do with the demonic possession of the house, which somehow looks nothing like the dutch style Amityville house in any of the other films - but is supposed to be the very same.
The film builds towards a "shocking" twist, which, thanks to some abysmal acting, lands as flat as a pancake.
In the words of Frank... "WHYYYYYYYY?!"
Llamageddon (2015)
"Everyone in the hot tub is dead!"
The following tale of alien encounters is true. And by "true", I mean "false". It's all lies. But they're entertaining lies. And in the end, isn't that the real truth?
The answer is: No.
Truth or not, this film has no right to be anywhere as much fun as it is. Did it stretch the limits of what can be achieved with a small budget? No. But was it sort of fantastic in a way I can't put my finger on? Yes.
Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Passable live action remake but missing the magic
The original Ghost in the Shell surpasses this live action remake in every way possible.
While this version is visually impressive, and they have done a fantastic job of recreating the look of the 1995 original, it feels like this comes at the expense of character depth.
In the original the characters feel full, convincing and real, but that hasn't been brought across to the remake. Characters here feel paper thin, which makes it hard to care about them or their choices. The relationship between Major and Batou feels insincere in this version. The script overall feels largely flat and weak.
The greatest failing is that despite the extra ~24 mins runtime over the original, the story and dialogue has been over simplified in some areas, and dedicates time to expanding on aspects of the original which worked well previously by remaining ambiguous. The result is that the producers seem to feel compelled to dedicate the majority of screen time to Major/Mira, while taking out more interesting elements of the original to make space.
The simplest example is the garbage truck driver: in the 1995 version, he gets a fair amount of establishing screen time, and his actions are integral to the plot advancement, so that when the tragedy of his character arc is revealed, you genuinely feel pity for him. In the remake, he is added in as a bit of fan service so that some key shots from the original can be replicated. You feel nothing for him.
Despite its flaws and despite comparing poorly to the original material, this isn't a terrible film. The visuals and action are impressive. The story is an interesting re-imagining, although nowhere near as deep.
The result is a film that you can watch with a beer while you mess around on your phone, which adequately passes the time. However, compared to the original, it seems to take longer to say a lot less.