My Bloody Valentine (2009)

Really Surprised!

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Good start, but then it gets ruined

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Much like in the original 1981 Canadian slasher film of the same name; this 2009 American 3D remake centered, around murders committed, near Valentine's Day, perpetuated by a psychopath in a miner's outfit. However, while this movie directed by Patrick Lussier seem like it was trying its own ideas, much the outline was just recycle sequences from the first movie. After all, the movie starts out the same with the methane gas explosion, but instead of having the psychopath blame the supervisors for abandoning them in the mine for a Valentine Day party; in the remake, they choose to have the miner go after the owner's son, Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles) for forgetting to vent the methane lines. Though a deleted scene does reveal, the killer was trapped while a Valentine's Day dance was being held. Still, because of this change, the focus on the gimmick of the killer sending real-life bloody hearts to his victims seems a bit, out of the blue. Why? Because, when I now, think about it, this remake barely has anything to do with Valentine Day, besides the triangle love story between Tom's best friend Axel Palmer (Kerr Smith), Axel's wife/ Tom's ex-girlfriend, Sarah (Jamie King) and himself. For the most part, the killer just killed random people that has nothing with the main plot, such as the pointless murderous rampage at the motel in the middle or the hospital in the beginning. Another problem with this movie is the awkward structure, it has. Its starts off in 1997, with too quick, over exposition newspaper clipping of the killer being trapped, that does give enough information to explain, why the miner acts the way, he does. Then, the film cut to a year later, with the killer, somehow waking up from his coma in the hospital, and having the strength to goes on a murderous rampage at a miner party that shouldn't had been there, and then, finally ten years later in 2008, when the ageless, Tom returns to reclaim his father's mine and confronting his friends who abandoned him in the mine with the killer. It's all over the place. Without spoiling the movie, too much, the movie is full of plot-holes, such as the grocery store scene and how the sheriff know about the killer being in the house, even the plot twist toward the end, doesn't make a lick of sense, when you think about it. After all, what ever happen to the miner's body in the end!? Another problem with this movie is the choice of acting. Everybody was dry and too serious. There was hardly any wit or charm. It's sad, because one of the actors, is normally enjoyable. After all, he come from a TV Show 'Supernatural' that had an episode (Season 5, 14th episode) that had the same title of this movie, and a similar plot. So, it was possible to make this movie, fun to watch. Instead, everybody felt mostly uniformly unsavory, obnoxious and unsympathetic. Because of this, I really wouldn't care, about their relationship or the character's well-beings. It really took me, out of the movie. Another thing that sicken me, was the overused of the 3D. There was so many images, being thrown in your face that it becomes deadening overkill. It gave me, a headache like the flashing news opening. Clearly, somebody was trying to rip-off, the Daily Prophet. It really doesn't fit in this type of a world. If that wasn't bad, enough. The CGI gore effects were also really bad. It's sad, because the original had some of the best visual effects, at the time. I really couldn't get behind the film, due to how cheap and fake, it look. Another thing that was jarring, was the overused of full-frontal nudity that for the most part, wasn't needed. It was very gimmicky. It must had been very uncomfortable for actress Betsy Rue as the character, Irene to bare it all. It really felt that she got exploited by writers, Todd Farmer and Zane Smith. Even the studio and producers felt that the gore and nudity might had gone too far, as they cut the film from 101 min to 94 mins for some countries like Australia. Then, there was the fact that the movie was going to be released on Friday, February 13, 2009. However, release date was pushed up three weekends to January 23, 2009 so that this film would not have to compete with Friday the 13th remake, a film with a much bigger name. Overall: while the movie was still a success at the box office. I really don't get, why some people like this movie, over the original, because it's bad. For me, it's not worth digging for. Its cheap thrills that really lack imagination. I really hate it. This movie will not get any love, from me.

"My Bloody Valentine 3D" is a marvelous rendition of an 80's classic updated with care to create one of the best "remakes" out there. The film does not stray to far from its predecessor yet adds to it in a visually stunning form. Even in 2-D it shines as though it were made back in the 80s! The character development is what I enjoyed the most as it gave a nice change from topless blonde teens running to their deaths. The coal miner "Harry Warden" awakens from his one year coma and wreaks havoc but for a short period as he is gunned down later on. Ten years pass and the town of Harmony wants to forget about this terrible event in their history. Tom Hanniger returns to town to sell his fathers mining facility and catches up with the townsfolk only for a mysterious man in a coal miner outfit to show up and begin a murdering spree. Is it Harry Warden back from the dead or an impostor? The plot to this film is average but the kills are great. I recommend this movie to anyone looking for a great night of fright and suspense.

My Bloody Valentine is directed by Patrick Lussier and collectively written by Zane Smith, Todd Farmer and John Beaird. It stars Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith, Kevin Tighe and Tom Atkins. Music is by Michael Wandmacher and cinematography by Brian PearsonA remake of George Mihalker's 1981 slasher, the 2009 version was released in a blaze of 3D frenzy, where it absolutely coined it in at the World's box offices. It's not hard to see why, for no matter how much we may moan about remakes and the general languid nature of slashers turned out just for coin, there's a big market out there for them. As it happens this isn't half bad, oh it's all very familiar, there's another Michael Myers clone stalking the residents of some American town and offing them in gruesome ways. Here the perp is The Miner, dressed up in his work clothes, armed with a pick-axe, face covered by a gas mask that in turn makes him creepy looking and gives him Darth Vader breathing exercises to do.The mystery element is that this new series of murders are being re- enacted from crimes ten years previously, so is the old killer back from the dead, or is there a copycat at large? Enter troubled teenagers, townsfolk acting suspiciously and mucho blood and screaming sitting in tandem together. There's the requisite amount of nudity, including one of the longest nude scenes ever, while Lussier shows a good knack for blending humour with the terror. The 3D is of a high standard, and the sound mix is incredible, this really is one to give your sub-woofer a work out. It pans out as expected, but it manages to eek out good suspense for its finale and having Atkins and Tighe in the movie is a reassuring presence.The original was no great film anyway, and although this is better, it's still just a bunch of acting props being killed in different ways. But it is effective and above all else it's fun. 7/10

As a long time horror fan I to have always felt that some horror films should never have remakes considering that remakes intend to not live up to the original film. Remakes end up either copying way too much or make changes to the story that just end up not being worth the watch. But when I did see My Bloody Valentine 3D I decided to give the film a watch. Considering that when I saw the DVD in stores I suddenly remembered the long forgotten 1981 original. I will say story wise this film managed to be refreshing. Rather then go down the same tired routine as remakes do of copying origoal films, this film actually managed to interest me with something new. While the characters were the same in a sense, the writers managed to put them in different situations. And I liked how when the backstory was explained that years later of what became of the town. In the original the town always seemed to be happy and cheery even during the knowledge of a Valentines Day killer on the lose or when they know of the killers intentions on Valentines Day or what that kiler did 10 years prior, they were all too happy over Valentines Day and that just annoyed me. In this remake the town is still effected by the terrible events of 10 years prior and I found that to be more interesting. But I also liked how they switched the fates around of Tom Hanniger and Axel Palmer. I wont ruin who the killer is in the film if you haven't seen it but your going to be in for something different when the mystery and killer are revealed. Overall the film is darker and more serious in terms of the original. But to be fair the original was from a different time era of horror films. Now today everything is constantly remade and not original anymore. But this remake I feel surpassed the original 1981 film. Because it tried to be more serious and original and not just do the same tired copying original films and doing the same routine stuff that's been done to death. You don't see remakes doing this at all.