Horror icon Freddy Krueger returns to your nightmares in this remake of the 1984 original. Krueger, played by Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen, Little Children), is a serial-killer who wields a glove with four blades for fingers. He terrorises and murders people in their dreams, resulting in their death in reality.
The original Wes Craven film spawned seven sequels, a TV series plus 2003's Freddy vs Jason (in which he battles the masked maniac of the Halloween movies).
As one of those folks who bristle every time they hear the word remake, I wasn’t expecting much from Michael Bay-and-pals’ take on A Nightmare On Elm Street. Wes Craven’s original still stands up on its own merits, for starters, and then there’s the casting of Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger in a "re-imagining" of a character completely synonymous with Robert Englund. The good news, though, is that if one can look past the fact this is happening and tolerate Haley rasping through a melted face very different to the original, the film is surprisingly effective.
Benefiting from the update to a contemporary setting, A Nightmare On Elm Street works due to its killer combination of fatal dreamscapes and the character of Krueger himself. It’s great to see some iconic scenes faithfully recreated even if one in particular, Krueger looming out from inside the wall above a sleeping teen’s bed, shows that average CGI is a poor replacement for a clever practical effect.
Nightmare’s not completely faithful though, taking liberties when it feels like it, but does well to overlook the much more comedic entries in this series of films. Krueger’s back-story may seem unnecessarily fleshed out in a case of the remake opting to explain a bit too much, but he displays a deeper level of predatory sadism here that reflects his upgrading of creep from child-killer to child-molester. Haley just ain’t no Englund, no matter how much he tries.
By Steve Newall, Flicks.co.nz
u can barly call the new one a night mare on elm street its just wat happend at there pre school it not elm street its there pre school
I watched this at the movies and liked every minute of it, I could not really remember the original part 1, but do remember the others. I found this Freddy much more pleasurable as he slices and dices his victims up with some added CGI, cutting edge literally! I liked the supermarket seen, as one of the victims goes in and out of the dream world as Freddy is trying to slice her with his blades. I felt tension right through this film and was on the edge of my seat, jumping all the way. It has a good climax not really letting me down. I think the end could have been improved; something more dramatic should have occurred rather then a simple head chopping, the battle was too short for my liking. apart from that this film was a killer
Hey just so you know, this caption i found on you website is wrong: "The original Wes Craven film spawned seven sequels, a TV series plus 2003's Freddy vs Jason (in which he battles the masked maniac of the Halloween movies)"..... Actually jason is from the friday the 13th series, michael myers was the killer from halloween. Cheers
Most critics are comapring this to the original (and so they should) but just because it isn't as good as it doens't mean its horrible. Jackie Earle Haley fits into Krueger's boots perfectly and takes the character back to his dark roots of the first two Nightmares. Great acting from him and actress Rooney Mara. The directing is average, but the feel for the movie is very well done. Platinum Dunes have finally gone back to their roots with their early remakes and Michael Bay has helped perfectly. Worth the rent!
You can't have a Freddy film without Robert Englund. Period. I watched 30 minutes of this rubbish and then tuned out. The acting, directing, EVERYTHING was awful! Who the hell is this new Freddy!? Get rid of this actor, he sucks. Lame one-liners, crappy "special" effects, this is a bomb. Avoid at all costs!
I stared at A Nightmare on Elm Street with weary resignation. The movie consists of a series of teenagers who are introduced, haunted by nightmares and then slashed to death by Freddy. So what? Are we supposed to be scared?
Haley earns his stripes but Bayer's reboot is a bland anticlimax.
The back-to-the-beginning approach unimaginatively goes through the motions, offering scant justification for its boring existence, at least from an artistic point of view.
This "Nightmare" is mostly stale goods. You'd think Bayer's music video background would jibe well with the playful surreality of Craven's premise. But when not paying homage -- the claw in the bathtub, the morphing wall -- Bayer surprisingly traffics in factory-level horror atmospherics and loud, saw-it-coming shocks.
It’s moderately entertaining and instantly forgettable. Poor Freddy. I can’t help thinking he deserves better.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 27th May 2010.
Release date: May 27th 2010.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
