Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: Nothing says date movie like a 3-D ride to HELL!!!
Review: While I generally cannot stand the idea of remakes, the original MBV did leave plenty of room for improvement. Although this film is not a wholehearted success in improving on the original, it did tell a more interesting story and the 3-D gimmick was actually amusing especially if you managed to catch this in the cinema when it was first released as I did. At the same time, this version had certain advantages over the original like better looking babes, a better grasp on the killer's reveal, some genuinely funny offbeat moments, and this film boasts my man-crush, Jensen Ackles, from "Supernatural" fame as the lead character, Tom. SAAAAAAAAAMMM!!! Also, they were smart enough to scrap that ridiculous name of the town--but they also removed that awesome ending theme song!
This movie changes up quite a bit of the story to the point that only a few details and character names remain intact. Harry Warden still went crazy after being trapped in the mine, but this film explains that Tom, who is supposed to be TJ, was the main person responsible for not properly checking the methane levels. Later, Harry comes out of a coma and slaughters the hospital staff before gearing up, in the same infamous miner outfit from the original, to kill idiots at the mine and, of course, trying to get revenge on Tom. After a struggle and a few dead teens later, the sheriff shows up in time to shoot Harry before he kills Tom, but he appears to escape deeper into the tunnels. Ten years later, Tom, who had been missing all this time, returns to town to close down the mine after his father's death as their family owns the mine. With Valentine's Day drawing closer, and plenty of people wanting revenge against Tom for closing down the mine, it appears Harry has emerged once again to kill anyone in his path. There is still a lame love triangle between Tom, Axel, and Sarah, but this time Sarah is less of a tease; she is also married to Axel who has become the current sheriff. The kills are just as good as the original with some really brutal deaths that make full use of the 3-D. The banter between a lot of the characters is funny with some outright humorous scenes giving a nod to the over the top acting from the original; speaking of which, the acting is much better this time with some horror icons thrown in for good measure. There are still plenty of red herrings, but, as with the original, it all comes down to Tom or Axel as the likely killer; although, since this was a remake, you at least have the possibility that things may change so you are a little bit more intrigued than with the original. Another factor is that Harry's whereabouts are less apparent than the original, but, still, this shouldn't fool anyone. The look and approach to the killer miner are equal to the original with the same imposing threat ever present. One thing that did suck was that the mine was not as crucial in establishing the atmosphere as with the original, and the characters don't spend as much time in it. A lot of the cooler scenes from the original are recreated, like the jumpsuits falling down and the body in the dryer, but I think they missed out on some opportunities. Then there is the fact that it's supposed to be Valentine's Day and that should contribute more to the killer's motive, but you don't feel the holiday, and, honestly, there's no real reason why the killer is focusing on V-day.
So after laying waste to, what appears to be, half the town, the killer chases Sarah into the mine as the audience is bouncing back and forth between whether the killer is actually Tom or Axel when both conveniently arrive. The movie does as good as a job as the original to keep you on the fence, but, to change things up, it is revealed that Tom is the killer. Instead of being traumatized as kid by Harry, like Axel was in the original, Tom was traumatized by his near-death experience with Harry, as well as his guilt over the incident, and has spent years away in a mental institution. When he returned to town and found Harry's gravesite, he somehow began to emulate Harry when he found his gas mask. In some ways, this Tom believes he is Harry while still seeing himself separately at times--somewhat like disassociate personality disorder; Tom comes off much more crazy than the original film's Axel whose motive was not entirely sensible. Tom then tries to kill Axel and Sarah, but is seemingly blown up after Sarah shoots methane tanks lying about. An injured Axel is whisked away with Sarah not far behind as Tom has disguised himself as a rescue worker and narrowly escapes to kill another day!
I hate to admit it, but I think I actually prefer this remake to the original. The original is good, no doubt about that, but this film managed to improve upon enough points to slightly edge past it in quality; although I may be biased, because of Mr. Ackles' performance as the killer, the jokes were funny, and the 3-D made things more fun. To the original's credit, it is more of the main V-day themed horror movie, because, as I mentioned, this film doesn't even have a reason to have the holiday as its focus--it's just there. The kills and the presentation of the killer are on equal terms, but the original had the superior use of the mine tunnels for its climax; on the other hand, the remake had more intrigue as to the revelation of the killer and the red herrings felt like genuine possibilities for the killer. I guess it's up to the viewer to decide which they like better, because both felt close in quality with each going for different avenues to appeal toward. If you can check out either this Valentine's Day, definitely go for it and forget the chick flicks.
Notable Moment: When we realize Tom is the killer and they play up the insanity a lot more than they did with the original. Mr. Ackles pulls off a believably psychotic killer quite well, and I love it.
Final Rating: 6.5/10
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