Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
As a huge fan of the 1974 horror classic, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I
was torn between huge anticipation of a prequel and thinking “blasphemy”.
So the build up  was
enormous. The plot starts with giving the origins of Leatherface. Oh sweet
young Thomas Hewitt / Leatherface (played by Andrew Bryniarski) being
raised by the anti- Mike Brady, if you will by, “Sheriff Hoyt”,
played to perfection by R. Lee Ermey.
The plot revolves around four young adults on a trip to see the two young
men in the group off to Vietnam. There’s a subplot of one wanting
to run off to Mexico. This is all pretty flimsy, but lets be real, this
is not why we go to the theatre to see this movie…this is not the
“The English Patient,” this is about a man with a chainsaw.
Eventually the four find misfortune when they meet up with the Sheriff
who brings them back to the Hewitt house. That’s where all the magic
happens. Out of the four actors/actresses (Jordanna Brewster as Chrissie,
Taylor Handley as Dean, Diora Baird as Bailey, and Matthew Boomer as Eric)
Brewster appeared to take the lead and did a decent job. For the most
part the acting was sub par. It appeared that Baird literally had five
lines and screamed the rest of the time. Ermey’s role seemed to
be tailored just for him and his dialogue was delivered with pinpoint
precision. Although he is so evil as the Sheriff, why is he so irresistible
and makes us laugh at his twisted comments? One scene he is standing in
his uniform shirt and boxer shorts scratching himself, commenting on how
“chicks love men in uniform”. Hilarious! But this is movie
is really about being scared.
I would like to say I did like the way the director built up suspense.
The tiny nuances, the music, the things that didn’t happen, only
added to what did happen. I also enjoyed the nod to the original….the
dinner scene. It was sick, but certainly not the level of the original.
Now for the gore.
The gore factor was excellent. I don’t want to give too much away
since this is still in theatres, but from chainsaw impalings to Leatherface’s
seamstress abilities, it’s deliciously demented. Like Betsy Ross
from hell. It’s not only the level of gore, it’s also the
detail of it that impressed me. Best gore scene *not to spoil* Leatherface
making handiwork of Eric with Chrissie hiding under the table. That’s
all I’m going to give away.
Overall I will say this is in no way the level of brilliance of the original.
However, I would recommend seeing it.
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Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning Review. |
