This remake gets a lot of criticism from just about everyone. Of course, it's a remake of one of the most beloved Alfred Hitchcock thrilller films of the 1960s, so it's bound to get some flack, but people really lay it on thick with this poor movie, and I always wondered why. Can it really be as bad as everyone says it is? I finally got around to watching it myself today, so I'll be able to answer that question for myself. Let's see how bad this movie actually is.
Hoping to start fresh with her boyfriend who is perpetually broke, the character of Marion (played by Anne Heche) steals a huge sum of money from her job one day when the opportunity presents itself, and she makes a break for it, eventually stopping for rest at a remote motel. The motel is run by Norman Bates (played by Vince Vaughn) who is incredibly awkward but seemingly harmless, thoguh Marion often hears him arguing with his domineering mother. Later that night, Marion decides to take a shower and she is brutally murdered. Norman finds the body and hides it. Marion's sister gets a detective to investigate the disappearance, and when they search the motel, they uncover shocking truths.
Psycho is one of those movies where I always wish I could go back in time and watch it before I knew everything that was going to happen in it. I read the book years ago as a teenager, back when my mom wouldn't let me watch the original Psycho because she had seen it and thought it was too violent, so by the time I saw the movie I knew everything that was going to happen in it. The twist at the end of this movie is one that's talked about everywhere because it's so shocking and infamous for how it scared audiences back when the movie first came out. That would have been cool to see. Unfortunately, I have to watch this movie carrying the baggage of knowing everything that's going to happen in it, and also knowing how good the original movie is, so a sequel could never live up to the legacy of the original.
That's all a shame, because this really isn't a bad movie. It's got a good cast of A-listers (Julianne Moore, Anne Heche when she was at the top of her game, William H. Macy, etc.) and they all do their best to bring the script to new life. The problem is that this really is a shot-for-shot remake of the original movie with noting really new to add to the proceedings, so we've seen it all before and know everything that's coming befeore it happens. I really like Vince Vaughn and he tries his best here, but he's just no Anthony Perkins, whose performance as the seemingly docile Norman Bates who is hiding a murderous secret really carried the first film (and its three sequels, all of which are worth checking out if you're a horror/slasher fan). Overall I would recommend that you check this out to slake your curiosity if nothing else, but don't expect too much and you might not be disappointed.
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