With that setup, you can tell the movie is very meta, mixing reality and the movies and exploring how that can affect people… It can feel a bit heavy-handed and overly exaggerated at times, but the story does go into some interesting directions.
Heather Langenkamp is a pretty convincing Heather Langenkamp 😂, but like her two appearances in the franchise, she brings a lot of compassion, laid-back confidence, and a strong inner strength to the role.
I am disappointed that there’s not a scene where Freddy Krueger stalks and kills Robert England 😂, but getting to play essentially two roles, Robert England shows how much range he has by being very good as charming as Robert and probably his creepiest take on Freddy.
Freddy’s redesign is really impressive; I love the use of color, and the burn makeup is so distinct and well detailed—another series highlight.
I liked how they blurred the line between reality, dreams, and movies; it got very surreal and… dreamlike 😂, which I appreciated.
Fran Bennett as Dr. Heffner is a strong standout and very impressive in the role, although her character being all high and mighty about Heather Langenkamp being in scary movies felt a bit much, and honestly, this was just Wes Craven’s way of getting back at the censor board for all the times they clashed on his previous films by naming the character after the former president of the rating board, so good for you, Wes, for getting some nice closure, but it felt more like he was working out your fanfiction than necessary to the story, but he still did a good job in the end, and the actress really brought something special to the part.
Niko Hughes was a popular child actor from the time, and for such a young kid, I think he was pretty good. He was in the quieter scenes with his mom, and I think he and Langenkamp have really good chemistry and bring a lot of heart to scenes.
It is interesting to see all these real-life producers and crew getting a chance to act; for people who aren’t trained actors, they give free, convincing, and realistic performances.
Wes Craven’s direction is solid; he has a good eye for where to put the camera and how to shoot it. His drama can feel a little over-the-top at times; he may not be the strongest writer, but he brings a real sense of wonder and charm to the movie that is very fun.
Apparently, when they were making this movie, an actual earthquake happened, so they were able to work it into the movie and make it look like the demon was getting out in the real world. It’s a nice little coincidence that really adds a lot of scope to the film.
The soundtrack is solid; for the climax it gets a little too bombastic, and the sound mixing at the two different climaxes could use improvement because every sound sounded like it was at 2:11 and they just drowned themselves out, but as far as that piece, they were visually stunning and rather creative… A little far from fashion places, but overall solid
John Saxton is in the movie. Also playing himself when he gives a very nurturing and subtly funny performance, another highlight.
This movie has some of the dumbest nurses I’ve ever seen in a film. Like I was rolling my eyes at the screen thinking, “You can’t do that; you would so lose your license and/or go to jail.” It was such fake drama for drama's sake and ridiculous 😂.
I did like the final dream set piece; it’s one of the best in the series and really distinct and a nice visual spectacle.
There are two big climax action sets that are well done, but I thought the sound mixing could’ve been better. I just feel like every single sound effect has been cranked to 11 and all are playing over each other at the same time, so it actually is a little distracting. Like, I had to turn down the volume during those scenes just because of how loud it was, but besides that, the climaxes are solid.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare has a lot of good ideas that struggle to conceal, but the creativity, winking-at-the-camera charm, and the actors’ performances really elevate the material. I give it a bottom-of-the-barrel Four Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It isn’t going to blow your mind or anything, but you’ll walk away having had a good time. ❤️💚❤️💚
No comments:
Post a Comment