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| Speed Racer | 8/10 |
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| Speed Racer | 8/10 |
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Ravishes Through 83 Minutes (Alex's Take)
October 6, 2006
by Alex Billington
- US Release Date: October 6, 2006
- Genre: Horror, Thriller
- MPAA: Rated R (for strong horror violence/gore, language and some sexual content)
- Running Time: 84 minutes
- Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning on IMDb
9/10
I'll admit that I'm not that big of a horror fan. I've seen just a few horror movies and I've been gaining a bit of respect for them ever since Saw 2. I've been looking forward to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and I can now say with certainty that it is an entertaining and gruesome experience. The Beginning is a slaughterhouse of gore from its very start to its finish, and it delivers it at a fast-paced non-stop intensity. The Beginning is a must see for any horror genre fans and anyone looking for plenty of thrills and screams.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is the prequel to the 2003 remake of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Whereas in the comic book movie genre, the first film always introduces a heroic character and spends time building up their growth and development; in this sequel to the 2003 remake, it does just that. It answers many of the questions asked from Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Leatherface's history. Starting from his birth in Travis County, Texas, to the town's eventual demise after the slaughterhouse where Thomas Hewitt (a.k.a Leatherface) worked was shut down, and the much more grisly stories behind how he gets his first face and his first chainsaw (cute, isn't it).
From the very start this movie was soaked in blood. The thrilling score kept it moving at a swift pace leaving not one second to spare in its very short 83 minutes. Leaving out some missing history behind Leatherface's childhood, the story moves quickly into the primary plot involving four unsuspecting victims (Jordana Brewster, Diora Baird, Taylor Handley, Matthew Bomer) traveling through Travis Country during 1969. It's not long before they encounter Sheriff Hoyt and soon discover that it's not all as it seems.
The fatherly figure of the deranged family, although far from being an actual father, is Sheriff Hoyt, played by the audibly recognizable R. Lee Ermey. Ermey takes The Beginning to a sick and twisted high-point with his humorous lines and deranged mind. His character also takes some of the fear away from Leatherface, being so open to his horrific and disgusting interests. It's also appropriate to mention how great of a performance Andrew Bryniarski gave as Leatherface, building his emotions purely based on physical expression.
Last Word:
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is as gory and appalling as every true horror fan will want it to be. It delivers an intense 83 minutes all the way through to its powerful finish and very poignant last image. R. Lee Ermey and Andrew Bryniarski create some of the most memorable yet frightening characters ever in a horror film. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is definitely one of the greatest horror films to come out this year.
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Reader Feedback - 2 Comments »
1
Hmmmmm….interesting. This is the first and so far the only positive review on the prequel to the already ridiculous remake of an all time classic. It is gory yes, but also unintelligent and entirely dull and boring.
Is it a coincidence that in this review the other big disappointment, the by far worst of the Saw trilogy is mentioned. If you wanna do yourself a favor, stick to the original or less gory with more suspense the silence of the lamb. The only good thing with this movie is that you only waste 83 minutes.
Rob on Dec 5, 2006
2
This is actually better than the 2003 'remake', basically because it doesn't have a predecessor to unfavorably compare it to. Is this a good horror film? It is, and if it isn't great it's because there is no suspense. We know that Hoyt and his clan all survive and we pretty much know that the victims all die. The much-touted gore is indeed extreme, but it's still nothing that hasn't been seen before.
Bottom line: An entertaining, well-photographed horror film that doesn't last longer than it should and does what it's supposed to. And the acting is exceptional for a film of this genre, so I can recommend this to all Leatherface fans as well as the more general horror buffs.
Crash McBean on Feb 3, 2007