HOME TRAILERS RELEASE DATES PODCASTS REVIEWS POSTERS INTERVIEWS BOB $TENCIL NEWS FEEDS ABOUT APPS

REVIEWS

The Hitcher: Another Pointless Remake

by Josh Green
January 19, 2007

US Release Date: January 19, 2007
Genre: Horror, Thriller
MPAA: Rated R (for strong bloody violence, terror and language)
Running Time: 83 minutes
Directed by: Dave Meyers
on IMDb
6.5/10

“Feels good doesn't it?”

- Sean Bean as John Ryder

While on a road trip to get to their unknown Spring Break destination, college students Grace (Sophia Bush) and Jim (Zachary Knighton) cross paths with John Ryder (Sean Bean), a man who needs a lift after his car gets stranded on the highway. Remember how your parents told you never to pick up strangers? It isn't until after they set out on the road that John Ryder turns out to be a psychotic maniac looking to fill his masochistic needs. Based off of the 1986 film of the same name, The Hitcher proves yet to be another attempt to scrap in on some extra cash from old and tired ideas.

The worst thing about The Hitcher is that the film doesn't try to do anything different from the original. And this time around it is less satisfying than it was back in 1986. The film is so predictable that it is hard to focus without guessing what will happen next.

Sean Bean, Sophia Bush, and Zachary Knighton in a scene from The Hitcher.

The characters presented here are so one-dimensional that we don't even know there names until 20 minutes into the film. Sure Sophia Bush is fantastic to look at, but why should we care about a beautiful brunette in trouble when we know nothing about her? As for our antagonist, literally nothing is known about his character or motive throughout the entire movie. This was probably to make his appearance more threatening or scary, however it did the exact opposite. Makes one wonder what director Dave Meyers would have said when Sean Bean would have approached him to ask, "what's my motivation?"

The film also decides to base itself in completely unrealistic outcomes and situations. In one scene in particular John Ryder destroys four police cars and a helicopter, all with a pistol. For all of the incredible things John Ryder does, including how he can suddenly appear anywhere without warning, we get no explanation or reasoning behind any of it.

Sophia Bush tries to save Zachary Knighton in a intense scene from The Hitcher.

Platinum Dunes, the studio that financed this aimless remake, has been responsible with other remakes over the years including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror. It is my theory that their soul purpose is to produce nothing but horror remakes. How can this be beneficial at all to Hollywood or the movie going public? If Platinum Dunes wanted to be a head player in the horror genre, they would be doing what Lionsgate has been doing for the past several years: taking chances on new and inventive horror films. However, hearing that Platinum Dunes next project is a remake of The Birds does not seem like they will be stepping outside that box any time soon.

Last Word:
The Hitcher is nothing more than a flashy remake of a well-made original horror thriller. If you have seen the trailer you have seen everything exciting that this movie has to offer. This poorly written thriller has moments of intense action, but nothing else to offer for an audience. My suggestion? Don't pick up this Hitcher.

Explore tags: Movie Reviews

http://www.newmoviefriday.com Jason of New Movie Friday

Your "Last Word" on the movie sums up the experience of watching this movie quite well but leaves me wondering how you could then rate it "6.5/10" stars? It seems more like a 3/10 stars kind of movie to me.
Paul

my god why make this movie. PLZ why tell me why WHYYYYYYY the whole cinima was shocked in tears and wanted to leave, we sat through hell. We gave it a chance. Maybe if arni played the hitcher it could of made it, but who the **** is this guy killing 400000 cops with his incredible aim alwasy in the right place, no story line of who the goose is, nahh plz is there a ) star
Walt

I just rented this movie and truly enjoyed it. Twists and unexpected turns. Not what I expected at all. Rent it and hold on for one hell of a ride
J

This was one of the WORST movies I've ever seen. Acting was pathetic. Storyline was atrocious. The idiot, young couple makes the most obvious, worst choices throughout the whole movie. There is no story behind the characters, and it just was awful. It should have ended after the last five minutes; when they decided to drive away from the crazy man. There, the end.
http://www.america-lottery.info aric

It seems a very bad movie, but it is on DVD right now. I am going to check it out and see how worse it could be.
Anne

I enjoyed this movie. Sophia and Sean were great, but i wouldnt take my hat off for Zachary. Good, old thriller movie.
Sarah

real good movie!!! The Hitcher, a 2007 movie, directed by Dave Meyers. It is a remake of a 1986 horror film also named The Hitcher. The movie casts Zachary Knighton playing Jim Halsey, Sophia Bush playing Grace Andrews and Sean Bean playing John Ryder. For the spring break, Jim and Grace take a road trip to meet Grace’s friends. As they stop at a gas station in a middle of a rainstorm, John asks Jim for a ride to a nearby motel. Jim doesn’t mind and is pleased to help. As Jim drives John, they engage a conversation. John asks Jim an inappropriate question about Grace, which leads john to reveal himself as a sick murderer. John cracks Jim’s cell phone in half and pulls out a knife attempting to kill Grace. Jim is in shock and asks john what he wants. John tells Jim to say “I want to die”; that’s the only way grace won’t die. Jim starts speeding and saying what john demanded him. As Jim says the word “die” he slams the breaks causing John to fall back loosing Grace from his arms, which enables grace to open the door and Jim to kick John out of the car. The next morning is a beautiful, sunny day. As Jim and Grace drive, they see John in a back seat of a car. Jim and Grace try to warn the family as they get hit by a semi-truck and fly off the cliff. Luckily nothing happens to Jim and Grace. They climb back to the road and start walking. Then they spot the families car ahead of them parked on the side of the road. They run to the car to find the family all dead and the father suffering from an injury. They climb into the car and drive off for help. They stop at the first stop which is a restaurant. The waitress calls 911 because she gets suspicious about Jim and Grace with a dead family. The cops come and arrest Jim and Grace. John manages to kill most of the cops, which allows Grace and Jim to run away. As they walk in a grassy area, running away from the cops, a car is thrown from a cliff attempting to kill them. Now they are suspects for the cops and Johns target. They run into a old garage hiding from john and the cops. As the cops reach the garage area Jim tries to explain, but it’s too late because john kills a cop framing grace as the suspect. Now Jim and Grace are suspects of five murders. They get in an empty police car and drive off. Three police cars and one police helicopter catch up with them and order them to pull over. Grace and Jim keep driving causing the police to shoot the wheels and car. John comes behind all police cars and starts shooting at the police. He manages to kill all the police, including the police flying the helicopter. He leaves Jim and Grace in the car and droves off. Jim and Grace climb out of the car and walk to the nearest motel. They break into a motel room and rest for the night. Grace wakes up to see john next to her in bed, desiring to kill her. She fights him ending up in the bathroom. He leaves. After a while she exits the bathroom, walks out of the motel room searching for Jim. She finds Jim tied between two trucks. She tries to help, she climbs into the passenger seat to convince john to stop. He tells her to kill him but she can’t. He gets annoyed and drives the truck, pulling Jim apart into two pieces. The police where there and witnessed what happened. John is now held custody and Grace is getting questioned. Then John is sent to another prison and Grace is sent to a trauma support where she can be released with her parents. On the way to the prison and trauma support destination, John was able to release the handcuffs from his hands and kill all the police in the van. As the van crashes into the chiefs’ truck, the chief can not escape from the truck because his leg is stuck; he tells grace to go to the hill top and wait, but she refuses. She grabs his gun and walks to the van john is in. she opens the back door to shoot him, but he manages to pull her in and start a fire under the van. He walks up to the chief, shoots him and walks away. Grace was able to pull the van doors open and escape the fire. She walks behind john shooting his back once. He turns back to look at her, she shoots his chest. Then john falls on his knees. She walks up to him and shoots him in his forehead killing him.
Samantha

Sarah, I truely hope that you realise that you just ruined the whole movie for not only me, but anyone else that hasn't seen it yet. What's that point of watching a thriller movie if you already know scene-by-scene what's going to happen. Now I know that The Hitcher dies, Jim is torn in half, and Jim's girlfriend or whatever has to live a life of complete horror and heartbreak. That's like watching the movie. I could tell someone that without even seeing it and they would know what happends. So...thank you. Thank you oodles.
Amanda

Samantha, that was hilarious!...
Marco

This movie was crap and deserved a 1.5/10. The original was way better, especially because it had a male lead and not a pathetically stereotypical 'Final Girl'. The 'writer' of this abomination (Jake Wade Wall) should die, and everybody who likes this pathetic retread has no taste at all.