Martyrs

Being a huge fan of the French 2008 movie "Martyrs", I had strong doubts about the quality and necessity of a remake. Still I tried to push all those negative feelings aside and give the movie a fair shot.

Like the original, it starts out when the young girl Lucy escapes from a terrible situation unknown to the viewer. She lands in an orphanage where she meets her best friend Anna while being haunted from the past. Ten years later, Lucy kills a family claiming they are her former capturers.

One aspect I love about the French version is, it basically consists of two stories with the turnaround in the middle of the movie. The remake adapts the first half of the film more or less faithfully though clearly worse than the original and the second half deviates completely from it. With those drastic changes it feels more like one consisting story rather than two. They tried to create a new story instead of copying the French movie shot for shot and the attempt of doing so I appreciate about it. Still the second part fells illogical and is a mess. For me it does not work and felt even cheesy sometimes.

The acting is not exceptional but also not terrible. It has some beautifully shot scenes but there is some shaky cam in it which is bothering. Furthermore the movie is a lot less violent and gory which basically is okay but leads to some illogical moments in the second half. Also there are some genuinely boring moments considering the short running time and overall it is a lot less emotional than Pascal Laugier's Martyrs. Especially an aspect from Lucy's struggle with the past is left unresolved and you care a lot less about her.

Over all, I think someone who has not seen the French version or does not like extremely brutal movies can watch this toned down version and might actually enjoy it for its story. Fans of the New French Extremity masterpiece should stay away from the remake and everybody else I clearly advise to check out the former one!

The original film is one of my favorite horror movies, so I went in with very low expectations. I was very nervous to watch a remake, especially of a film that was so brutal, heart wrenching, and yet beautiful at the same time. Even though I had low expectations, I was still disappointed. They changed too much, and it wasn't as beautifully done, or as brutal as I expected. If I had never seen the original I may have actually enjoyed this one more. This is one of those movies is recommended to people that enjoy American horror movies, and don't want to read subtitles. But if you love horror movies, and don't mind reading a little, then this one would be a let down to all of the amazing foreign films out there.

I have to start off by saying that I believe that the French version of the film is the most depression, soul-wretchingly horrific movie I have ever seen in my life. It is a masterpiece in the use of atmosphere, nuance, and tact in horror film-making, and will most likely not be topped as a horror film for quite some time. This Blumhouse version is NONE OF THAT. Imagine if someone told you that France has the best burger you have ever tasted. You want to eat it so bad, but you don't want to travel to France or learn to read the menu at the restaurant because you are lazy. You wait for an American chef to create the same burger, but the meat is dry, it has no lettuce, tomatoes or pickles, and the condiments lack taste. That is exactly what you are getting with this remake. It is tasteless, like New York BBQ is tasteless compared to Texas BBQ. Like Taco Bell is compared to REAL Mexican Tacos. It lacks any redeemable elements that would make it palatable for anyone over the age of 14, and who has a more refined palette. It is simply a hollow imitation of the French film. It tries so hard to shock and disturb, but in the end, it just makes you feel sorry for everyone involved. People woke up and went to work for this. They have their names attached to the credits. It will be a film they will be forced to use on their resume. It just makes me sad that production companies like Blumhouse can outright spit on real artistry in the name of profit margins. Blumhouse, you are the worst thing to happen to horror movies since the advent of Found-footage. You have ruined one of the most definitive horror experiences since The Exorcist, and your whole company should be ashamed of yourselves.

This film was absolute garbage and an insult to horror films. We will never speak of it again, and never within the same sentence as the original. A complete and utter failure, it should not be seen by anyone. It is, without a doubt, one of the worst films ever made, regardless of genre.

First off, I'm a big fan of the original French version of Martyrs (2008). This is one of those movies that stays with you long after you have watched it. When I heard of a remake for the American audience, I thought it would be great and would love to see what could be done with it. I went into seeing this movie very excited. It starts off similar to the French version, but seemed to lack a bit of the eerie atmosphere the original had. The characters seemed a bit more likable in this version, so I started to get a bit more excited about it the further it went.

The story then take a left turn and seems very rushed once all of the action starts. The original version is a lot bloodier and contains a lot more violence. This version hints to the violence taking place but never shows whats going on. The ending, which in the original, is the part of the movie that sticks with you, is hinted to, but again, never shown. I recommend that if you do decide to watch this movie, what the original version first. Hey America, if you're going to do a remake, do it properly and don't hack a film to shite!

I'm not even going to lay out a plot blurb for this, because if you are planning on seeing it, chances are you have already seen Pascal Laugier's 2008 original and know what's up. In fact, it's probably not inaccurate to say that the only people who may be seeing this film are those already acquainted with the source material, as this remake had virtually zero publicity, a sad excuse of a theatrical release, and a buzz that was DOA.

By most accounts, this remake of "Martyrs" was doomed by the mere fact of it being a remake; it's difficult to outdo something with as much palpable intensity and thematic abhorrence as the original film. and that's precisely where this film most falls flat. There is an inexplicable feeling of shallowness to the picture that pervades it from nearly beginning to end. Part of it is the lackluster cinematography, and part of it is the lack of dynamism in the performances, but most of all, it feels like the filmmakers in general were dispassionate about the material itself, and it shows.

The truth is, a remake could have worked, but it would have needed at least a little life breathed into it, and this film feels like it was taken off life support from day one. The script here is near identical to the original film's, and it begins as a near shot-for-shot remake, but falls off that train within the first ten minutes. In fact, the film only really begins to diverge in the final act, which is honestly where I found the it to be most convincing. I may be the minority here, but I actually thought the way they rewrote the conclusion was clever and intriguing without being too much of a touchy-feely tradeoff—it still maintained the dark nerve of the original's ending, which I respected, and the last five minutes may be the only portion of the film that I truly thought was worthwhile.

The acting here is decent, but the lead female actresses at times seem to be going through the motions. Some obtuse dialogue doesn't exactly help matters either. Kate Burton is an interesting and solid choice for the cultist matriarch, and I actually enjoyed her performance in this quite a bit.

Overall though, "Martyrs" only barely begins to scratch the surface of what the original film did, and it's unfortunate. It fails to capture any of the remote coldness, psychological disconnect, or stark brutality that made the original film so unforgettable, and ends up feeling like little more than a direct-to-video horror flick with about a fifth of the vitality. When watching the remake, one feels like the film is self-consciously going through the motions, and when taking into consideration its stodgy demeanor, failed distribution, and complete lack of any and all promotion, "Martyrs" 2016 ultimately feels like a production that was given up on before it had even begun. Where the original was gutsy, stylish, and unsparing, the remake manages to be the film equivalent of a death rattle. 4/10.