Connected

When it comes to the idea of remaking foreign movies, most people on these shores tend to think of Hollywood studios remaking non-American movies. But in actual fact, sometimes it's foreign studios that remake Hollywood movies, and the Hong Kong movie "Connected" is a remake of the Hollywood movie "Cellular". I have seen the original "Cellular", and I remember it being okay. This foreign remake gets the same grade from me. Its strengths include there being a lot of exciting action and suspenseful moments, and also that there certainly aren't any boring sections. And the makers did not follow the original Hollywood movie down to the letter, giving this remake some fresh elements. However, the script does have some flaws, among them being that some twists are pretty predictable, and also the fact that the characters could have ended the conflict much earlier had they just used a little more intelligence. There are also some goofy comic relief touches that while may play well to an Asian audience, may seem strange and off-putting to western audiences. Also, while the movie never looks seriously cheap, it's obvious the budget was more limited than the Hollywood original, leading to some obvious corners being cut. So the movie is not a masterpiece... but it's also not bad. If you liked the original movie enough that the idea of seeing a foreign perspective of the same story sounds interesting, give this remake a look.