Essential plot rundown: Bullied high schooler Carrie discovers she has supernatural power and fights back. I've been waiting to see this movie for a long time because I'm a fan of Chloë Grace Moretz. And I barely watched the original with Sissy Spacek for the first time the other week.
I'm fairly open-minded when it comes to remakes, but I feel that the new Carrie is unnecessary. I like remakes that change and reinterpret the original. However, the new one does not do that. It is essentially the same movie. It even has a lot of the same dialogue, which I assume came from the book. The only real difference is that the new one has less nudity and more special effects. I feel if you're going to remake something, make it your own, don't photocopy the original.
With that said, I liked both movies. (But I would say that I liked the original better). I wasn't too impressed by them, but I can see why the original is a classic. My problem with the story is that there is no real character arcs in either film. The characters are the same at the end of the movie as they were in the beginning. While I was watching the '76 version, it reminded me of a joke and that we're just waiting for the punchline. There's no real change in story, character or anything. Carrie could just be the first act of a three act film.
One of the reasons that I think the original is better is because of Sissy Spacek. She was perfect for the role. She's kind of creepy looking; she's also small and weak. She's totally the type of person that would be bullied in high school. And her being weak makes the climax that much better. Chloë, on the other hand, is not that. She's really pretty and doesn't look like an outcast. And she's a lot stronger person that Sissy. I've really only seen Chloë in Kick-Ass and Let Me In and she plays strong characters in both of these; so it was hard for me to imagine her taking crap from people. Don't get me wrong, she did a good job; she was just miscast.
And I felt that in the original, Carrie and Tommy had way better chemistry than they do in the remake. When they were at prom, I thought Wow, he's really enjoying himself with Carrie. What a nice guy. I didn't get that at all in the remake.
The climax starts off better in the original, but ends better in the 2013 remake. It was so creepy/terrifying to see Sissy Spacek wide-eyed, closing all the doors; the split screen was effective. But, fire hoses aren't that scary. The remake was better because of the advanced SFX; Carrie really was able to display her telekinetic powers.
So, overall, both are decent films, but I think I liked the original a little better. The remake isn't bad, it just doesn't bring anything new to the table; so, to quote Col. Stars and Stripes: "What's the point?" Oh, I also liked the original ending better.
But that's just my opinion...
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