by Jenny Krueger:
Oh Funny Games, how you’re not so funny. I was finally able to watch the original and remake of the horror movie, Funny Games. There are pros and cons to this movie and you’re starting to see a lot of that in horror movies nowadays.
The Original (1997):
The movie is set in Austria. Two well dressed psychos, Peter and Paul hold a mother, father and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic “games” with one another. The whole movie is set around the bet that Peter and Paul make which was, they bet they would be dead by 9am the next morning and the family bet they would be alive.
Now, we all get to wait and see who lives and who dies and what’s up with their funky white outfits. This movie wasn’t terrible but wasn’t everything I had expected. I didn’t like the fact that I had to read subtitles throughout the movie. Yes, I understand that it was filmed in a different country but it got old real fast. I also didn’t like that weird headbanging music they kept playing. That just rattled my nerves and brain.
The Remake (2007):
Not even a decade later, they decide to do a remake for this movie. Ha! And get this. The remake is directed by the same guy who directed the original. Why he chose to direct his own movie is beyond me. Maybe he didn’t get the type of reaction he wanted for the first one so he decided to remake it and see if it could work. Who knows. All I can say is, I liked the remake a lot better then the original. That says something to you. I am not a fan of horror remakes, especially of cult classics like this one.
But I also know that there are a lot of horror movies out there that need to be remade all for the sake of making it better. Funny Games, 2007 is one of those examples. I know there are people out there that love the original but I wasn’t feeling it. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t think the remake was God’s gift to home invasion movies but it was a lot better then the original.
The remake was identical to the original except for the fact that it was in English. It had an American cast (kind of) and some names were changed. The acting was mediocre and the little boy, Georgie did the worst out of everyone. In my opinion, if you’re trying to decide which one to watch just stick with the remake. You’re not going to miss out on anything for watching only the remake or the original after the remake since it’s pretty much the exact same movie.
My heart breaks because I had such high hopes for this movie. I remember sitting in the theatre, seeing the trailer for the remake for the first time. Not knowing that it was a remake. I was in awe. It looked so promising and I knew it was going to be amazing. It wasn’t. I still can’t get over how they were the same movie and how nothing was different. If you’re going to remake a movie, do you at least want to make it a little different? Every remake is different from the original. It may be a remake or reboot but it’s never the same movie except in a different language. I could of gotten by with just watching the remake.
The original: 2 out of 5 Skulls
The remake: 2 1/2 out of 5 skulls.
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