To be honest, that whole "pain is pleasure" thing that powers the original movie never really worked for me, and I never made it past the first sequel, "Hellbound".
But I was intrigued enough by the trailer to try this new movie.
I have to give it credit for at least attempting to give some additional explanation to the original story of the Lament Configuration.
But unfortunately that weighs the whole thing down with a new set of rules which make very little sense even within the confines of this story.
For example, Cenobites are fast-moving and all-powerful - except when the story needs them to be slow and a bit dumb. Nothing can stop the Cenobites, except when the movie needs to hit "pause". Victims are relentlessly taken straight away, except when we need a character to stop and think about their choices.
The underlying tale of accepting pain in actual life is not bad, but bludgeoned home by moralising monsters clad in leather at the end of the movie. The Cenobites aren't so much monsters in this film as they are flawed philosophers, turning up every now and again to chunter some trite nonsense about choices and desires.
Also they actually kill people in this movie. Which is not nearly as terrifying as the original concept that they were carrying off their victims for eternal torment. How prosaic.
And at the end, it remains flat. Unscary. Unfunny. Uninteresting. Like another installment in a particularly bloody soap opera.
And please spare me the "deep" dialogue if this reboot does get a sequel.
But I was intrigued enough by the trailer to try this new movie.
I have to give it credit for at least attempting to give some additional explanation to the original story of the Lament Configuration.
But unfortunately that weighs the whole thing down with a new set of rules which make very little sense even within the confines of this story.
For example, Cenobites are fast-moving and all-powerful - except when the story needs them to be slow and a bit dumb. Nothing can stop the Cenobites, except when the movie needs to hit "pause". Victims are relentlessly taken straight away, except when we need a character to stop and think about their choices.
The underlying tale of accepting pain in actual life is not bad, but bludgeoned home by moralising monsters clad in leather at the end of the movie. The Cenobites aren't so much monsters in this film as they are flawed philosophers, turning up every now and again to chunter some trite nonsense about choices and desires.
Also they actually kill people in this movie. Which is not nearly as terrifying as the original concept that they were carrying off their victims for eternal torment. How prosaic.
And at the end, it remains flat. Unscary. Unfunny. Uninteresting. Like another installment in a particularly bloody soap opera.
And please spare me the "deep" dialogue if this reboot does get a sequel.