At first glimpse of these images my initial thought was the same as upon hearing of the movie, why bother? Especially since this looks near identical to the movie already out there, then Capone posted some details, after visiting the set, which seemed to answer this criticism, highlights of which are below...
"Regarding those shadowed photos that have come out in the last day or so, anyone who thinks Haley's version of Krueger is a carbon copy of Robert Englund's is in for a bucket of ice-cold water dumped on your head. Yes, the sweater and fedora (made by the same company that made all the hats for PUBLIC ENEMIES, by the way) are pretty much how you remember them, but when we got our first glimpse of Haley in full Freddy makeup, there were two very shocking things that hit me: How realistic the makeup looked (without giving away too much, I'll ask you to remember exactly how Freddy got his unique "look") and the subtle differences on the original look this new version offers. Is it a better look? Will people take the new face of Freddy to heart? I truly have no idea."
"The other aspect to the film that most people are wondering about is, obviously, any changes or additions to the plot. Since this IS Platinum Dunes, of course there is a Freddy backstory, but I'm actually on board with this one. Freddy is not some silent, faceless monster (okay, he's a little faceless). At one point he was a man, and he has an interesting story that I think will work as part of this film. One of the sets we glimpsed was Krueger's workshop, complete with a TV/VCR set up and loads of blank video cassettes (my mind wondering what kind of sick shit this guy watched, and then I spotted a copy of ORCA amid his collection--ew!). In addition to Freddy's background, we also get a little history concerning his child victims and their parents, which, again, I'm okay with, especially since past and the present are tied together in this film."
Do check out the whole piece here...
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41777
I'm not entirely sure what to make of this. Freddy looking like Simon Weston? Or The Dark Knght's Two-Face? The character stuff is oddly more reminiscent of the Halloween remake (Mr B won't thank me for bringing that up AGAIN but it's a valid point) than Platinum Dunes' output. I did, however, like and own Platinum Dunes' Texas Chain Saw Massacre redux and plan to buy their Friday The 13th remake next month, cash permitting, to review here. It does make me feel really old though that all these films are being reinvented when I can still remember the last entries in the franchise like they were yesterday. Sigh. File under definitely both apprehensive and intrigued...
I'm of the opinion that most of the stuff being 'reinvented' is simply because script-writers have run out of ideas. Sure, revisit something after 60 years or more, but only 30 years? What's going on here about from cynical marketing folks trying to get money out of us? This is nothing to do with art. Nonetheless, I'm a big fan of the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' series, so I'll probably see this. I'd disagree with something said above, in that this was never just a 'slasher'. Freddy isn't a man, he's not just a killer. The overtones of the supernatural and bizzare, dreamlike sequences make the films something else altogether. Let's wait and see what Haley brings to the nightmare.
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