Carrie (2013)

2013's Carrie is a film adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. This story was most famously brought to the big screen in 1976 by director Brian De Palma and that version stared Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, and John Travolta in one of his very first roles. Now, as a disclaimer I've never read the Stephen King novel all the way through and I haven't seen the '76 film in many years. So there isn't going to be a lot of comparing and contrasting of the 2013 film to either one of those versions.

The basic framework of the story is still the same as in previous iterations; Carrie is a shy, teenage outcast who is often bullied at school. Her home life is just as bad (if not worse) as she lives with her over-bearing, religious fanatic, mother. As the story moves along Carrie starts to notice that she has telekinetic abilities. She starts to explore these powers and even gains a little bit of confidence. However, when a cruel prank at the high school prom results in Carrie being drenched in pig's blood, all Hell breaks loose...

Overall, I think this is a decent movie. I like Chloe Grace Moretz portrayal as Carrie and Julianne Moore is ok as her mother. The biggest knock against the movie, for me, is that the film is safe and efficient. It's the same story told again, hitting all of the expected beats, with little new added other than some minor updates.

It's a fine movie and I was entertained, but it's not a 'must-see' and not as good as the 1976 version in my opinion.

I give this one a 3 out of 5.