'I Spit on Your Grave' [Blu-ray] (2010)
(Sarah Butler, Chad Lindberg, Rodney Eastman, et al / Blu Ray / NR / 2011 / Anchor Bay Entertainment)
Overview: The original version was reviled, condemned, and banned around the world for its on-screen depictions of depravity and violence. Now experience the acclaimed remake that dares to go even further: Jennifer Hills (a fearless performance by Sarah Butler) is a big-city novelist who rents an isolated country cabin to write her new book. But when she is brutally raped by a group of sadistic rednecks, Jennifer has plans for more than mere revenge.
Blu ray Verdict: The 2010 remake of 'I Spit on Your Grave' is a better made, better acted movie than the original. Whether or not the film as a whole is better than the original is up for debate, and I guess would depend upon your tastes.
The remake is still a film you will find difficult to watch with other people, as the rape scene is just as brutal as in the original, albeit, thankfully, a bit shorter. It brutally gets the point across but does not over utilize the gratuitous nudity of the original film. The scene does what it is designed to do, to make you hate the five men enough that you want to see them dead.
The story is pretty much the same, but the acting is much better than in the original, and the characters are much more believable and more developed, so to speak. There is however, the cliche of the rednecks in the woods terrorising the city girl, that is overused in horror movies.
Sarah Butler plays her role as the victim very well, and when it comes to the revenge scenes, you are really wanting to see the antagonists get what they have coming. I liked the fact that she didn't have to take her clothes off in order to exact revenge, which is something that just never made sense to me in the original. I did think though, that the revenge scenes were rather unrealistic with the use of complicated traps, which makes you wonder what Jennifer's relationship is to MacGyver or Jigsaw from the Saw films. But I found myself happy with the outcome anyway, despite it being over-the-top.
I would say if you are a fan of the original, or are a fan of revenge flicks in general, you'll appreciate this film. If you are not a fan of this type of film, just stay away. I never have understood those people that understand full-well what they are getting into going in, but go and watch anyway just so they can turn around and write a scathing review about the content. It goes without saying that this film is not for everyone.
This Blu-Ray had excellent picture and sound, but I felt was lacking in the special features department. The feature commentary I found to be rather boring and uninformative. There is a generic "making of" featurette, a couple deleted scenes and some trailers. I would have liked to hear from the filmmakers about why they wanted to remake the 1978 original, what they thought of it, what they were trying to improve upon, etc. [JH] This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.35:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
Audio Commentary with Director Steven R. Monroe and Producer Lisa Hansen
The Revenge of Jennifer Hills: Remaking a Cult Icon
Deleted Scenes, Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer, Theatrical Trailer #2, Radio Spot.
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