Martyrs (2016)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Lucy (Troian Bellisario) claims she was tortured as a child (how she escaped is still a mystery) and sees monsters that haunt her. She becomes BFF with Anna (Bailey Noble) who, like the audience, doesn't know what to believe.PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD. Ten years later Lucy, somehow out of the blue, finds the couple that tortured her and blows the entire family away with a shotgun...pretty cool stuff. Then the story turns weird as Anna reluctantly goes and helps Lucy clean-up. The weird was pretty good and then we find out what it was all about: People who die with their eyes open (see cover). I prayed..."Please God, don't have the film be this stupid." Nope. It was. People who died with their freaking eyes open. I believe I would have loved the story more had it been for some DNA mutant experiment instead. Nope. Talkative people who die with their eyes open.Guide: No sex or nudity. 1 F-word as I recall. Blood, torture, graphic skin removal scene that made me cringe.

The original Martyrs is a masterpiece of horror. It transcends its own genre and is an unforgettable film, even over a decade later. The remake is a piece of crap.What made the original so great (atmosphere, score, acting, the sense of hopelessness) is gone, replaced with reality TV-level acting, endless exposition, pointless scenes and zero scares. Do not watch the remake of Martyrs. Watch the original and pretend this one does not exist. There was simply no reason for this to be made.*Spoiler, but who cares the movie is crap*I especially despise how they twisted the ending into a typical American-style revenge with everyone winning at the end. In the original, people die and the film has weight. Here, it's a bloody shootout with clichéd lines as if the film thinks it's a goddamn Commando sequel.I hated this so much.

Never before have I felt so compelled to write a movie review after watching a film as I did post-screening of the Martyrs remake. Negative reviews will not keep me from seeing something of interest, and this is true for the American version of Martyrs. For the record I have absolutely no connection to anyone involved in the making of this movie, so what follows is a completely objective, unbiased opinion.The American remake of Martyrs is an above-average horror movie. There, I said it. All the devoted fans of the original who despise this remake can kiss my kiester. This is a quality, well-made film that looks and sounds fantastic and features professional acting performances from each member of the cast. That right there puts it miles ahead of so many really crappy horror movies that are out there. Then the original story-line was massaged and adjusted for the purposes of the remake, and in my opinion it created a different, intriguing, enjoyable Martyrs experience for horror audiences worldwide. Is it perfect? Heck no. Is it better than the original French version? Nope. But is it a worthwhile remake that took the same basic ingredients as the original yet crafted its own recipe? It sure is! I can see myself revisiting both versions of this particular title, and enjoying each on its own merits, and I recommend that you do the same. In fact, watch the remake first (kind of like a Martyrs appetizer) and then settle in for the main course, the original French version with English subtitles.

I started to watch this version of Martyrs, without actually expecting any greatness. I had already seen the original version, and knew that any remake would probably be very poor. To be honest, this version isn't too bad in its own right as a horror flick, and Troian Bellisarios acting did surprise me somewhat. She played a pretty good part considering she's only really used to Pretty Little Liars. But alas, the original kinda blows this version out of the park. As the story barely mirrors the original, both in content and delivery. And I'd say most of the actual horror scenes or incidents are completely different too. If you do want to watch it then please watch the original first... You'll be glad you did.