In the era of constant remakes that inspire eyerolls and groans at the mere thought of their creation, some aren’t utter trash. Although I try to keep an open mind, good remakes are few and far between. That being said, this article is not a raving review of a French extreme gem.
Brief Synopsis
Martyrs (2015) is the remake of the 2008 French horror extremism movie of the same name. Although many things change, the overall plotline stays true in both films. The plot follows two friends: one, haunted by past trauma, seeks revenge on her tormentors; the other, her confused best friend, is dragged into the chaos until she’s trapped in the same nightmare of torture porn.
Rant incoming in 3..2..1
Spoilers ahead!
Over-Exposition Kills the Soul
The creators of the 2015 film took major creative liberty as to make the film its own thing and not just a carbon copy shot by shot film. Nonetheless, not only does it feel like a watered-down version of the original in terms of gore, but also dumbed down. One of my pet peeves is movies where they must spell everything for the audience as if interpretation, body language and other non-verbal cues do not exist in a film. It reminded me of the scene in superhero movies where the bad guy spends way too much time explaining his plan to the protagonist.
The Problem with Unnecessary Backstory
That being said, why was there so much talking in this movie?! The characters in this movie talked so much that their voices took away from the grittiness of the situation leaving us no time to really sit and stew in the uncomfortable silence wondering the why of it all.
Another huge difference which also adds to my last point was the fact the additional scenes were included to create the original story of our main characters’ friendship. Cool, they met in an orphanage, so what? It’s annoying because we don’t need to see childhood flashbacks to understand the power of their friendship. The proof that they were close is the fact that one of them massacred a whole family and her friend helped her bury the bodies! If that’s not proof that they are extremely close, I don’t know what it is. I love my friends but I would have left and never looked back. I would have survived this movie.
What the 2008 Original Does Right
One aspect that I love about the original is that we’re not given any backstory besides the fact that, as a young girl, one of them escaped something horrible and that she is forever marked. It is cold and brutal in the way the violence is unrelenting, featuring barely any dialogue at all. The film feels like it has two very distinct parts: the tragic story of how abuse and trauma manifest themselves, and the torture of someone just wanting to help her friend.
We are left in the dark as we try to grapple with what is happening without knowing why until the ultimate moment of revelation. That is it, that is all. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk! The 2008 original respects the viewer’s intelligence. It doesn’t answer questions I haven’t even thought to ask yet; instead, it forces me to sit with the visceral, sickening reality on screen. The images speak for themselves, whereas the remake insists on narrating and spoon-feeding its audience.
Final thoughts
Overall, I felt like I won’t ever get the time back I spent watching this movie but if I had never seen the original, it would be okay even a good movie. My opinion is not unbiased. Regardless, my advice is either learn French or watch with subtitles Martyrs (2008 ).
Are you as bothered by the remake as much as me or did you find something about it to like?
