The Hitcher tells the story of a young couple who are on their way to see some friends over spring break. As they are driving, they nearly hit a hitchhiker. They keep driving, only to see him again at a gas station later. He politely asks for a ride to a motel, and the couple accept. Almost immediately after they get on the road, the hitcher admits that he's dangerous. The couple manage to shove him out of the car, and they think they're okay. However, the hitcher begins to stalk them and commit murders around them, which lead the police to mistakenly implicate the couple as the murderers. On the run from the cops, the couple now must figure out a way to both stop the hitcher and prove their innocence. The Hitcher is a pretty good remake of an 80s cult classic, and though it has its flaws, it's pretty enjoyable.
I'm usually indifferent towards horror movie remakes because it doesn't really matter to me, but after seeing the brutally bad Black Christmas remake, I thought I'd never like a remake again. Fortunately I went to see this movie, which is actually a decently made remake that follows the original however is different just enough to be a new experience. The movie could have been longer, but it didn't really feel that short because there was a lot of action. One thing that bothered me about the original was that it switched genres from horror to thriller to action. This one firmly establishes that it's an action/thriller, and it stays that way throughout. I thought that the way they ended up giving the hitcher a ride was more realistic in this day and age than simply picking him up. The action scenes were pretty fun to watch, especially a scene where the hitcher pulls up and blows a bunch of cops right off the road as they're chasing the young couple. Another thing I liked was that it's left up to us to discover what his motives are for torturing this young couple. I'm finding more and more that the less you know of the killer's origins and motives, the creepier it is. If the victims don't know his motives and you do, it helps you to understand the killer which makes him less creepy. If you are just as in the dark as his victims, you relate to them, and the killer becomes scarier. The only real problem I had with the movie was the use of music in some scenes seemed kind of strange. I don't really like when directors insert rock or pop songs into the soundtrack for no reason, when they could have a creepy instrumental score playing. Also, during some moments it seemed like your average 21st century slasher movie, but there's only a few of these moments.
The acting wasn't bad for the most part. Sean Bean was the best of the bunch playing the hitcher, but he still didn't capture the raw creepiness that Rutger Hauer had in the original. I believe that Zachary Knighton, given some really good material, could become a really fine actor some day. Sofia Bush wasn't that amazing at all. She seems better suited for TV shows.
Overall, The Hitcher is a good thriller, and a good remake, and if you like action, the original movie, or Sean Bean, you should check this movie out.
7/10
I'm usually indifferent towards horror movie remakes because it doesn't really matter to me, but after seeing the brutally bad Black Christmas remake, I thought I'd never like a remake again. Fortunately I went to see this movie, which is actually a decently made remake that follows the original however is different just enough to be a new experience. The movie could have been longer, but it didn't really feel that short because there was a lot of action. One thing that bothered me about the original was that it switched genres from horror to thriller to action. This one firmly establishes that it's an action/thriller, and it stays that way throughout. I thought that the way they ended up giving the hitcher a ride was more realistic in this day and age than simply picking him up. The action scenes were pretty fun to watch, especially a scene where the hitcher pulls up and blows a bunch of cops right off the road as they're chasing the young couple. Another thing I liked was that it's left up to us to discover what his motives are for torturing this young couple. I'm finding more and more that the less you know of the killer's origins and motives, the creepier it is. If the victims don't know his motives and you do, it helps you to understand the killer which makes him less creepy. If you are just as in the dark as his victims, you relate to them, and the killer becomes scarier. The only real problem I had with the movie was the use of music in some scenes seemed kind of strange. I don't really like when directors insert rock or pop songs into the soundtrack for no reason, when they could have a creepy instrumental score playing. Also, during some moments it seemed like your average 21st century slasher movie, but there's only a few of these moments.
The acting wasn't bad for the most part. Sean Bean was the best of the bunch playing the hitcher, but he still didn't capture the raw creepiness that Rutger Hauer had in the original. I believe that Zachary Knighton, given some really good material, could become a really fine actor some day. Sofia Bush wasn't that amazing at all. She seems better suited for TV shows.
Overall, The Hitcher is a good thriller, and a good remake, and if you like action, the original movie, or Sean Bean, you should check this movie out.
7/10