jeffrymiranda-25858 I don't really know what to say about this movie. It is one of those movies that leaves with you that sort of "could've-been-better feeling since there storylines that were a bit of-the-wall to me and which did not make sense at all. On the other hand, something I did not like about is that the characters were only played by white people which, in my opinion, would have been better if at least some of the characters had a different ethinical background.

thor-teague Billed as a horror movie, this film really fails to instill any sense of dread whatsoever. It's characters are unlikable and dopey, it's villains are unhateable and nondescript. The plot is questionable, linear, and leaves me feeling unsatisfied and bored. The story is very basic, which could work given the right director, but evidently Alexandre Aja is not the man for this job. First of all, the film starts with stock/public domain footage. Many of you might not care, but this is a HUGE no-no in my book. He did a neat tie-in later, but it was still a clear case of inept filmmaking in need of burning up some screen time. The formula is all too familiar. Some stupid white tourists are out lost on the desert, and upon finding a guy running a gas station whom they trust implicitly, are given instructions to "take a shortcut" that will get them to their destination faster. It's almost not worth bothering to type it out, but they are in fact being led to their doom. The characters are total douchebags. I think we're supposed to like the women a bit more, but after all, they did choose these men for their S.O.'s. I did like the young teenage brother, but other than that, I think they all sucked. Dad dies first, but sadly the other main douchebag never dies. At some point, in fact, we are supposed to believe that he becomes a hero, but the transition never happens. He's just a piece of garbage, then suddenly he's being a hero. It's clear what motivated him to this 180 degree personality shift, but it's presentation is clunky and the audience is expected to accept it without question. So about that neat tie-in. It earned the film a few dubious points w/me. The final showdown, which I was anxious to get to as it meant the film's end, took place in a cool re-creation of those nuclear test towns, complete with mannequins and 1950's TV broadcasts. While not earning the film the right to include public domain footage downloaded from prelinger, it at least (FINALLY) created some sense of creepiness. Unfortunately it was too little too late.

Leofwine_draca I've never really been a fan of remakes but I'm pleased to say that this new version of the '70s horror classic is well worth a watch. French director Alexandre Aja (who cut his teeth on the grisly SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE) revels in the bloodshed and pain in this action-packed thriller which is essentially a film of two halves. The first half is slow paced and takes time out to introduce the central characters of the storyline. Camera-work is strong and stylish throughout and great use is made of the eerily desolate desert scenery. Because there's so much going on in the movie, there isn't really a great deal of characterisation; instead the characters of the protagonists are revealed through their actions or in-actions. The film has a 'survival of the fittest' policy whereby the strongest characters find their inner strength while the weaker ones fall by the wayside. Of course there are a couple of exceptions to the rule.The second half of the film begins with a nasty interlude in which mutants invade a caravan, rape a young blonde teenager, suckle a mother and threaten a baby with a gun. This is pretty depraved stuff and not for the squeamish. Afterwards, the last forty minutes of the movie show the human characters fighting back as best they can, and I'm pleased to say this part of the film really hits the mark, as well as in a similar film like HOSTEL. Aaron Stanford, a geeky 20-something, emerges as the film's true hero and the scenes in which he battles the mutants using a combination of luck and skill are tremendously fun. Aja piles on the bloodshed at every stage, with bloody shotgun blasts, axes tearing through flesh, impalings, and all manner of nastiness. The opening shot of a scientist thrown through the air at the end of an axe is a good forerunner to this latter carnage.Special effects in the film are excellent – but then they're by the typically excellent Greg Nicotero, so you'd expect them to be. The mutants are suitably weird looking, although they're nothing we haven't seen before (especially if you're familiar with other horror flicks like WRONG TURN). Robert Joy stands out as the chief mutant, a real psycho of a guy; a natural progression from his deformed character in LAND OF THE DEAD. The other supporting characters are good at being terrified, and I especially liked the sub-plot involving Ted Levine's character, a big tough guy who has the most awful fate imaginable. All in all THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake is entertaining stuff, not really disturbing or as scary as I had heard but instead standing as a great example of the 'survival horror' genre.

bowmanblue Yes, 'The Hills Have Eyes' is a good film. Doesn't that mean it's a classic? No, it's a remake. And, seeing as – seemingly – every film needs to remade/re-imagined or have Spock home back in time to create an alternate timeline, most of them fall nowhere near 'okay.' Therefore, remakes need to be judged through more lenient eyes, so it may not be a good film, but it's a damn fine remake! The plot from the 1977 original remains the same – a nice, happy family gets stranded in the middle of an American desert and is slowly picked off by the local mutants who generally want them dead for varying reasons. Nice and simple. The family must therefore fight to survive.And that's all there is to it. With a plot so simple, it could be great or it could fail. Luckily, the cast of actors save it. They work pretty well together and generally annoy each other (as most real families do). They bicker, they moan and get at each other, but ultimately come together to overcome a greater threat. Plus, most importantly, they don't make too many ridiculous judgements meaning they're the architects of their own demises. There's nothing worse than yelling at the TV screen to the protagonist because they're making ridiculous calls which simply further the plot. Here, the family do basically what we'd do in such a grisly situation.And it is grisly. First of all there is gore (and strong violence) aplenty. Not only are the kills pretty extreme, but the make-up on the mutated locals is suitably gruesome. 'The Hills Have Eyes' certainly isn't for everyone. Its strong gore and adult content will certainly put some people off. It's not for the squeamish, but if you like your horror films brutal and violent then this one is for you.