PET SEMETARY (2019)

Unlike a lot of people, I've never been a huge fan of the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King's novel Pet Sematary. I've given the movie three tries over the past three decades and each time I've come away unimpressed with its poor acting and uninvolving direction. That first film has one good performance (Fred Gwynn) but that is its only standout element. It's just not a very good movie. Therefore, it fits the classic criteria for a remake in that it's a film with a good idea that (in my opinion at least) was done very poorly on first attempt.

So last week I finally checked out the 2019 version and I'm happy to say I think the second time they may have actually managed to make a good movie. I should say up front that I'm not someone who is a knee-jerk hater of remakes. I kind of enjoy seeing variations on classic films even when I think the remake may fail or turn out to be a weaker rendition of the general story. I think it's fun to see these older stories reimagined for a new age and often times you get a new version of an old story that can stand up next to the original movie. In the case of PET SEMETARY I think there was nowhere to go but up.

This new film has a much stronger cast with Jason Clarke doing very good work as the father that makes the fateful choice to use the titular plot of land. Replacing the late Mr. Gwynn is the excellent John Lithgow who continues to demonstrate his seemingly effortless ability to create sympathetic characters onscreen. The new film is stylishly directed moving from point to point swiftly without ever feeling as if it’s in a hurry to tell it’s tale. If you’re familiar with the earlier film or the book there will be few surprises other than in presentation but this is a well-done reworking of the story that finally gives the Stephen King book an effective screen adaptation. There is only one disappointment I can point to. The Blu-Ray has an alternate ending that I think works better than the one chosen for the finished picture. Both endings get to the same place but the mechanics of the revival and the time required for the Semetary to do its work is more believable in the unused ending. Plus, the final image of the alternate version is a much more potent finish for the story.