Down

Director - Dick Maas (Amsterdamned, The Lift)
Starring - James Marshall (Twin Peaks, Doomsday Man), Naomi Watts (King Kong, The Ring), and Eric Thal (A Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag, The Good Guy)
Release Date - 2001
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Your next stop...is hell"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Remakes get a bad rap.  People say they lack creativity or stealing from the original.  Whatever the reason they are still generally hated.  I can see why they are hated but I also see it from a different point of view.  The original film is a stepping stone.  The story can only go so far at that time and remakes can bring certain films to a modern age.  I recently watched the Dick Maas film The Lift.  This original slice of 80s was released by Blue Underground on blu and was a hit in my home.  I absolutely loved it.  When BU released The Lift on blu they also released the 2001 remake Down which was also directed by Maas.  It's rare you see the same director handle the original and remake.  I really enjoyed The Lift and was curious how Maas would take on the same story but with 20 years of experience behind the camera.

     The film follows two elevator repair men who responds to a call that an elevator in a high rise was stuck with a group of pregnant women inside.  They the elevator and it seems to be working fine but something seems off and one of the repair men starts investigating while the other tries to keep him out of it.  He goes behind his friends back and investigates the elevator and who installed it when he crosses paths with a female journalist covering the story.  The two work together to uncover a conspiracy involving biochips and an experimental elevator.

      I liked The Lift.  It wasn't a film that was forever going to change the horror genre but it was some campy fun.  The fact that it was remade by the same director gave me the impression that he was aware of the flaws from the first film and wanted to improve it.  I wouldn't say Down was a better film but I definitely liked it.  The acting in this one is not consistent.  The cast has a lot of on screen talent and experience but the weird dubbing in some of the scenes made them lose their impact.  Aside from the dubbing I really enjoyed the cast and was surprised by some very familiar faces.  The story for this one is more of what we saw in the first film but with more serious tone.  The first film was serious but the scenery made it feel a little more campier than this one.  I liked the seriousness of this one and how it played out.  There was some scenes that seemed to roll on forever but that could be overlooked.  Finally, this one uses a great deal of practical effects with minor visual effects that stand out.  I really enjoyed the light gore we got and the practical effects but the CGI was not that great.  It was very dated and took away from the overall look of the film.  Overall, Down was a fun watch.  The film was far from perfect but still entertained.  I highly recommend checking this one out with the original film for a fun double feature.