The Craft vs The Craft legacy: Did we Really Need this Remake?

Though+much+anticipated%2C+The+Craft+remake+did+not+live+up+to+the+original+version.

Alejandra De Llano

Though much anticipated, “The Craft” remake did not live up to the original version.

Alejandra Dellano, Staff Writer

“The Craft”

Release Date: May 3, 1996

Director: Andrew Fleming

Starring: Fairuza Balk, Skeet Ulrich, Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Rachel True

MPAA Rating: R

Our Rating: A-

The original “The Craft” is a Horror/Fantasy film that premiered n May 3, 1996, and stars Fairuza Balk, Robin Tunney , Neve Campbell , Rachel True and Skeet Ulrich. This film holds a nostalgic feel and hosts a variety of iconic scenes and lines from the characters throughout the movie. “The craft” is an iconic 90s film that inspired many others that came after it.

At the beginning of the film, we meet one of the main characters Sarah, who is the new girl, and she begins to notice weird things surrounding her. As the movie goes on, we see Sarah meet her new witchy friends who end up welcoming her to their coven to become the fourth piece in their puzzle.

Throughout the film, the viewers see the struggles each individual character goes through and how they resolve them with their now stronger power. As the movie continues we see the cast go through struggles in their coven when some begin to abuse their power. The entire movie has you glued to the screen wondering what the next scene would bring.“The Craft” has few dull moments, and is a perfect movie if you are interested in the spiritual and witchy world.

“I remember my mom telling me about this movie at a young age but I did not get around to watching it until recently with my best friend, and we watched both movies. If I’m being honest, “The craft” was by far better than the 2020s remake ‘The Craft Legacy,’” freshman Gabriela Reguera said.

“The Craft Legacy” comes off as trying to be relatable to the Millennial/Gen. Z demographic instead of focusing on the original plot of the original film. The way the creators attempt to portray characters as quirky and funny comes off forced and unnatural. The pop-culture references, like mentioning twilight and using new slang, go hand in hand with the forced comedy detracted from the quality of the plot development.

This 2020 remake has elements of the first movie, but it is not necessarily as good as the original and seems too similar to other movies these days. It would have been better if the acting was not so forced, because the characters frankly came off as obnoxious and childish. The way they act and present themselves is nothing like the original, making the entire film cringe-worthy.

In the original, the characters go through the process of becoming magically inclined, and we see how they become closer as friends but at the beginning of this movie, the cast of friends is already casting spells left and right.

The stereotypical portrayal of high schoolers is very unrealistic. Lily, the main character, is shown throughout the entire movie as being the outcast of her friend group, considering she is the newest addition to their group.  Viewers see her struggle to control her powers which leads to conflict, but the plot development focuses almost exclusively on her.  If other characters were shown more screen time, there would have been given a more in-depth backstory like in the original.

However flawed the acting may be, the raw emotion shown throughout the movie is very well done and impactful. Additionally, the actors chosen for this movie are more diverse than those in the first film.

“I feel that remakes of movies tend to not live up to their original counterparts and should just leave the original untouched. This “The Craft” remake is a perfect example,” freshman Peter Slovanso said.