While obviously nowhere near as good as the original film, this effort does have some merit. Zoe Saldana is convincing as Rosemary, and the cinematography and sets/locations beautifully depict the gorgeous Paris setting. I appreciate that they didn't try to do a shot for shot remake, and some of the changes that were made work quite well. Changing the location from New York to Paris adds to the confusion and isolation that Rosemary experiences, as she's trapped in a country where she doesn't speak the language thus making her even more dependent on the assistance of the Castavets.
Because the film opens with Rosemary having a miscarriage, it also adds another layer to her constant anxiety regarding her eventual pregnancy and Guy's habit of distancing himself from her.
No one could ever hold a flame to the original film's Castavets' (Ruth Gordon's performance alone is truly unmatchable) so I appreciate that they didn't try to recreate the original performances or characterisation here. Rather than being eccentric older, and somewhat nosy neighbours, they are now sexy, affluent and extremely generous peers.
It may be because most people are already generally familiar with the original film and/or book (thus not being as subtle about everyone's motivations) and one of the main differences between the adaptations is that this one shows a lot more of the things that were alluded to or only partly shown in the original. For example, one of the Castavets' victims experiences a Final Destination fate in all its gory glory. There's a lot more blood and gore in general and I imagine would turn off a lot of people who loved the original's gradual tension and dreamlike sequences that are used to put the viewer on edge.
In general it's a competently made, but unnecessary remake. It's not really saying anything new, but there were enough changes and additions that it justifies it's existence to some degree.
Because the film opens with Rosemary having a miscarriage, it also adds another layer to her constant anxiety regarding her eventual pregnancy and Guy's habit of distancing himself from her.
No one could ever hold a flame to the original film's Castavets' (Ruth Gordon's performance alone is truly unmatchable) so I appreciate that they didn't try to recreate the original performances or characterisation here. Rather than being eccentric older, and somewhat nosy neighbours, they are now sexy, affluent and extremely generous peers.
It may be because most people are already generally familiar with the original film and/or book (thus not being as subtle about everyone's motivations) and one of the main differences between the adaptations is that this one shows a lot more of the things that were alluded to or only partly shown in the original. For example, one of the Castavets' victims experiences a Final Destination fate in all its gory glory. There's a lot more blood and gore in general and I imagine would turn off a lot of people who loved the original's gradual tension and dreamlike sequences that are used to put the viewer on edge.
In general it's a competently made, but unnecessary remake. It's not really saying anything new, but there were enough changes and additions that it justifies it's existence to some degree.