User blog:AustinDR/Pet Sematary 2019 (Review)



So, I had watched the original Pet Sematary, but I otherwise thought it was a cheesy film with some bad acting aside from Fred Gwynne who played Jud. The effects that were done at the time did not age well. So with 2019's Pet Sematary, I came into the film with little expectations, but it otherwise was a pretty good film.

With the 2019 film adaptation of Stephen King's novel, I while I wouldn't call it the best film adaptation of King's works, one of the better things about the film is its acting. The acting was serviceable for the most part especially John Lithgow who played Jud in this version. In the original, I never understood why Jud told Louis about the Pet Sematary, but here, they give a more understandable motivation behind it, and his backstory here is genuinely sad. The child actors were also fine in this film with Ellie herself usurping the Gage from the original film in terms of scariness. However, the only downside to the acting is that it lacks that raw, emotional punch of the book and 1989 film. Granted in the original Dale Midkiff screaming "NO!!" in response to Gage's death was a little too silly and potentially ruins an otherwise traumatizing scene, the death of the child in this adaptation doesn't have the same poignancy.

The film also felt kind of underwhelming. Not too long into the film, we get the cat getting killed and then afterward, we rush into the death of the child and the subsequent burial at the "real cemetery." While it did have moments of true dread, it was otherwise rift with jumpscares. As for the changes made from the novel, I didn't really mind that. Honestly, what would the point be of making another adaptation if it'd be the same as the plot of the movie? Overall, I will give the film 4 stars out of 5