Pet Sematary (2019)

For as good as Stephen King's books are, it can't be denied that there are buckets of bad film adaptations that could use a polished remake. There are aspects to those old films such as hokey acting and weird executions of their premises that end up being silly. I haven't looked back on many of those features but the one I did look back on was the TV mini-series IT, which needed a remake (both parts: one from 2017 and the second coming up later this year). This brings us to Pet Sematary, which is a remake of the 1989 movie based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. I didn't know that much about the story itself but it appeared intriguing based on the premise. Unfortunately the marketing campaign showed important plot points that would ruin any potential surprise factor for those audience members who have seen the trailers. I wanted to take a break from the modern blockbuster joy I received from watching Shazam to see if this remake can spice things up for the horror genre. I entered the auditorium with cautiously low expectations (considering how most modern "scary" movies are very lackluster) and I left this feeling underwhelmed by the boring experience.

What's it about? The story follows a family who moves to Ludlow, Maine and discovers a peculiar graveyard nearby their new home. The premise has interesting parts with a character or two has a haunting past that can offer insight to them. The building of relationships works well enough for this tale until an event shakes things up. It offers enough information to insinuate how you would expect individuals will react with the weird stuff that happens later. The atmosphere certainly puts up an effort for this horror flick as it conveys that gloom found at a spooky cemetery.

However, what's very disappointing is how safe, predictable, and tedious most of the movie is. The actors are trying their best, but the script is very limiting with just moving from point A to B as a substandard modern horror feature. There's one specific change that I'm aware from the 1989 movie that might irk some fans of that novel (if it wasn't spoiled to you from the trailers). The pacing is too slow in parts of the story where it makes 1 hour 40 minutes feeling much longer. By the end, it's clear how much the screenwriter was phoning it in and dropped the ball hard (particularly around the ending).

Is it terrifying? In regards to being scary, this is where it becomes an unintended comedy with its toolbox of scares. It was difficult at times to get frightened when the dependency on jump scares edges on being annoying and predictable. It's formulaic to where the expected frights happen on cue and it doesn't try anything creative. The silliness can be found surrounding a mean undead cat, which might as well be the best actor to overshadow everyone else, and the overacting in the third act. Any attempts at terrifying its audiences just becomes laughable and boring.

How are the actors? In regards to this cast, the MVPs are Rachel (Amy Seimetz), Jud (John Lithgow), and Ellie (Jete Laurence). Despite being underutilized, Amy provides a helping of emotional investment with how much she lets her range shine through and shouldn't be underestimated. John does well enough for the most part when he's around but, even with his efforts, this veteran loses his momentum and kinda slums around a bit near the end. Jete is a standout performer among these actors since she doesn't suffer from the scripts problems everyone has. A dishonorable mentions goes to Louis (Jason Clarke) for not only being unable to rise as a leading actor but for following his schtick of being a forgettable actor who is easily overshadowed by everyone else.

Overall Consensus: Pet Sematary sacrifices missed opportunities instead opting to be a substandard horror film with a predictable story, bland scares, underutilized actors, and a limiting script, despite having a decent atmosphere. ⭑⭑⭑💻 Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You have either read the book or seen the 1989 film and want to see how this adaptation is treated. You don't mind predictable jump scares.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You have either read the book and don't want to see how this adaptation is treated. You are bored by slow pacing, predictable attempts at horror, tedious underacting, or silly overacting.