The Monkey's Paw

Seriously. This is a far much better film than its current, weak rating. There is also a serious flaw in IMDb's rating system. I think maybe members should have to actually be members for more than 1 day to leave a vote for ratings. 30, 60...maybe 90 days before you can vote or review a film unless you are a legitimate film critic with your own online site. Too many terrible films get very high ratings because people involved in the films get to create a new account and leave "Best Film Ever" reviews and "10 out of 10" ratings. Then, films like this one, which obviously deserves a much higher rating, end up having people leave "Worst Film Ever" reviews and "1 out of 10" ratings. Do you have a grudge against someone involved in this film? Not get the part you so desperately wanted? Did the director boink your girlfriend? No problem! Come on over to IMDb, create a new account and you can instantly voice just how terrible, poorly written and horribly acted the film was. Not to mention the director has a small penis.

I seriously need to set up my own film review site. You may not always agree with my reviews, but you can sure as hell know they are honest and not because I had something to do with any particular film one way or another, good or bad. Chiller Films' remake of THE MONKEY'S PAW is a very good movie with an original story. It's very well acted, shot, directed, and edited. It is not the "Best Film Ever," but it is damn well worth viewing and one of the best horror/comedies I have watched all year! Yes, this is indeed some serious monkey business! Now give me your paw...

Too many 'plot devices' by the writer/director in place of coherent storytelling.

What could have been an intriguing story about the paw was turned into a murder/slasher movie, which would not have been terrible if the murders made sense.

1. The villain has Flash-like abilities, no not really fast, but somehow appears wherever he needs to be in a few minutes (plot convenience). 2. The protagonist has the ability to warn people but instead talks in vague circles so the people in danger do not react (plot convenience). 3. Dumbest police ever (again). 4. The movie is about the paw, which is rarely seen. It is almost like they created a slasher movie first then added the paw element as an added twist so that is does not appear like a generic slasher movie (but it is). 5. The person with most screen time is the worst actor in movie. He never exudes any real emotion regardless of situation. 6. Charles S Dutton as the cop was wasted opportunity.

Positive? Stephen Lang plays his part very well.

The Monkey's Paw was written in 1902 by W. W. Jacobs, but if you didn't know that and you read the message board for this film, you'd be tempted to think it was originally a Simpsons or Goosebumps episode.

While so many iconic stories like the one Jacobs penned lend themselves to parody or adaptation, the writers of this version actually created something original - which is why, I would guess, the ratings here are so much lower than they should be.

Instead of giving us one more pass through of the "be careful what you wish for" scenario, the filmmakers take us in a different direction. Saying much more would ruin the story, so I'll only point out that it's not only the protagonist who suffers for his choices.

All aspects of this film are competent or better. The length is also very appropriate to the overall arc and pacing. I'll also mention that the connection to the original story is so subtle that many will miss it.

The Monkeys Paw is a tale that has been covered cinematically several times over the years including as far back as the early 30's. It tells the story of a paw that grants wishes but the twist is that it corrupts whatever it provides.

The original story always told of a parent who wants a deceased child returned from the dead, this version tweeks that slightly but is still loyal to its source material.

Stephen Lang brings life to the rather dull cast and brings forth a performance only rivalled by his in Don't Breathe (2016)

Not the best version and a tad slow this is one of those premises where you could do a lot with it but here they fail to do so.

Perfectly watchable but perhaps should have been somewhat better.

The Good:

Stephen Lang

The Bad: Oddly boring

Things I learnt from this movie:

Monkeys Paw would make a great television series!

The bottom line: don't waste your time. This should not be called "The Monkey's Paw." This has nothing to do with the original story. I am so very disappointed! I was hoping that the story was brought to the big screen. I could not be any more wrong. I highly suggest for viewers who like the original story NOT to view the movie. However, if you have never read the original story or do not like the original story, watch the movie an decide for yourself how bad the movie REALLY is. Truly, it id REALLY bad. If you decide to waste your time with this movie, I hope you have the chance to do something else constructive in parallel. I hope somebody decides to remake this movie the way it is supposed to be.