An insipid, uninspired retread of the 1960 original. This film is typical of what happens when America churns out yet another remake of a classic film. The result is shallow, glossy, and totally dull. John Carpenter, who has made such brilliant films as HALLOWEEN and THE THING, obviously took the money and ran in this case, as the film contains none of his typical atmosphere or style. Instead it has a bland, TV movie like atmosphere. The chills in the first film from the spooky children are replaced instead by clumsy over-emphasis. Gone are the sinister kids, instead we have aliens (what else? Post X-FILES, no film can be complete without an alien in a jar) with glowing multicoloured eyes. Unfortunately, the special effects are rubbish, and look far too computer generated to be anything but realistic. The 'horror' in the film comes from the series of murders that the children commit.
In 1960, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED achieved fame from a chilling atmosphere of the unknown. In 1995, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED achieves nothing with a handful of boring murders, which aren't even particularly gory. The most gruesome demise is that of Kirstie Alley, but it has to be said that we were pretty thankful it took place; Alley sleepwalks through her role here and comes off as totally unlikeable. The same can be said of Christopher Reeve, who gives such a bland, expressionless performance that you can't help but smile at the end. His riding accident which left him crippled took place right after the completion of this film; it's disappointing that he had the misfortune to end his able-bodied career on this note. The only actor of interest in the film is Mark Hamill as a shotgun wielding vicar who gives an over the top performance bordering on psychotic. He's fun.
The children are annoying bad/cute child actors and actresses, who try very hard to look sinister but fail miserably. The only moments worth watching in this film are the comic scene where a man is burnt on a barbecue, or the ending where policemen and soldiers all suddenly start shooting each other for no reason. There is also some tension in the explosive finale, but it comes far too late to lift this film from being anything other than a middling, stupid affair.
In 1960, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED achieved fame from a chilling atmosphere of the unknown. In 1995, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED achieves nothing with a handful of boring murders, which aren't even particularly gory. The most gruesome demise is that of Kirstie Alley, but it has to be said that we were pretty thankful it took place; Alley sleepwalks through her role here and comes off as totally unlikeable. The same can be said of Christopher Reeve, who gives such a bland, expressionless performance that you can't help but smile at the end. His riding accident which left him crippled took place right after the completion of this film; it's disappointing that he had the misfortune to end his able-bodied career on this note. The only actor of interest in the film is Mark Hamill as a shotgun wielding vicar who gives an over the top performance bordering on psychotic. He's fun.
The children are annoying bad/cute child actors and actresses, who try very hard to look sinister but fail miserably. The only moments worth watching in this film are the comic scene where a man is burnt on a barbecue, or the ending where policemen and soldiers all suddenly start shooting each other for no reason. There is also some tension in the explosive finale, but it comes far too late to lift this film from being anything other than a middling, stupid affair.