Bit of a rant but so be it. i just got around to watching the new version of Carrie, for those who aren’t aware its a remake of a 70’s film based on a Stephen King short story about a girl who gets bullied and then develops psychic powers and kills everyone (a very, very sparse summary). My main problem with the remake is the casting choices around the main character. I simply found the new one to be utterly unbelievable. Carrie is supposed to be an awkward bullied girl who quite frankly isn’t very attractive. And in the 70’s version this was believable and the casting choice was on point.
However in the new version the actress playing Carrie is quite good looking and the poster itself is extremely sexualized. Somehow making being drenched in pigs blood sexy. In this case however the sexualization of a character takes away from the film and makes the characters less believable. If the film is about an awkward girl who gets bullied cast someone who is even slightly believable in that role.
In summation Carrie and its remake are a perfect example of the increasing sexualization of hollywood and the increasing desire to use women as marketing ploys through sexuality and forced gender norms around both male and female sexuality.
I agree, and I think by doing this Hollywood cheapens a great story in hopes of pleasing a certain audience.
However, something I do find comforting is that in making these changes, Hollywood also alienates a different audience (one that has more appreciation for the complexity of the female protagonist rather than her sexualization).
I looked it up, and both movies basically did equally well at the box office. So maybe the amount of people who appreciate trash compared with the amount of people who appreciate good quality is becoming more 50/50!