 Although numerous writers have questioned the advisability of remaking a movie classic like The Manchurian Candidate, most critics have concluded that the makers of the new film have nothing to apologize for. "They've done a great job of updating The Manchurian Candidate," concludes Bob Strauss in the Los Angeles Daily News. "Audiences who don't keep harking back to the twists of the first will find it a head-spinning trip with an undercurrent of cynicism and mistrust that feels in sync with the times," writes Megan Lehmann in the New York Post. Ty Burr in the Boston Globe calls it "a remake that not only is very good but that burns with fervor and up-to-the-minute topicality." Liam Lacey in the Toronto Globe and Mail calls the film "a happy surprise," and notes that it "is genuinely entertaining in its own right." Philip Wuntch in the Dallas Morning News concurs, writing: "What could have been risible folly - remaking an acknowledged movie classic - emerges as riveting victory. is a runaway champion." Nearly all of the reviews refer to the impressive performances of the stars, including Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, and, in a smaller role, Jon Voight. But Eleanor Ringel Gillespie in the Atlanta Journal says that she agrees with original star Angela Lansbury, that a remake of the classic "is a lousy idea." |
