Coming back from the theater tonight and forumulating this review in my head was very tough. Years ago, a remake like this would have made me cringe but I've loosened up a bit in light of the good remakes that have been put out in recent years. (Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Dawn of the Dead come to mind.) That said, this remake of the 1976 classic was a good flick. I'd even go so far to say it's as good as the original. So why 2 1/2 skulls? Read on.

Other than a couple of scenes at the opening of the movie, this film stuck very closely to the original script. Without giving too much away for those who haven't watched the original (and the audience I viewed this with showed me that this group is a lot larger than I'd imagined), a few scenes were filmed in a little different light and because of this a few of the deaths aren't as shocking as in the original. There are a few jolt scares that make the movie worth watching though. There are a few aesthetic updates with the characters using cell phones and Damien riding a scooter rather than a tricycle in one classic scene. But all in all, it's the same movie that I'd seen before.

Julia Stiles and Liev Schreiber play their roles as the distraught parents to different effect than Remick and Peck but still come across as believable. The show is stolen though by Mia Farrow as an updated Nanny Baylock and her scenes are all creepy and fantastic.

If the movie is so good, why not a higher score? Because it's a good (even great) remake of a decent classic. I just don't think it is a necessary remake. I would have been just as happy to watch a remastered version of the original to mark the 6-6-06 release date. And that's what this one was all about. Marketing to that built in campaign date.