Flatliners

There is always a risk involved when revisiting cinema from the past and dusting it off in favor of an ambitious remake for the consideration of today’s adventurous movie-going audience. Hollywood has done this tactic for decades now so this is nothing new to contemplate as food for thought. It is one thing to try and bring back the freshness and impact of the original blueprint from yesteryear for a distinctive film that proved to be critically acclaimed, extremely popular, conveniently trendy and memorable for it box office heyday. So what gives for trying to resuscitate a mediocre 1990 Brat Pack medical psychological thriller and re-packaging it as an updated glossy horror/SF fantasy focusing on the tiresome and exploitative life-and-death theme for the millennial mindset?

Perhaps director Niels Arden Oplev (‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’) can answer this puzzling inquiry as he presents front and center his modern-day take on the nearly three decade-year old Joel Schumacher-directed DOA drama Flatliners. Indeed, Schumacher’s original outing was not what one would call engaging or stimulating but at least it boasted a noteworthy listing of talented young Hollywood hotshots (Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, Billy Baldwin, Kevin Bacon, Hope Davis, Oliver Platt, etc.) to give a creative jolt to this highly contrived existential experimentation regarding the afterlife. However, Oplev concocts a faceless rehash that offers tepid thrills and chills, frivolous fright impulses that amount to all the riveting tension of a leaky bed pan in the emergency ward and a paper-thin payoff that never quite delivers.

In portraying young idealistic doctors that have an affinity for exploring the unknown realm of the human condition beyond the physical alertness of existence is somewhat of an interesting concept in consciousness on various levels of medical science, spirituality and just plain man-made curiosity. Nevertheless, Flatliners (Oplev’s version, of course)...

I thought the original Flatliners was okay, but I was never a big fan. That said, I was still at least partly on board for the potential of a Flatliners TV series. That idea was abandoned in favour of a straight up film-remake, but still I was interested if for no other reason than the cast. The end result? This one's even worse than the original.

Final rating:★★ - Had some things that appeal to me, but a poor finished product.

Line of flatness for fans of the original - for others not so much.

Strictly on a personal level, I always felt that the original Flatliners was average at best. A missed opportunity to use the premise for frightening results, to unnerve, unhinge, whilst intelligently examining the life after death question. So when news of this 2017 remake broke I wasn't in the least bit surprised, the idea at the narrative core was ripe for further filmic delvings.

Niels Arden Oplev's 2017 version is itself problematic, and a long way from being all the things I so wanted from the original film, but at least it has its own twists, a supernatural slant for scares. The makers are also to be applauded for making a truly bold decision in the story, rendering complaints about this not offering anything new as being redundant. Chances are that if you are a fan of the original film you will hate this, if like me you have no affinity to it then this is an ok time waster. While for those not familiar with the 1990 pic can go in for some mild shock and afterlife dalliances. 6/10

So this is like Flatliners... only its not as scary because modern audiences. And it doesn't offer the same satire because modern audiences. And it gender-swapped the main character because modern audiences.

And because of the Swap she couldn't be as dynamic because that would show weakness and yadda yadda yadda so you end up not really caring because she never comes across as a real person, just checked boxes.

And in the end you have wasted a chunk of your life again because you Millennial wife thought it might be cool to watch the remake of one of the movies your old Gen-X butt raved about

Though often mistaken as a remake, Flatliners (2017) functions more as a spiritual sequel to the 1990 version, retaining only the core idea of near-death experiments. The film offers a fresh cast and plot but suffers from shallow character development and a rushed narrative. Despite strong performances—especially from Elliot Page—the execution lacks the depth and coherence of its predecessor. Misleading marketing and weak story connections to the original likely fueled unfair comparisons. Taken on its own, it’s watchable, but far from exceptional.

Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com) and (English version : uwiepuspita.com)