I was super excited for this and I was not disappointed. Laverne Cox nails Curry's memorable laugh and lightens up the character of Frank N Furter, the film-within-a-film acknowledges the call outs, and the film itself oozes nostalgia. If you watch this with an open mind and not anticipating a remake (which it isn't) then you'll be fine and enjoy yourself. If not, then I say quit dragging a TV movie down because it failed to live up to expectations it was never going to achieve anyway.
As for the actual content, Laverne Cox went full drag queen (in a way RuPaul himself would love) and outrageously camp and over the top. As a fan of campy drag queens, I loved it and more importantly it does re-imagine Frank in a more sympathetic light than the original (which is why this isn't a remake). She can still pull out the violent crazy card wonderfully and, in the hardest role to take on in the film, she stands on her own at the epicenter of the madness that is 'Rocky Horror'. McCartan pays tribute to Bostwick's overacting while still adding emotion in key parts which Bostwick did not that made me laugh at how much he nailed the part; Victoria Justice did wonderfully, with nods to Sarandon in enough parts that you recognize the tribute while she still made the character her own in new ways.
As for the rest? Staz Nair was the best Rocky I've seen as he managed to skillfully pull off the character in a way the first didn't. Rocky is shown to struggle with motor functions and in many ways act like a child in the first few scenes. For a character who only really speaks when he sings, it was an impressive performance. Ashford nailed Columbia, and she wasn't as screechy as Little Nell which was a blessing to my ears. Lambert was great as Eddy, which doesn't surprise me as he has that classic rock 'n' roll voice that Eddy needs.
Levan as the Usherette was a wonderful intro into the film that moved beyond just the iconic red lips as she introduced the audience to, well, the audience. Milian's Magenta has a more manipulative feel to her and she pulled the character off well, despite Magenta having some of the most iconic sound bites (I can hear Patricia Quinn yelling 'Master! Dinner is prepared!' just from memory). Carney had the hardest job next to Laverne, as he had the dubious honor of playing a character who was for so long played by the creator of the show. But he also did a wonderful job and, as compared to the 2001 Broadway revival, I preferred Carney's portrayal. Vereen is as good a Doctor Scott as any. Lastly, Tim Curry. Seeing him post-stroke is rather heartbreaking, in truth, but the fact that he demanded to be part of the film speaks to his love for the show that shot him to stardom and the uproar in- film when he appears on the screen the first time acknowledges what fans of the first film (I refuse to call it the 'original' since everyone involved has made it clear this is a re-imagining and not a remake) feel upon seeing him.
Comparing the two is naturally going to happen, but everyone involved worked so hard at throwing in Easter Eggs for fans of the first film to see and hear to give them nods to the first, I'm irritated to see those same fans using those nods to attack this re-imagining. The first film is extremely campy; in fact I could write an essay on how much the first film isn't a good film. BUT that's why people love it. Rocky Horror is what it is, doesn't pretend not to be, and the message of the film(s) speak to a wide range of audiences.
As for my own comparisons- it is most assuredly not a literal translation but the premise remains the same. The overacting in the first still lingers in this film, but when you consider that O'Brien wrote the film in the vein of all those sci-fi films of the time, it's not surprising at all. Frankly, if there wasn't overacting I'd be offended as that is part of the Rocky Horror brand.
The 'updates' (if you'll call them such) work. Riff-Raff's new ray- gun looked ridiculously awesome and while Frank had a larger wardrobe selection in this film thanks to the bigger budget, they don't upstage the film itself. Obviously there are less nipples because, hello, network television and I'm sure many things had to be altered to dance around the censors given this aired at 8 o'clock. Still you'd be surprised with how much they get away with. I thought Columbia and Eddy were just going to do it on the motorcycle at one point. The improved sound quality is obviously nice and the overall costumes are greatly improved and less...well less those sci-fi films O'Brien was emulating.
Overall, I loved this film. I enjoyed myself and my mom, who's in her fifties, also really enjoyed it. Laverne Cox is not Tim Curry; nor was she trying to be. She pays homage to him, yes. Her voice fluctuates between feminine and masculine throughout the film as she plays with gender lines and sexuality the way Curry played with sexuality and gender stereotypes of the time. But no, this film is not the original. It is not a remake. It's just breathing new life into a film and story that is 41 years old this year.
It's worth remembering that Rocky Horror is something that has never taken itself seriously; that so many fans suddenly do as they target this re-imagining is both ironic and hilarious.
As for the actual content, Laverne Cox went full drag queen (in a way RuPaul himself would love) and outrageously camp and over the top. As a fan of campy drag queens, I loved it and more importantly it does re-imagine Frank in a more sympathetic light than the original (which is why this isn't a remake). She can still pull out the violent crazy card wonderfully and, in the hardest role to take on in the film, she stands on her own at the epicenter of the madness that is 'Rocky Horror'. McCartan pays tribute to Bostwick's overacting while still adding emotion in key parts which Bostwick did not that made me laugh at how much he nailed the part; Victoria Justice did wonderfully, with nods to Sarandon in enough parts that you recognize the tribute while she still made the character her own in new ways.
As for the rest? Staz Nair was the best Rocky I've seen as he managed to skillfully pull off the character in a way the first didn't. Rocky is shown to struggle with motor functions and in many ways act like a child in the first few scenes. For a character who only really speaks when he sings, it was an impressive performance. Ashford nailed Columbia, and she wasn't as screechy as Little Nell which was a blessing to my ears. Lambert was great as Eddy, which doesn't surprise me as he has that classic rock 'n' roll voice that Eddy needs.
Levan as the Usherette was a wonderful intro into the film that moved beyond just the iconic red lips as she introduced the audience to, well, the audience. Milian's Magenta has a more manipulative feel to her and she pulled the character off well, despite Magenta having some of the most iconic sound bites (I can hear Patricia Quinn yelling 'Master! Dinner is prepared!' just from memory). Carney had the hardest job next to Laverne, as he had the dubious honor of playing a character who was for so long played by the creator of the show. But he also did a wonderful job and, as compared to the 2001 Broadway revival, I preferred Carney's portrayal. Vereen is as good a Doctor Scott as any. Lastly, Tim Curry. Seeing him post-stroke is rather heartbreaking, in truth, but the fact that he demanded to be part of the film speaks to his love for the show that shot him to stardom and the uproar in- film when he appears on the screen the first time acknowledges what fans of the first film (I refuse to call it the 'original' since everyone involved has made it clear this is a re-imagining and not a remake) feel upon seeing him.
Comparing the two is naturally going to happen, but everyone involved worked so hard at throwing in Easter Eggs for fans of the first film to see and hear to give them nods to the first, I'm irritated to see those same fans using those nods to attack this re-imagining. The first film is extremely campy; in fact I could write an essay on how much the first film isn't a good film. BUT that's why people love it. Rocky Horror is what it is, doesn't pretend not to be, and the message of the film(s) speak to a wide range of audiences.
As for my own comparisons- it is most assuredly not a literal translation but the premise remains the same. The overacting in the first still lingers in this film, but when you consider that O'Brien wrote the film in the vein of all those sci-fi films of the time, it's not surprising at all. Frankly, if there wasn't overacting I'd be offended as that is part of the Rocky Horror brand.
The 'updates' (if you'll call them such) work. Riff-Raff's new ray- gun looked ridiculously awesome and while Frank had a larger wardrobe selection in this film thanks to the bigger budget, they don't upstage the film itself. Obviously there are less nipples because, hello, network television and I'm sure many things had to be altered to dance around the censors given this aired at 8 o'clock. Still you'd be surprised with how much they get away with. I thought Columbia and Eddy were just going to do it on the motorcycle at one point. The improved sound quality is obviously nice and the overall costumes are greatly improved and less...well less those sci-fi films O'Brien was emulating.
Overall, I loved this film. I enjoyed myself and my mom, who's in her fifties, also really enjoyed it. Laverne Cox is not Tim Curry; nor was she trying to be. She pays homage to him, yes. Her voice fluctuates between feminine and masculine throughout the film as she plays with gender lines and sexuality the way Curry played with sexuality and gender stereotypes of the time. But no, this film is not the original. It is not a remake. It's just breathing new life into a film and story that is 41 years old this year.
It's worth remembering that Rocky Horror is something that has never taken itself seriously; that so many fans suddenly do as they target this re-imagining is both ironic and hilarious.