Mark Harris

I had so thoroughly enjoyed the 1984 (original) version of this movie, I felt a little insulted that the film industry had tried to remake this movie. I thought it would be downright disrespectful to the original version and was prepared to maybe not even finish it. The only reason I watched it was that I found a DVD at a yard sale for $1. Boy, was I wrong. The plot was tweaked a little bit to try to make it more relevant to the youngsters of today, but it pretty much followed the original premise. The main characters (Kenny Wormold as Wren, Julianne Hough as Ariel, and Miles Teller as Willard) were heartwarming and pretty believeable in their parts. At first, I thought I could never believe 23-year-old Julianne Hough as a high school girl, but she pulled it off really well. Don't let your fandom of the original keep you from watching the remake!

It is impossible to watch the new series without mentally comparing the characters and the tone to the old series. After watching Season One Episode 1, I find the characters very expressive and natural at their parts. The character of Mrs. Hall, the hardworking, all-knowing housekeeper seems more complex than the Mrs Hall of the past series. I think all the characters are played more intensely than they were in the old series. Somehow it is harder to like them because of this. They do seem more human, though, while the characters in the old series seemed to focus on playfulness and light heartedness, making it heartwarming rather than intense. Having only watched this single episode, I am interested in seeing how each character is developed in future ones. It is set in beautiful country.