A teen with the power to move objects and even create fire…seem familiar? Probably because of the popularity of the 1976 hit thriller “Carrie” based on a the novel by Stephen King.

Carrie is the average high school teen, except for the fact that she has supernatural abilities to control things around her. She tries to get through school, dealing with bullies and her powers which are still unknown to her. Her abusive mother is an insane religious fanatic and often pushes Carrie to the limit with her religious rituals and odd forms of punishment. Carrie is seen by her mother to be a product of the devil and who only sins. She tries to convince her mother otherwise, but it always ends in an insane battle between them.  Many instances leave Carrie hopeless and angry and that’s when her abilities to move objects with her mind come to life.

As far as remakes go, many people often have the opinion that nothing could be as good as the original. While it’s often true, this movie went against the norm. Its special effects were dramatic enough to shock the audience, yet not outrageous enough to seem too fake like what is normally seen in cheesy gory movies. It gave the movie a special touch of realism in a film filled with ficticious ideas.

Although “Carrie” isn’t a typical “scary” movie with exorcisms and slasher scenes, it was enough to keep someone at the edge of their seat. There were many shocking moments to make someone think twice about the sweetness and innocence of Carrie White, such as when she would drastically change from being a timid, worrisome girl to lighting objects on fire with her mind.

Julianne Moore, who plays the mother in “Carrie”, easily deserves five stars for her performance. She played a role different from her usual sweet, motherly-like characters and she did it well. The mentally-disturbed woman comes to life through her strict and direct tone of voice and even the way she moved to show how ghostly Carrie’s mother seemed to act.

Chloë Moretz is a talented actress and this role did not lessen that opinion whatsoever. She depicted Carrie as an innocent, sweet girl who didn’t know any better than to respect her mother and do as she said, which is exactly what Carrie is. Moretz may have been more conventionally pretty than the normal thought-about “nerd” or “outcast”, but she did well in concealing that beauty.

“She did a good job of showing how Carrie was an outcast, yet keeping some of her charm. It’s hard to cover up being beautiful,” junior and horror movie fanatic Chuck Liss said.

Moretz has played a variety of characters and never seems to dissapoint.

“I like the fact that she didn’t talk a lot throughout the movie. She was able to portray her character through emotions and actions, and that’s what a talented actress should be able to do,” Liss said.

The stereotypical “mean girl” was also a big part of the film. Portia Doubleday played Chris Hargensen in the movie, the girl that had it out for Carrie the entire time. She was dramatic and cruel just as a bully should be. Although she was convincing enough to show how harsh girls can be in modern times, some moments were thought to be a little too much.

“‘Carrie’ also has no sense of what bullying is like in 2013, and in that regard the film mirrors its predecessor, which depicted bullying nearly 40 years ago,” movie critic Richard Corliss said.

Yes, the movie may have been a little too dramatic at times, but that shouldn’t be the focus. Those scenes and instances when the “mean girls” are giving her a hard time is what makes the movie what it is, especially the last scene when a major prank is pulled on Carrie. Sure it was something that many teenagers actually would never do, but it perfectly portrays the main message and theme which is how you never know what people are really capable of until they are pushed too far.