Movie Review: Why would anyone want to remake'Poltergeist' in the first place?

Sam Rockwell, left, as Eric Bowen and Rosemarie DeWitt, center, as his wife, Amy, desperately try tohold on to Kennedi Clements, playing their daughter Madison, who's been targeted by terrifyingforces. Courtesy photo

Director Gil Kenan's enjoyable remake of "Poltergeist," now showing, has all the makings of a decenthit. The cast is wonderful. Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt are the perfect married couple,while Jared Harris is a scream as an Irish ghost hunter. And Kennedi Clements is aces in the rolefirst assayed in 1982 by Heather O'Rourke as the little girl taken by ghosts into a parallel universefrom which there seems to be no escape.

What's more, the screenplay - about a family that struggles to get their child back from a gaggle ofvery angry ghosts - is strong. The structure is sound, the photography superb (especially in the 3Dedition) and special effects solid.

It's not exactly a scary film, but it does provide an enjoyable ride. It's good fun.

But it left me befuddled. A little sad. And a little angry.

Why would anyone want to remake "Poltergeist" inthe first place?

It was hardly the most shocking film of its time, butTobe Hooper's "Poltergeist" remains one ofHollywood's most memorable and enduring ghoststories because it had that one thing missing fromother genre films: poetry.

Chalk it up to the influence of producer StevenSpielberg, who reportedly butted heads with Hooper throughout the production. They may not haveenjoyed each other, but their conflict created a unique movie that was as much a classic fairy tale asit was a horror flick.

Take the procession of ghosts near the third act. Against Jerry Goldsmith's music, the specters, eachlit like an otherworldly firefly, make their way down the staircase with a subtle majesty that's hard toforget. The reaction shots - JoBeth Williams' weeping face, Beatrice Straight's wide-eyed epiphanoussmile - bring the scene home.

Take the shot of Williams as she describes how her daughter's essence has just moved through her.

There are no such moments in the remake. The original had a sense of fun that's also missing.

Take the kitchen scene near the top of the first story. Dad (Craig T. Nelson) watches with awe andpleasure as the house's ghost power sends his kids sliding from one side of the room to the other.One nice touch completes the effect: Both children are outfitted with football helmets. You know,just in case.

Even the ghosts in that film had character, individuality, personality. In the remake, they areamorphous, skeletal beings indistinguishable from one another.

While it's not exactly without heart and soul, Kenan's version doesn't go in for the little magicaltouches that fill the first. In one scene in the original, the little boy (Oliver Robins) has a terrifyingencounter with a ghost-possessed toy clown. There is a palpable sense of existential dread here.

"POLTERGEIST," starring Sam Rockwell,Rosemarie DeWitt, Kennedi Clements,Kyle Catlett, Saxon Sharbino and JaredHarris. Directed by Gil Kenan. Screenplayby David Lindsay-Abaire, based on the1982 film. A 20th Century Fox release.Rated PG-13 for intense frighteningsequences, brief suggestive material andsome language. Running time: 1:33

The new film streamlines the same scenesfor maximum efficiency and effect. Itsqueezes out all the lyricism that madePoltergeist such a special treat.

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