Death follows its predecessor well: American remake lives up to the original

I am not afraid to admit my hesitation before seeing the American re-make of the 2007 British comedy Death at a Funeral.

The thought “how could anything be funnier?” crossed my mind. However, this Neil LaBute-directed version kept true to its adaption, and kept the laughs going.

The new Death at a Funeral did what remakes are meant to do but rarely accomplish – it took out what didn’t work in the first one.

The never-ending fight scenes were shortened, the plot was tweaked just enough for the plot to make more sense, and writer Dean Craig’s one-liners about pop culture were consistently hilarious.

My biggest fear going into this film was the drugged and crazy character of Simon, played by Alan Tudyk in the original but this time taken over by James Marsden.

Tudyk was the part of the first film that never failed. Every time he entered the scene – the audience was already prepared to roll over laughing.

Marsden played this role in the remake and from his very first reaction to the pills, I was pleased.

As hard as it is to say, Marsden may have done a better job than his predecessor.

Peter Dinklage, who played the short lover of the dead father in both films, performed better in the original.

To add to this, Tracy Morgan’s constant screaming and spitting as he talks wore on the funny bone as the movie went along.

If you haven’t seen the original Death at a Funeral, I suggest seeing it before venturing into this one.

The performances are better, the shock value is stronger and the laughs are more prominent.

However, Chris Rock’s one liners and James Marsden singing to plants makes the new Death at a Funeral a fun film that should not be boycotted by your love of the first one.