Guess what? I kind of liked this one. If nothing else, I appreciate that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning adheres to the previously established storyline, etc. of the preceding film.
Same basic plot is once again employed; small group of young adults travelling through Texas for one reason or another are interrupted in their trip and fall into the hands of Leatherface and whatever random family he is with this time. In this installment we witness the “origin” of Leatherface, or Thomas Hewitt (in this universe). His mother works in a slaughter house and dies giving birth to him while on the job. Her boss, throws the baby (Leatherface) away in a dumpster. He is found by a member of the Hewitt family and taken to the plantation house from the previous film. Thomas ends up working at the same slaughterhouse but it gets closed down. Thomas kills his boss (the very same one that threw him away) and is stopped on the road by the only law enforcement person in an ever-deteriorating town. Charlie Hewitt shoots the deputy (as he is Thomas’s uncle) and kills him, and takes Thomas back home, also assuming the role of Sheriff. Meanwhile, Eric and his brother Dean, travelling with their girlfriends end up having a car accident and unfortunately become victims of the Hewitt family.
Nothing satisfying happens as a result of seeing “the beginning.” In fact, “the beginning” is really just the birth. We sort of see pieces of Thomas’s life during the credits (killing animals as a child, etc.), there really is no complete transformation from Thomas to Leatherface. Just troubled birth to insane person. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter, but you would kind of want to see maybe a study of young Thomas and his progression, what with the “the beginning” part of the title.
The film is quite brutal. Unlike the first film, most of the violence happens on screen, but it is necessary. This is just an ugly film and it makes sense to see the nastiness.
The main thing that separates and makes this better than the rest of the films is that is continues (or restarts, as it is a prequel) the previous storyline and makes sense. Combined with the previous film, it remakes, and continues. The first 4 films really can all exist on their own, and the fact that they are so different and yet are included in the cannon as sequels just piss me off. This film and its predecessor are dark, new visions of the story and on their own are not bad horror films. Still not as good as the original, but not as insulting as the middle section of this franchise.
I still hold my opinion that there really only needs to be the original film and no others. What’s alarming is the Leatherface 3D film that is planned for 2013. Besides the decision to continue the story, the fact that it will be in 3D, just infuriates me. This just needs to stop.
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