Limp Attack
My general view of remakes is that they are not made for those who enjoyed the original movie but for a new generation who might find the old movie corny and dated. But when it comes to the 1993 version of "Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" I am at actually at a loss for who this remake, a TV remake at that, is for. Now I haven't seen the original cult classic "Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" so don't know how this remake compares but it is a disappointing experience as we have a limp homage to b-movies which whilst trying to be camp is rarely funny. And there is an added feminist angle as we see a repressed wife and daughter suddenly find power when she miraculously grows which unfortunately is so unsubtle it is annoying. It makes "Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" a strange movie which occasionally clicks but far too often fails.
Not only does Nancy Archer (Daryl Hannah - Memoirs of an Invisible Man) have to deal with a father who constantly belittle her but also a husband who doesn't even try to hide his affairs from her. It makes Nancy a repressed woman who is mentally beaten by the men in her life. But that all changes when Nancy has an encounter with an UFO as when she gets angry she suddenly grows into a 50ft Woman. Not only that as this suddenly growth in size makes Nancy feel powerful and won't be pushed around by her father or husband anymore who has a plan to kill her so he can get his hands on the family money.
So as already mentioned I am yet to see cult classic "Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" and so don't know how this remake compares to the original but considering that the original is a cult classic I can't see that this is anywhere close to as good. Now in fairness it isn't a direct remake because it is in part homage to cult classic b-movies and then it adds a feminist angle. But neither of these aspects work because not only does it fail to capture the style and fun of those old b-movies the feminist angle is so unsubtle that it becomes painful. It means that at just 89 minutes "Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" ends up a bit of a slog as it trundles along with out any real style or humour.
Having said that this version of "Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" is book ended in a good way as we open up with this amusing "Strange but True" style opening and ends with the 50ft. Nancy in the streets of her town and confronted by the military. It is as close as it gets of capturing what was so good about 50s b-movies and it is a shame that the rest of the movie is so flat, uninteresting and at times damn right annoying.
Now visually Darryl Hannah looks great as Nancy, I don't just mean when she is the 50ft woman but also before when she is of normal size. But Hannah's delivery is so monotone that it becomes lifeless, then again there isn't a single good performance in this remake as actors fail to capture not only the style but the humour.
What this all boils down to is that this remake of "Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" just doesn't work. It doesn't work as a homage to 50s b-movies or as a camp update on a cult classic and the additional feminist angle of empowerment is so poorly handled it ends up annoying.