The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by
Rabid is a limp satire with a lacklustre female protagonist, and this shallow remake of a cannibalistic rabies attack film barely leaves a mark.
Canada · 2019
1h 47m
Director Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska
Starring Laura Vandervoort, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Ted Atherton, Hanneke Talbot
Genre Science Fiction, Horror
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The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by
Rabid is a limp satire with a lacklustre female protagonist, and this shallow remake of a cannibalistic rabies attack film barely leaves a mark.
Overlong, undercooked Rabid can’t settle on a unified tone for its actors, let alone its narrative. Even its misanthropy ultimately feels indecisive and trifling.
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
Ploddingly paced (it runs nearly 20 minutes longer than the 1977 film, to detrimental effect), poorly scripted and featuring largely amateurish performances and cheesy special effects, this Rabid strives to emulate the striking body horror of the original but mainly comes across like a half-baked imitation.
Horror remakes don’t have to be inferior rehashes, as films like Jim Mickle’s "We Are What We Are" (2013) and Luca Guadagnino’s "Suspiria" (2018) have demonstrated. But this Rabid nibbles where it should clamp down hard.
Los Angeles Times by Noel Murray
An uneven but often energizing remake of David Cronenberg’s 1977 cult classic.
RogerEbert.com by Simon Abrams
There are a lot of promising ideas here, but none are developed so much that this remake feels essential.
Rabid is a suitable entry into the science-fiction/horror genre that occasionally slants towards the promise of offering something more. And while the film’s science-fiction/horror elements don’t disappoint, the promise of something more doesn’t quite pull through.
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