DVD Showdown Reviews: First Born Vs. Texas Chainsaw Massacre

When looking at movies in similar genres, it can be hard to pick the right movie to watch. That is where DVD Showdowns can help. This DvD Showdown compares two thriller movies. The chosen movies are First Born and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.

Plot

First Born: Laura is an obsessive compulsive pregnant woman with a husband who ignores her due to excessively long hours at work. After moving to the country while preparing to have her child, she heads down a path of self-realization where she isn't sure if she is going crazy or if her house is haunted. The movie progresses from Laura before the baby is born to after the child is born. While there is potential for this movie, the thrill is lacking, despite the fact that things get weirder and weirder with every passing minute.

TCM: TB: Two guys are preparing to head to Vietnam. On their final days before shipping out, they take their girlfriends on a road trip. While in the middle of nowhere they get in an accident and the sheriff comes out to find out what happened. Anyone that has seen a Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie is aware of what happens next. It becomes, Leatherface time.

Star Power/Acting Ability

First Born: If you go on recognizable names, Elizabeth Shue is the only one I recognized in the film. She was actually the reason this movie was rented. The acting was not so disgusting it was unbelievable on anyone's part. It was more an issue of excitement. The majority of performances were boring, which made it hard to get into it and even harder to be intrigued, thrilled, or frightened.

TCM: TB: Again, if we are going by recognizable names the only one I knew for sure was Jordana Brewster from her roles in Annapolis and Fast and the Furious. If you are a fan of Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies and saw the remake, you will recognize a few of the family as being back for another round. However, everyone else is either new to acting or new to me. Despite that the main characters put in believable and interesting performances.

Time Management

First Born: At 95 minutes it's safe to say the movie wasn't too long. I didn't have a problem with the length of the film. It was the fact that I felt like I was watching a school film that I was forced to stay awake through. I checked my watch more than once and asked myself why Elizabeth Shue even bothered to be in this movie.

TCM: TB: At 91 minutes, I found this movie to be the perfect length. It was not too long or too short.

Money Management (Movie Theater, video store, or cable worthy)

First Born: This is hands down a cable movie. The reason I am choosing cable is because you aren't really losing any money by watching it since you will pay your bill either way. Now, you may feel you lose an hour and a half of your life, but I leave that decision up to you.

TCM: TB: I don't believe this movie was ever released in the theater and my standards are pretty high when it comes to paying about ten bucks to see a movie. For this reason I am going to say video store.

Quality of Effects

First Born: There weren't any real effects in this movie. The quality was fine. It was the plot development that needed work.

TCM: TB: The effects in this movie were decent. They were standard horror movie effects. While they were not the most inventive I have seen, they also weren't the worst.

Overall Appeal

First Born: If you are interested in alternative reality style/fantasy thrillers you will think you want to see this movie. The supposed presence of ghosts or otherworldly beings will entice you. Don't let it. So much could have been done to this movie that just was not done. It ends up coming out flat and leaving you feeling cheated.

TCM: TB: When I first began watching this I really felt like I was watching a second copy of the remake I had just recently watched. However, as a horror fan I was pleasantly pleased by this version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It may not have been the scariest movie on the market, but it had a few moments that were horror worthy and the acting was decent enough to appease my cinematic needs.

Winner & Bottom Line: If you had to watch either film I would highly recommend you choose Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning over First Born. TCM is different enough to be worth watching and it offers some additional information on Leatherface. First Born just feels disjointed. It was obvious First Born could have gone somewhere, but really sat still and went nowhere. While I sat through both, I really wish that I had chose something different when it comes to looking back on First Born.