Final Cut Review (2022) Worth Watching?

It's about a hack French director and his film crew who attempt to shoot a short zombie flick only for real zombies to attack the set.

Final Cut was directed by Michel Hazanavicius and stars Romain Duris, Bérénice Bejo (Prey), Grégory Gadebois, Finnegan Oldfield, Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz (A Classic Horror Story, Revenge, and Rings), and Sébastien Chassagne.

Remakes of popular films are bound to happen, especially when a movie with a unique high concept becomes successful. Therefore, it's not surprising that a film like 2017's One Cut of the Dead, a horror comedy about a film crew making a horror movie that zombies attack, is already being remade.

The original Japanese film was beloved by audiences when it came out. It's a fun and clever movie and a moving tribute to overcoming difficulties and the power of filmmaking. It's a truly uplifting experience that will please any viewer.

The release of a remake, especially a well-loved foreign film, is often accompanied by an anxiety that the new version will not capture what made the original so memorable. One Cut of the Dead is a relatively new film, so, understandably, people were wary when a French remake, titled Final Cut in English and Coupez! in French, was announced.

On the surface, the remake appears to adopt the same general premise and narrative structure: Remi, a less-than-professional director whose motto is "fast and cheap," is recruited by his producer Mounir to film a one-take 30-minute zombie film for a new genre channel Z. The film's opening scene shows the result of the production before flashing back to document how it all came together. Unfortunately, many prominent personalities and calamities threatened to disrupt or derail it throughout the production.

Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius' thankfully subdued adaptation of the material manages to balance a reverence for the original film while also introducing several new elements. A vital component of the French production of "One Cut" is producer Madame Matsuda's insistence that the remake remains faithful to the original Japanese script. Some might argue that this is one of the most intelligent decisions made regarding the film, as it pays homage to the original while also including some footage from it. The well-chosen footage avoids outstaying its welcome (the danger of making your audience yearn for the original). Still, the knowing wink feels like director Hazanavicius' way of reassuring skeptics that he's conscious of how much people adore the original.

The acclaimed director wisely chooses not to tamper with elements that Ueda perfected, resulting in several characters and conflicts being carried over verbatim. Nadia's proclivity for becoming immersed in her roles is a significant obstacle, as well as Jonathan's volatile stomach and Philippe's battle with addiction. All these challenges jeopardize the completion of the ambitious project, while more minor (new) problems like the aforementioned Japanese script lead to clever and amusing recurring jokes.

Some concerns, like Ava's worry about how the public sees her, are brought up again but don't amount to much, while new characters like sound engineer Fatih, who gets increasingly bewildered as the production goes further off the rails, provide plenty of laughs.

The original idea of the audience watching the finished product with all its awkward pauses and delayed reactions still works as well in French as in Japanese. The film's silly sense of humor is still its main selling point, although some jokes might be lost in translation (English speakers may be confused if a character's name is the whole joke or if they're missing something). Toilet and race jokes are more common in French productions than in other types of productions. Jonathan's digestive problems are played up for comedic effect, and Remi's interactions with the Japanese producers are awkward and amusing.

The film's success is not enough to dismiss the criticisms that there is no need for a remake. However, the complaints that the new movie is a lackluster copy or an unoriginal rehash are inaccurate. Even though Final Cut doesn't completely break away from the first film's success, the comedy, heart, and love of filmmaking make it worth watching.