Let’s start with the obvious.
Remaking “Cape Fear” isn’t the best use of Apple TV’s resources. Or any studio, for that matter.
Did anyone complain about the 1962 original or that gonzo Martin Scorsese’s update?
It doesn’t help that the series needle drops Bernard Herrmann’s epic score and recycles Scorsese’s X-ray visuals from the 1991 version.
Stop reminding us that two superior films exist for all to see. Please.
What emerges is a watered-down plot that drowns the original chills, replacing them with head-scratching twists and lukewarm suspense. The show’s A-list cast is left scrambling to explain why they’ve gathered in the first place.
NOTE: This critic screened the first three installments of a 10-episode saga.
It’s Javier Bardem’s turn to play Max Cady, a wrongfully convicted man who spent more than a decade behind bars. Yeah, he looks guilty of something, but the system betrayed him.
Or was it his legal representation?
We’re in spoiler territory, but the setup isn’t dramatically different than the previous films, both inspired by John D. MacDonald’s “The Executioners.”
Married lawyers Anna and Tom Bowden (Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson) live in Savannah with their teen son and daughter. The girl (Lily Collias) is a high-achieving athlete, while their son (Joe Anders) is a sullen lad with a lot on his plate.
Anna worked on Max’s defense, and she’s understandably shaken to learn what happened to his case. Her motives are murky, to say the least.
She should pay more attention to her quasi-Southern accent. Yikes.
The Bowdens fear Cady’s arrival on the scene will crush their picture-perfect life, a potent theme that show creator Nick Antosca (“Candy,” “Brand New Cherry Flavor”) fumbles early on.
Meanwhile, Anna’s boss (CCH Pounder) sees Max’s case as a perfect way to promote her Innocence-style legal project. Pounder’s character milks Cady’s case to fund her nonprofit, but it’s a one-dimensional portrait that’s beneath the great character actress.
The Bowdens seem ripe for an implosion long before Max shows up, but is he responsible for the eerie events that start happening to the family?
The “new” story expands the “Cape Fear” canvas, deletes parts of the 1991 version and flirts with woke themes without going the full Lena Dunham. A key character’s sexuality doesn’t track with the earlier version of the film.
The not-so-hidden attacks on the legal system suggest another progressive tic.
Tom’s legal career isn’t as high profile as his spouse’s, an angle left to dangle in the first few episodes. Other problems swamp such minor complaints.
The narrative head scratchers pile up fast, from the couple’s on-again, off-again ties to Max to Tom’s potential infidelity. Why would Patrick flirt with a female colleague at home while their son is lurking nearby?
There’s almost nothing here that wasn’t presented with more clarity or excitement before. It’s a crackerjack story warmed over for a new generation.
Bardem works hard to make Max a memorable figure, and he has moments where he flexes his character’s menacing side. The show’s 10-episode arc means his full nature may take time to emerge, another reason the show’s thrill factor feels incomplete.
And there’s a casting decision that can’t be shared her, but it offers another reminder that a remake should do all it can to improve on the source material.
If it can’t, why bother?
“Cape Fear” debuts on Apple TV+ June 5.