by MacKenzie Sackett |

The first time I ever saw the 1984 movie Footloose was only just a few years ago. My dad had bought it on DVD since it was one of his favorite movies back when he was a teenager and was forcing my little brothers and I to watch it with him. Being a typical 14-year-old girl I had absolutely desire in watching one of my dad’s favorite 80’s movies. But as soon as the beginning titles came on and the song Footloose by Kenny Loggins started playing, my attitude towards the movie instantly changed.
Footloose is about a teenager named Ren McCormick, played by Kevin Bacon, who moves to Bomont, Utah with his mother from Chicago. He learns that Bomont has a law against rock music and dancing because a few years ago a couple teenagers were killed in an accident after leaving a dance party. Ren meets the rebellious Ariel Moore played by Lori Singer, who is the daughter of Reverend Moore whose son was one of the kids that was killed in the accident and is now very strict with Ariel. Ren and Ariel decide to rebel against the “ridiculous” law and protest to have a senior prom.
Throughout Footloose, I was completely engaged. The fabulous dance moves, the romance, the fights and not to mention the amazing 80’s soundtrack, Footloose had everything that defines a classic 80’s movie.

When I first heard a couple of years ago that they were going to remake Footloose, I was absolutely outraged. I thought to myself, (or maybe even yelled out loud) “Why on earth would they remake such a classic movie? They are going to ruin it!” But the first time I saw the trailer for the new Footloose I decided that it actually looked pretty cool and I was at least going to see it and give it a shot.

I sat down in my seat at Liberty Cinema 12 with an open mind to the remake. I was honestly shocked at how good the movie actually was. My expectations for it were not very big since I am such a fan of the original. But the film stayed right on track with the original. It’s plot is almost exactly the same; they basically just updated the original film from 1984 to 2011. Although there were a few differences from the original so that the film was not the exact same movie as the original.
First of all Ren McCormick, played by a new actor Kenny Wormald, moves from Boston to Georgia to live with his aunt and uncle since his mother just died from leukemia where as in the original, he moves with his mother from Chicago to Georgia.
Although no one can truly compare to Kevin Bacon, Wormald gives a fabulous performance as Ren. He has a James Dean look to him and does a great job at keeping the character the same as the original yet really making it his own and different from Bacon’s. Wormald gives Bacon a run for his money during the classic, unforgettable, angry solo dance scene in the warehouse since Wormald is a professional dancer whereas Bacon is not.
I was excited when I found out that Julianne Hough from Dancing With The Stars was going to play Ariel Moore. I was very surprised at Hough’s acting in the film because she was actually really good! She has a very natural kind of acting presence and her dancing is absolutely breathtaking. I liked her version of Ariel better than Lori Singer’s version. She just has more attitude, and spunk.
If you are a fan of the original movie like I am, be open minded about this remake and just go see it! Trust me, you will not be disappointed! For those who are not familiar with the original movie, Footloose is a fun, energetic movie that will keep viewers entertained till the end.