There are cellphones and YouTube videos in this reboot of Stephen King’s “Carrie”. But basically audiences will mostly divide along two lines: those who think director Kimberly Peirce (“Boys Don’t Cry”) has no business remaking Brian De Palma’s 1976 movie, and those who never heard of De Palma’s controversial take on Stephen King’s novel. Your call. I admit: I’m not a huge fan of the original version, but I thought it was pretty good, with Sissy Spacek on top of her game as the title role. In this version, Chloe Moretz (“Let Me In”, “Kick-Ass”) plays Carrie, the high school girl who unleashes her telekinetic powers in revenge of those who have mocked and bullied her. On the surface, the two films are startlingly similar. And given that I had no expectations for it, I thought it wasn’t that bad: it’s well-mounted, and fun to watch. But what drags the movie down at some point is the wearying sense that we’ve seen it all before. So is this remake really necessary? Probably not. But Chloe Moretz gives it her best shot, which is to her credit, even if the overall experience is unexceptional.

Rating: 2/4