Have you seen it? No? There is likely a very good reason for that...it stinks.

Like nearly ALL the endless remakes and reboots that have been plaguing movie goers for the past decade or so....all this is, is a heartless version of the original.

It has no heart.

It has no soul.

It is a retelling of a film that we all love and cherish...and it adds nothing to the story. It improves nothing but the special effects--which held up very well over time--and in some cases belittles the fans of the original...particularly in the fact that they remade the movie at all, without adding anything clever to it.

Like so many other remakes it is a hallow shell of the original.

To the same extent Ava Gardner movies lingered on her face in the 1950's and Jessica Alba movies visually caressed her abdomen in 1990's movies so does this moving on the backside of Julianne Hough. Likely this has partially to do with Craig Brewer's personal interests and a lack of other interesting images to look at in a pointless remake of the Kevin Bacon "classic" (assuming you grew up in the 80's). The main drag on the film grows from the lack of a Kevin Bacon-level compelling talent among the cast. When Kenny Womald utters the iconic "let's dance" to the camera you could picture yourself opting to sit this one out instead. When Dennis Quaid as Ariel's father and town elder finally has his change of heart, it comes as no really emotional catharsis given Quaid's earnestness and track record as the good guy leading man. Now Randy Quaid would have made an interesting and likely challenging from a product standpoint casting choice. Julianne Hough plays Ariel as more sleazy than fun-loving and her dance moves do kind of make you agree to an extent with the Reverend. As always, Andie MacDowell brings her inexcusably flat line readings to a part that could have been cut from the film with little effect. Everyone else in the film comes across as the indistinguishable chorus line from a traveling company version of the Footloose Musical. Having said all that, the movie brings some entertaining visuals although it someone screws up the soundtrack; the version of "Holding Out for a Hero" used her is a sacrilege of the original Bonnie Tyler version of the Jim Steinman song. In short, see the original instead; although it wasn't very good either, the music was amazing.

Despite being an enormous hit at the time, the original 'Footloose' is somewhat of a love it/hate it film.

To me, it wasn't a great film, did have issues with the story, some of the script and one dance sequence (the one in the abandoned warehouse). However, the immense appeal is definitely understandable and the original 'Footloose' still stands up as an enjoyable film for the soundtrack, dancing/choreography and the casting.

While there are definitely worse remakes out there ('Psycho' and 'The Wicker Man'),'Footloose' (2011) is still, like a fair few remakes, rather pointless.

It's not all awful. The best thing about is Miles Teller, a great and instantly appealing performance that is every bit as good as Chris Penn's in the original, the only actor in the film to have that distinction. Some of the dancing is dazzlingly good, especially Willard learning how to dance. Plus the production values are beautiful.

However, while the soundtrack was unforgettable and toe-tapping in the original they are forgettable here, the more contemporary and country arrangements robbing them of their catchiness and charm. The songs themselves are not bad at all, far from it, but how they're arranged are very much so. There are some great moments with the dancing, but too much of the dancing lacks the finger-snapping quality and energy of the original's choreography.

'Footloose' further suffers from being too faithful, with a lot of the same material but with little to none of the nostalgic charm and fun. Nothing is done also to improve on the daftness, ridiculousness and schmaltz of the story from the original, instead those problems are actually amplified here, with lots of cheese and overwrought emotion, and hurt even further by pacing that feels like one is riding on the back of a snail.

Miles Teller aside, though Ray McKinnon and Kim Dickens are also quite good but aren't in it enough, the cast just don't cut it, and neither does the very uninspired direction. Kenny Wormald is an incredible dancer but a lousy actor, a bland presence throughout and he is never sure whether to overact or underplay because the performance is a mess of both. Julianne Hough is beautiful, but doesn't have the confidence, vulnerability or charm to match.

Andie McDowell feels out of place and, with the lack of engagement with her material, looks completely cost. Dennis Quaid gives a limp and sometimes over-compensated performance, and constantly looks ill at ease. There is little chemistry between the two of them as well, the dignity and gentle touch from the original's chemistry between the two characters is missed, replaced with a sense of being condemned throughout.

Overall, there's worse out there but there was really not needed and the execution on its own merits is severely wanting. 3/10 Bethany Cox