The original 1982 version of Annie will always be a firm family favourite. With catchy musical numbers and believable performances given by its cast, I did not see how the remake could live up to it.

From it’s beginning, the 2014 version (directed by Will Gluck) was exactly what I hoped it wouldn’t be. Full of dull- auto tuned dance numbers, poor over-acted performances and an extensive use of unnecessary establishing shots of New York. Despite being a musical, it is clear that the majority of the dance numbers are random and for the most part, wince- inducing.

A scene in particular that was not only unrealistic, but also extremely cheesy was the final scene. A reworking of the original ending, one thing to be credited is the location and camera work. Varying from medium close-ups to long shots, with swift movements, it does help to set the scene. However, the background dancers look like they were forced to be there and it seems as if Gluck was trying to squeeze in iconic shots of New York City into every scene. Although I do credit the motion picture’s use of reworking parts of the original soundtrack in order to appeal to the modern audience, overall I think that (this is the usual case of remakes) it was an unnecessary version of the original successful musical.