no matter what other people have say you can not review this movie without compare it to the original and if it exist on it own it would be a 2 3 out of 5 film but it be a remake of a 4 5 out of 5 film and so have standard to live up to and we need to see if it reach those standard . if the film be a re working or and a in planet of the ape and a re imagining of the original you would be able to look at the film in it own right and only reference the original . imagine it this way and if someone take the model in the mona lisa and pose her in a different way and and paint her you could only compare the framing and concept etc to the original but if someone just repaint her in the position of the original you would have to compare it totally . that say this film doesn not just fail to be as good a the original it fail spectacularly and like it or not the original be one of the best movie ever make and the shower scene will never be forget and the remake be mean to be a celebration of hitchcock but end up actually degrade him and his master work . the degrade aspect of this picture be vince vaughn and anne heche . it nothing to do with wether they act well or not it that the relationship between norman and marion in the original be really quite innocent and norman do not really understand sex and he have hardly any contact with the outside world and when he meet beautiful marion and watch her change you feel that he be partly do it from fascination a he doesn not really understand sex and his attraction to her and this make norman sympathetic and almost an anti hero and you be on his side because he doesn not fully understand the world and be constantly fight with himself and his mother . in the remake that whole dynamic be go and i must admit to janet leigh not be my type but she be very attractive and you can see that and anne heche be really unattractive and so norman find her marion attractive be unbelievable if you add that to vince vaughn norman masturbate whilst look at her and you get a norman that be just wait for a chance to jack off at any naked woman no matter what she look like and who you feel absolutely no sympathy for and they further destroy norman innocent nature by put the porno mag in his room . it destroy a character that we have come to like and feel sorry for and it like re make it a wonderful life and have the main character a pimp and totally degrade . the only other character that i have problem with be rita wilson a caroline and marion workmate . in the original when pat hitchcock say the line he must have notice my wed ring it elicit a response of laughter a she be absolutely kid herself and when rita say it it just seem plausible a there really isn not any other reason why any man would flirt with anne heche over her . i will admit that i be very biased and the original psycho be my favorite film of all time and have the film be a reworking and with a different angle and then you could have turn these character on their head and it would have be perfectly acceptable . hitch famously thaught the film would be too gory in colour and make it in black and white to lessen it . this also make the film more atmospheric and frighten in it own way and it give it a beauty that could never be capture in colour and it be a sad statement about how movie be de sensetising the public that people have say how the shower scene be more frightening in colour . ( n. b before people think he can not spell remember i be from england and we spell it colour ) a remake should be just that and re make and this be a forgery and a complete copy and a very bad one at that . i could go on compare but there be no point and almost everything be superior in the original . the only one thing that be well be the performance of viggo mortensen a sam loomis and john gavin be very flat in the original ( hitch call him the stiff behind his back ) and mortensen give a more believable if less likeable performance . william h. macy and julianne moore be the only other actor that hold up to the original . overall a movie that should be label expensive embarrassing fail experiment . only view if compare to original or if original be unknown to you . but view original too the movie would have get a 3 out of 5 if it be original or a reworking but a it be 0 . 5 out of 5 ( for macy and moore and mortensen ) .