From the producers of Lost, Bates Motel is an interesting take on the uncomfortable mother and son relationship depicted in Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho, only this takes place as a prequel to the film- only fifty or so years later in actual years.
Once you get to grips with the fact that this is a modern day take on the film you can begin to fully appreciate the parallels drawn between Psycho and Bates Motel. The set of the Motel and the house for example are extraordinary, the producers definitely didn't want to give a modern day feel for the set; which gives the entire show an eerie foreboding feeling, because we as an audience know exactly what is to become of these characters we're beginning to know and love all over again, in this very house we're seeing on screen.
Freddie Highmore's performance as Norman Bates I feel is touching. Watching Bates Motel, even though we all know what's to become of Norman, Highmore's performance means half of the time I spent watching him I just wanted to give him a big hug and tell him everything was going to be o.k. Of course this is lessened when Bates tries to kill his brother Dylan (Max Thieriot) with a meat tenderiser. Highmore seems to capture the exact same feelings portrayed Anthony Perkins in the original perfectly, and his performance really gives us an insight into what created the schizophrenic monster seen in Psycho.
Since we never really see Norman's Mother in Psycho, Vera Farmiga (Norma Bates) brings a fresh idea on the psychotic mother role, gently tredding the border between caring mother and psychotic murderer. At times her performance begins to feel awkward and uncomfortable to watch, particularly in scenes where Norma and Norman get a bit too close for comfort; take the scene where she climbs into bed with her 17-year-old son as the her ex lover's dead body was found in her bed the day before and Norma was too 'creeped out' to sleep on her own. The whole film was just too reminiscent of the typical girl-at-the-horror-film-who's-scared-and-needs-you-to-hold-her. However, i'm willing to assume that this is the angle she was aiming for in her performance and so Vera Farmiga deserves a gold star for her excruciatingly uncomfortable and 'cringy' performance.
Although in my opinion (and i'm sure many of others) nothing could ever top Hitchcock's Psycho, Bates Motel certainly gives it a run for it's money whilst at the same time giving us a really insightful look into what made Norman Bates turn out the way he did. Definitely worth a watch.
Once you get to grips with the fact that this is a modern day take on the film you can begin to fully appreciate the parallels drawn between Psycho and Bates Motel. The set of the Motel and the house for example are extraordinary, the producers definitely didn't want to give a modern day feel for the set; which gives the entire show an eerie foreboding feeling, because we as an audience know exactly what is to become of these characters we're beginning to know and love all over again, in this very house we're seeing on screen.
Freddie Highmore's performance as Norman Bates I feel is touching. Watching Bates Motel, even though we all know what's to become of Norman, Highmore's performance means half of the time I spent watching him I just wanted to give him a big hug and tell him everything was going to be o.k. Of course this is lessened when Bates tries to kill his brother Dylan (Max Thieriot) with a meat tenderiser. Highmore seems to capture the exact same feelings portrayed Anthony Perkins in the original perfectly, and his performance really gives us an insight into what created the schizophrenic monster seen in Psycho.
Since we never really see Norman's Mother in Psycho, Vera Farmiga (Norma Bates) brings a fresh idea on the psychotic mother role, gently tredding the border between caring mother and psychotic murderer. At times her performance begins to feel awkward and uncomfortable to watch, particularly in scenes where Norma and Norman get a bit too close for comfort; take the scene where she climbs into bed with her 17-year-old son as the her ex lover's dead body was found in her bed the day before and Norma was too 'creeped out' to sleep on her own. The whole film was just too reminiscent of the typical girl-at-the-horror-film-who's-scared-and-needs-you-to-hold-her. However, i'm willing to assume that this is the angle she was aiming for in her performance and so Vera Farmiga deserves a gold star for her excruciatingly uncomfortable and 'cringy' performance.
Although in my opinion (and i'm sure many of others) nothing could ever top Hitchcock's Psycho, Bates Motel certainly gives it a run for it's money whilst at the same time giving us a really insightful look into what made Norman Bates turn out the way he did. Definitely worth a watch.
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