The new “Road House” premiered at SXSW in anticipation of its release on Amazon Prime Video on March 21. More reviews will come out between now and then that could bring its Rotten Tomatoes score down to be on par with the original. As it stands now, the remake sounds like a rip-roaring good time. However, while the film is currently getting better scores than its predecessor, some critics have compared it unfavorably to the original.
The Austin Chronicle’s Richard Whittaker wrote, “[2024’s ‘Road House’] may not be an all-timer like the original, but it’ll sure as hell leave some fun bruises.” It definitely seems to be a case where critics at the time may not have appreciated “Road House,” but it’s garnered a stronger reputation over the years. Perhaps more people look back on the original film more fondly due to it being part of their childhoods. Regardless of which one is superior, they both represent the same thing, which is that it’s all right for a movie to be just plain fun sometimes.
Christian Wilko of IndieWire praised the new “Road House” because it’s ultimately a remake done right. “This ‘Road House’ is a fitting update to its predecessor’s legacy,” he wrote. “Not because it’s better, or even because it’s all that similar, but because it moves with the same unselfconscious stupidity that fueled so many of the ’80s blockbusters we remember so fondly.” At the end of the day, anyone who wants to see how ripped Jake Gyllenhaal got to play a former MMA fighter should check out “Road House” when it’s available for all to see.
