Flowers in the Attic Remake!

When I saw the commercial for the remake of Flowers in the Attic I was delight. You see, V.C. Andrews was my favorite author as a kid. Yes, I said it. As a kid. I started reading her books when I was about 12 or 13. She helped me fall in love with reading.

Anyway, when the movie premiered on Lifetime, I made sure I DVR'd it so I could have some uninterrupted viewing of the new Flowers in the Attic. I turned the movie on once the kids left for school.

Here is what I liked:

• Some of the plot was changed. The mother doesn't die in this version. They also showed the romance between the brother and sister in the movie which stays true to the book series. In the original movie this wasn't mentioned at all. In that version Chris walks into the bathroom once when Cathy is in the bath. 
• The mother doesn't act innocent in this movie. In the first one, she always has an excuse and never actually harms or threatens the children. The shocker is when it shows her poisoning the cookies. In this version the mother starts acting like the grandma. She threatens the kids and stops making excuses. This is more believable given their environment. 
• This version actually explains why the grandma won't go into the attic and the kids eventually use that against her. The first version doesn't mention that fact at all. 

What I didn't like: 

• I have never liked the beginning of the movie. Both versions have a beginning that drags on for a while. What is worse is that this second version has a longer beginning. Big yawn fest. 
• The mother's character is really shallow which comes across as bad acting most of the time. 
• They took out Cathy's passion of dance. It is mentioned in the beginning, but in the first version, ballet was her salvation. It wasn't important in the second version. 
• In the first version Chris wanted to be a doctor. In the second version he is an artist. When Corey is poisoned, Chris just knows this medical stuff instead of looking it up in his books. 

Overall, it was a great movie. If they ever make Petals in the Wind, you know my DVR will be set to record!