**THE WACPINE OF 'MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1994)'**

WRITING: 6
ATMOSPHERE: 8
CHARACTERS: 6
PRODUCTION: 6
INTRIGUE: 7
NOVELTY: 4
ENJOYMENT: 6

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**The Good:**

This remake of the Christmas classic stars Richard Attenborough, who makes a fine job playing Kris Kringle, but who also just seems like a bleak copy of the iconic Edmund Gwenn performance. But he has his sweet moments, such as the one with the deaf child.

What this film does better compared to the original is that it builds a warm and close relationship between Susan and her mother. It also develops the relationship between Dorey and Brian better, even if their chemistry isn't as good.

Susan's wish for Christmas feels bigger and even more implausible in the remake, which makes the miracle feel stronger and more, well, miraculous.

There's also a stronger sense of villainy in this film, coming from the fake Santas and the competitors to Cole's while keeping to the idea of Kris Kringle as a crazy, old man. They've also left out the silly psychiatrist's scheme, which is great.

The courtroom sequence has been condensed while keeping the main parts from the original film. It feels swifter this time around, and it's also funnier. Above all, it makes more sense, with more evidence brought forward by both sides.

J.T. Walsh is great in the courtroom scenes.

The ultimate miracle feels strongly emotional, unlike the slightly more whimsical one in the original.

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**The Bad:**

Mara Wilson is annoying and lacks the adorable charm from Natalie Wood in the original.

The acting is mostly atrocious. Elizabeth Perkins and Dylan McDermott are stiff, lack any onscreen chemistry and remain far from the warmth and energy emitted by Payne and O'Hara in the original.

Combining several key scenes from the original film with an updated script and added depth, this remake feels bleak and lifeless most of the time, and the Christmas spirit is significantly weaker than in the original.

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**The Ugly:**

The Dutch kid from 1947 version has been replaced by a deaf kid. What does that tell us about the evolution of our society?

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**CAWPINE RATING: 6.14 / 10 = 3 stars**