I have to vehemently disagree. The amount of people licking this guy’s ass is alarming. He’s just emulating Robert Englund conjuring Freddy. I don’t want a copy-cat that does a carbon copy of Robert. I’d rather have an actual talented actor bring their OWN vitality to the character instead of an empty, soulless knock-off.
Well, you may say he is emulating Robert. But isn’t that what the vast majority of fans want? They want Robert! Lombardi is the closest thing they are going to get. And whether you agree with his choice to emulate Englund over doing his own spin, his talent is a moot point. He has 65 imdb acting credits and is SAG certified. I think his talent speaks for itself.
Talent level aside, I still wouldn’t want him, or anyone for that matter, to try a poor impersonation of Robert’s Freddy. Would you have wanted Heath Ledger to try and pull off Jack Nicholson’s Joker? Sure, people may think they want to try and keep characters and film franchises in a warm, comfortable, and familiar rut, but when it all comes down to it, people will continue to be disappointed because the only person that could live up to Robert’s interpretation of Freddy is Robert. I’m glad we have Heath’s version of The Joker, and I will appreciate a new spin on the Freddy character, if written and portrayed well.
I think you have to keep in mind that when Roberto Lombardi did the first Krueger film and The Nightmare Ends on Halloween II in 2011 that they were both done as fan films and were meant to emulate Robert Englund to fit in to the original ANOES universe. Starting with the second Krueger film and continuing through to the fourth, Roberto’s performance became 90% less Englund and more his own version of Freddy. I like this approach better because Roberto’s Freddy really became his own version of the character and was only a little suggestive of Englund’s.
There is actually no way to truly tell if Roberto is copying Robert Englund or not because Robert Englund NEVER dedicated an entire performance to a pre-burnt Freddy Krueger. All he did were a maximum of three flashbacks, all of which were incredibly brief and with either over the top dialog or no dialog. Roberto has given us FOUR completed short films which show massive range of the character. We see him as a community pillar, a vile snake, the beginnings of his dream demon (which is the closest thing you get to Robert Englund’s portrayal) and as a loving father. It’s truly unfair to call Roberto’s performance a copy as there is nothing for him to truly base his performance on, other than trying to look like a young Robert Englund. He is indeed making Freddy his own, but trying to maintain a sense of continuity for fans who want Robert Englund back but can’t have him.
No thanks. Why have a Robert Englund rip off? It needs to be a grade A performance. Not a grade B emulating one. Jackie Haley is a great actor and the remake could’ve been so good. But they dropped the ball. A newish type of Freddy could be amazing. IF THEY DO IT RIGHT. I’d rather see Jeff Goldblum as Freddy than this guy! The bad guy from the Mooring – Thomas Wilson Brown – would be great. He was actually the older teen boy in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, haha. But if you haven’t seen him in the Mooring, I suggest you do so.