"Halloween" basically ignores all but the first movie. Think of the way that various Godzilla reboots worked. It's an interesting approach and does wipe out the atrocious "Halloween: Resurrection" from continuity, at the very least.

I really wanted to like this movie a lot more, being a big fan of John Carpenter's original, but I can only say it's okay or fair. It starts out pretty strong, with an unsettling opening scene and elements like the title sequence being a direct homage to the original film ("Halloween III" playing on a TV is great call back to the first "Halloween" playing on a TV in "Halloween III") but some questionable choices get made and it seems to lose its way as the movie progresses. The characterizations of several characters are inconsistent, switching back and forth between badass and panicky. The lead teenage character who we think the torch is going to be passed to just doesn't cut it. And the end is quicker than I would have expected, feeling a little unsatisfying and reminiscent of "H20".

See it if you're a fan of the series. Other may be left feeling a little letdown.