But anyway onto my topic...
Movie Remakes
For the most part I haven't really endure too many "remakes" of my favorite movies. I guess the timing just hasn't been right. There have been unnecessary sequels of course. Ones that just don't hit the same level of awesomeness as the first one did. But remakes? Nope. Not really.
Then it really started to hit me sometime this year, probably in the summer. The Mummy was coming out in theaters. Granted, I REALLY need to see the original one with Boris Karloff, but I grew up on the Brendan Frasier ones and really liked them. When I saw Tom Cruise was going to be in a "new" version, I was kind of like really? No offense to Tom or Tom lovers, but I feel like he's kind of pushing it for being in this kind of movie to begin with. Plus, I was never really a fan of his in later years.
Naturally, that movie kind of bombed. And word is that Universal wants to "revamp" all the monster movies. And for awhile, I thought my beloved Creature from the Black Lagoon would be safe. Well, when I was doing that blog post and looking for a picture, I came across an article that instilled fear in me! A REMAKE was in the works for my beloved movie!! I mean the beauty of this movie is that yes it's hokey, but storywise it was kind of interesting (maybe just to me and my low-grade scary movie mind). I mean, a man like sea-creature...who then falls in love with a human girl he just happened to see? Reminds me of The Little Mermaid! Lol! In a dark and twisted sort of way!
To think of what they will do with this movie and all the horrible special effects fills me with dread. Seriously?! You're seriously going to do this?
I think I even heard somewhere, possibly in one of those articles that lists like 100 movies that are expected to be "remade" in the years to come! I was devastated to even seen Van Helsing on that list! I LOVED the Hugh Jackman one with Kate Beckinsale! It was awesome! Of course I cried at the end, and to this day I STILL remember my friend from high school spoiled it for me. I kept waiting for it to happen when things were getting intense and when it never did and just when I thought maybe he lied and a happy ending is really going to happen...BAM! Yeah, totally sideswiped me!
Then of course we have the "reboot"--note the term "reboot" of Jumanji. While I am still sadden to see yet another childhood movie getting redone, especially one of Robin Williams' classics, I find myself oddly curious about this revamping. Plus Dwayne Johnson! I mean come on, it's Dwayne Johnson! I will possibly give that one a try, as along as the reviews don't get to me first!
But wow, this turned more into a rant than I intended! But basically one of the things I dislike about "remakes" is that they lack originality. I mean come on! You're literally taking something that's been done and just "updating" it. I can see it as trying to relate to the new generation or giving them something to enjoy while people my age can "look fondly back at memories of the original and perhaps finding something to enjoy about this new version", but still...I'm feeling like, can't you just make something original yourselves?
Book to film adaptations are another thing entirely, which I've already done a spiel on that in a sense about ones I hate. Don't get me wrong, almost every booklover and author secretly wants to see the book made into a film version, but we readers, at least, also fear them ruining it. Hence my post from earlier this year and of course the mess that was the Allegiant movie. I truly expected better from that despite the animosity that surrounds the book--which I did really enjoy, ending and all!
But what about you guys, where do you stand on remakes of movies that have been done already? Do you like them, hate them? Feel a curiosity about them but also a deep seated loathing as well?
I think that for the most part remakes are dumb and I would not see one, especially if it was a movie I'd already loved. Like- it's one thing if the original came out in like, 1919 and was a silent black & white or something, but if it was made in the 80's or 90's? NO. Just no. It seems almost lazy to just remake everything. You hit the nail on the head with the "lack of originality" thing, because that IS what it seems like. Rant on, I agree completely!
ReplyDeleteI have a tendency to be against remakes of movies, but I have seen a few great remakes, like You've Got Mail (remake of The Shop Around the Corner"). I haven't liked the remakes. I hadn't heard of Van Helsing being a remake. I heard that they were planning on rebooting it, like Hocus Pocus. It's like, "Must you ruin a good thing?" Maybe that's nostalgia talking, but I don't normally like remade movies for the reasons you said.
ReplyDeleteMovie remakes of old classics make me curious, at the very least. I was kind of excited when they were going to do a Pete's Dragon remake, but I went into it knowing it would be very different from the original. (It would sort of have to be, considering how dated the original is now.) I do agree that it seems like a lack of originality, though.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction