Friday, March 6, 2015

Q Attack, Round 9 - Should Classic Movies be Remade?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047478/
Tiger and Rabbit hold various childhood movies fondly in their memories but are these titles worthy of getting a 21st century makeover? Should a reboot even be attempted? The pair of fuzzy mammals tackle this question as they discuss their favorite movies and whether they want to see them on the big screen once again.

^^**^^

Tiger: Do you know what movie I’ve been craving to see again?

Rabbit: Let’s see, it has to either be a space movie or it has dinosaurs.

Tiger: That’s it, Jurassic Park. I love that movie; it’s probably one of my favorites.

Rabbit: It’s definitely a good movie. They’re kind of rebooting it too with Jurassic World. I saw the trailer and it felt like an homage to the original.

Tiger: That’s very true but I’m disappointed they used CG dinosaurs. The animatronic raptors were the best part of the movies! I’m still excited about Jurassic World; I’m hoping it will be good.

Rabbit: I wonder if it was really necessary to make a new Jurassic movie. Sometimes I feel like they keep rebooting great movies that don’t need to be redone. I know people like the new CG technology but sometimes the old animation adds character.

Tiger: As big of a Star Wars fan that I am, I know I really could have done without Episodes I-III let alone the new ones Disney plans on releasing. Then again, if they have a good story to tell and can make the movies well, I won’t turn down more Star Wars. Aren’t you excited for the Short Circuit reboot?

Rabbit: Heck no! That movie is a classic and should be left alone. I don’t think it will have the charm that the original had. Sometimes when you create something, it becomes something special all on its own. I don’t think you can try and recapture that magic a second time; it’s like trying to catch lightning twice. I know there are plans to remake Jumanji as well. I can’t imagine that movie without Robin Williams in it.

Tiger: We actually watched that movie recently and it has held up pretty well. I wouldn’t mind seeing that movie done with better special effects though; the monkeys in the original are almost cringe worthy.

Rabbit: Okay, but what about the Shichinin no Samurai remake they are planning to do? I know you were furious about the first remake of that movie.

Tiger: Magnificent Seven did not need to exist. It’s a good movie but the original is still the best! And no, I don’t think they need to do Seven Samurai all over again. So what if it’s in black and white, that movie is probably as perfect of a film that you can get.

Rabbit: I know that they are planning remakes of The Crow and The Birds too.

Tiger: Oh wow, I didn’t know about those. I loved the original Crow for some reason. Not the greatest movie but one of those I always end up watching when it’s on TV. As for The Birds, classic Hitchcock, you can’t go wrong with the master.

Rabbit: While maybe The Crow remake could go over well, I think they should stay away from The Birds. Why mess with something that’s been done so well before. I remember watching the remake of Psycho which was terrible.

Tiger: Not only was that a remake but it was actually a shot-to-shot remake no less.

Rabbit: An absolute waste of money, time, and resources if I say so myself. I’m always worried that they will butcher some of these reboots in the same way. Look at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-

Tiger: That was a travesty!

Rabbit: I know, right?! Not only did they make the turtles look like aliens but the acting was terrible. The best part of the movie was the trailer for it.

Tiger: That movie just needs to crawl into a ditch and die.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/
Rabbit: ^laughs^ So, do you think classic movies should be remade? I mean, I’m not stating that these movies are timeless classics that every generation needs to watch. But when is a movie good enough that it doesn’t need to be remade? I couldn’t imagine anyone remaking Citizen Kane, can you?

Tiger: Actually, wasn’t that an April Fools’ Joke last year? I thought NPR posted about how Keanu Reeves was going to star in it.

Rabbit: And in 2013 I think someone posted that Quentin Tarantino was going to direct a remake too.

Tiger: Oh geez, I would totally go see that remake if it were true. *laughs* To answer your question, I think that even a good movie can be remade again. I kind of think of it like I do classical music. We both love Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 – so much in fact that we have a total of fourteen different recordings of it. Now, I’m not saying movies need that many versions but I think that if someone has a new vision of an old movie, that it might be worth doing. So I like seeing remakes done sometimes. I have to go back to Jurassic World because it’s not an official remake but it does have elements of a reboot. It has a new hybrid dinosaur but a lot of the classic elements of the movie. I’m excited for it; I like the franchise enough to watch another movie. And as for the straight up remakes like Jumanji or The Crow, I think those could have merit too as long as they are done well. Just stating that they are a remake doesn’t automatically make them bad movies; it just seems to increase the chances that it will be subpar. So if you have a new vision and want to bring an old classic to a modern audience, go ahead and do it… just make sure it doesn’t suck!

Rabbit: I have to disagree with you. I think that if something is good, don’t mess with it. Why do we need remakes of movies that have already been done before? Look at TMNT, that movie was terrible and it could have ruined the brand if it wasn’t for the TV show that’s decent. And what’s wrong with people nowadays? If it isn’t wrapped up in gorgeous CGI, it seems like no one wants to see it anymore. Like Seven Samurai, so what that it’s in black and white, that movie is timeless. It doesn’t need to be remade because the best version of that movie already exists, the original! If people want to create new visions with their movies, why don’t they try and create something we haven’t seen before. You can’t plagiarize a book so why is it okay to do that with a movie? Nope, I say that the film industry needs to leave the classics alone and go out and make new classics for us to watch.

Should Classic Movies be Remade?

Tiger     vs     Rabbit

1 comment:

  1. Rabbit nails it right on the head with her article ending response. Never remake a film, but if you want to take a movie's premise and give it your own spin, be my guest. Many people have taken Seven Samurai and did just that. The Magnificent Seven is an example of doing that well and Last Man Standing is an example of that done poorly, but at least LMS was someone else's take on it and not a straight up remake.

    ReplyDelete