Another Thought On Remakes
I did a little math concerning the number of film remakes that I've discovered since February. I've uncovered about twenty different titles being remade over a hundred and twenty-five days. That comes to a remake announced every 6.25 days!It looks pretty certain that the remake thing isn't going to go away. My friend Derek suggested that we discuss which films we'd like to see remade. Who knows? Maybe some studio will read this stuff and take note.
So that's my question: which films do you consider prime remake material - near misses with promising content that could easily be improved? I'll kick-start the proceedings:
* Young Sherlock Holmes - Well cast, and a neat premise of Holmes meeting Watson in boarding school, and taking on his first big case. The script quickly lost confidence in the audience and devolved into a Temple Of Doom clone. Might work well in the Harry Potter era.
* Explorers - Three schoolmates have similar dreams that are actually broadcasts from outer space. Using the information in the messages, they build a homemade spaceship and head off to meet the aliens responsible. It's one of the most level-headed films Joe Dante's ever done, but it jumps the rails in the disappointing finale. It'd be a great re-do if someone could cook up the right topper.
* Mystery Men - Amateur super-heroes team up to fight a menace threatening their city. Some good casting and funny writing couldn't overcome the surfeit of characters and ill-fitting Burtonesque tone. In the right hands, this could be hilarious!
Your thoughts?
Labels: explorers, mystery men, opinon, remake, young sherlock holmes
posted by Jeff Pidgeon at
3:55 PM
21 Comments:
The Star Wars Prequels!
And the first couple of Harry Potter movies (although I haven't been fully satisfied by any of them, the first two bother me most!)
The Omega Man-- a movie that has its flaws, but I thought had a pretty good premise. Its 70's "made-for-tv" production values were ok for the the time, but make it hard to watch now. It would definitely benefit greatly from a contemporary rewrite and a digital makeover.
As far as sequels go-- I'd love to see more adventures of "The Rocketeer"-- I'll bet Dave Stevens would too.
I'd like to see someone take a shot at Rope. I LOVE this movie. Probably one of my favorites, but I watched it a couple weeks ago and it is feeling old. I would probably be skeptical if I heard a remake announced though, but I would mind seeing what someone could do with it.
OK this may not technically qualify but I really am ashamed to admit how much I would like to see a BIONIC MAN MOVIE.
Yes.
I am now bracing for flaming
It's a little off topic, but I wouldn't mind a Six Million Dollar Man movie myself.
A film version's been bandied about for years - a comedy with (at one time) Jim Carrey, and lately, Chris Rock's been considered.
Personally, I don't want a comedy. I know it's a silly concept, but I'd still rather see a quasi-serious take on the material.
Other possibilities:
* I wouldn't mind someone taking another crack at The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Dump the attempts at character arcs and just let it be funny!
* The Black Cauldron - This series of books by Lloyd Alexander is terrific, but the Disney feature didn't do 'em justice. Give it the Lord of the Rings treatment and film the stories with the same actors.
* Dick Tracy - This is one of the best continuity strips ever, but Warren Beatty was a poor choice to wear the yellow slicker. I loved the design, but I think it's time to have another go at it!
Ooh! Ooh! How about Something Wicked This Way Comes? That book is wonderful, and well worth a remake!
If money were to be thrown about... I would like to see a remake of The Wild Wild West with a bit more realistic casting and less camp. Make it more like the TV show with the James Bond meets the old West flavor.
Others? How about Rafael Sabatini's Seahawk? The Islamic part of the story might be more interesting if done right and a bit of a world market twist. I'm not willing to suggest a remake of Captain Blood, but the Seahawk would capture some of the Pirates interest.
I could even sit through a remake of "The Day The Earth Stood Still".
But part of what gets me about all the remakes is that there are plenty of good stories out there waiting to be told. All kinds of war stories of battles or groups that would lend themselves to film. A walk through any bookstore has all kinds of titles to choose from.
Admit it...
You know you really want to see Disney do a remake of "The Boatniks"!
I'll cast a second vote for "Rope," but add Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" to the list.
Too many on the list are too recent for remakes ... but that's simply because the thought of remakes for 1970 or later films simply makes me feel old.
Actually, there are several classics from the 1930s, 40s and 50s that I think offer great foundations for good remakes:
White Heat or some other great gangster film ... Woman of the Year, Adam's Rib, The Old Man and The Sea, Bringing Up Baby, The Philadephia Story, All About Eve, Sunset Blvd., Shane.
A few of the more modern films that I'd like to see remade include: The French Connection, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Capricorn One, The Rocketeer, The Island on Top of the World ...
and oh so many more!
Actually, I agree it's a shame there isn't more new material ... still waiting to Disney to tackle a good biopic of Walt if not a 15-hour miniseries.
I understand about new stories. Of course, I'd much rather see all filmmakers try new stories! The percentage of remakes is way too high for my taste, and still climbing.
That said, I just figured why not embrace it a little bit - since the trend doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and has been around since (at least) the fifties - and try to come up with films that wouldn't provoke as much teeth gnashing, since they weren't quite touchdowns in the first place. Near-miss movies or curios that could easily be improved upon.
I actually prefer post-fifties films for remakes, for the most part. The culture has changed so much that updating older films can be difficult, or just plain impossible.
Most of the film you've listed, Leo , I think are too good for remakes. They're dated in some ways, but for the most part, they age really well.
I would like to see another Wild, Wild West movie, and The Rocketeer is a fun concept that could be strengthened.
I love the concept of Brainstorm, but the movie itself is flawed (Strange Days is a similar idea, but the device becomes a McGuffin in a murder mystery, and that's not as interesting as the implications of the device itself).
I'm not a fan of The Little Prince movie, but I think a non-musical version could be really touching, if not a blockbuster.
Popeye might be tough adaptation material for a movie, but (again) a non-musical film could be fun.
Speaking of the prequels...
You know if George Lucas started re-making all three prequels, we'd all get in line again - regardless of how felt about the current films (The clincher would probably have to be that he'd go back to executive producing, like he did with Empire).
That's how powerful Star Wars nostalgia is!
OK- i've done some thinking...and i keep circling around monster movies and genre pictures, mostly...maybe because i've always wanted to see upgrades on old favorites...
i see jef's point about avoiding pre-fifties stuff, but there are still a few oldies that i think would benefit from a fresh take---
THINGS TO COME-
i like the old ,ovie, but it seems like a genuine redo of the notion of the 'future' would be cool to see...if it was done well...
SHE
great HRHaggard story that was interesting as a thirties picture, but could be awesome if it was done up with epic scale and a faithful adaptation...
actually, the more i thought about this problem, the more i realized that lots of 'classics' that have been adapted to film, could be remade with slightly more faithful rtenditions of the source material...certainly FRANKENSTEIN, DRACULA nand JEKYLL AND HYDE could be mined for more stuff...
while we're in monster territory,
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
THEM
DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS
GODZILLA
PROPHECY
i always thought this movie had potential, but it ended up plain laughable..
FOOD OF THE GODS
HG Wellls done well...
FANTASTIC VOYAGE
big fan of this sci fi classic, but it's been twenty years since INNERSPACE, and the journey into the human body could be a great visual.!
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN
could be great!
even DR CYCLOPS, a forties pic i love, could be interesting to revisit...shrinking people are fun!
how about-
THE BLACK HOLE
i know lots of people have fond memories of this opic, but man, it could really usse an upgrade!
ALTERED STATES
go back to the great Paddy Chayefsky script ( he took his name off of the Ken Russel film..)
THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME
another great thirties pic that could be updated well, i think..
i know there may be controversy with this next pick, but how about -
the WIZARD OF OZ
i love, love, love the original, but isn't it time to think about a slightly more 'faithful' adaptation, aLa LOTR or Narnia?? and forget about RETURN TO OZ...
LORD OF THE FLIES
that remake in the 80's/90's was no good.
VALLEY OF THE GWANGI
OK, i know Harryhausen is sacred ground, but Dinosaurs and Cowboys!! c'mon!!
OK...that's all i have so far...this could go on and on...
Hmmm... I admire your optimism, Derek but think the remakes I would go for are not remakes of movies that I already love (Wizard of OZ, Shape of things to Come etc) but remakes of the films I thought SHOULD have been good and were not. Here are a few:
THE AVENGERS
Uma Thurman and co didn't do this one properly but I admit that casting someone to be EMMA PEEL isn't easy.
LOST IN SPACE
Likewise, that movie was a missed opportunity. It could have been a GREAT franchise.
i hear you jamie, but i think THINGS TO COME could really be interesting from todays perspective...
what about the silent METROPOLIS??
love, love, love it...
could it make for an intersting remake if it was done really well?
probably...
another H.R. Haggard--
KING SOLOMON'S MINES
( with a CG Richard Chamberlain...awesome!)
oh yeah...an earlier comment suggested THE OMEGA MAN... it's already a remake in it's own right ( THE LAST MAN ON EARTH with Vincent Price.), is currently being remade again with Will Smith and it's original title, I AM LEGEND. i think it's due in theaters later this year. based on the book by Richard Matheson, it's a great twist on the conventions of vampire mythology...absolutely worth a read-! hopefully the film will bring some of those elements to the fore...
also, i don't think SHADOW OF A DOUBT could get much better.
"Shadow of A Doubt" already was remade. Scenes were filmed in Petaluma,CA on the same railroad (Northwestern Pacific) used in the original. Original train scenes were shot in Santa Rosa, CA.
I'm somewhat looking forward to the remake of "Colossus: The Forbin Project". Always liked how the film used the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley.
I don't think you can improve on Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt myself, but there's nothing to prevent a film from being remade more than once. Like Dracula, or Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
I think Lost In Space and The Avengers are both good remake material, at least in terms of their previous film versions. Of course, you could argue that the television shows weren't broken in the first place.
I'd hate to have to be the one to try to re-capture the chemistry of the original Avengers cast, though! That's hard to top.
OK, Jeff ...
Sorry about misunderstanding your basic premise about near misses that offer enough promise to be considered remake material.
I'll break these down by genres:
Sci-fi/horror/thriller: Silent Running, Burnt Offerings, The Fury, Altered States, Soylent Green, Buckaroo Bonzai, Gremlins, even Carrie (a pretty good film but it could be updated and strike a chord with today's high school students.
Westerns: The Rainmaker, Silverado, The Cowboys.
Comedies: Going in Style, The Goodbye Girl, Ruthless People.
Dramas: Falling Down, Shoot the Moon, Sweet Bird of Youth, Running.
musicals: One from the Heart, Pennies from Heaven, Hair.
Comedies: The Jerk, Oh God, The Kentucky Fried Movie.
How about The Last Remake of Beau Geste, just to see how they handle the title?
I guess it'd be No, Really, The Very Last Remake Of Beau Geste
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