As long as I’m feeling grumbly this afternoon anyway, I may as well note that two more genre classics are scheduled to be remade: Barbarella and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
I can actually see some value in redoing Barbarella, which, despite its kooky, 60s-ish charms, is a pretty bad movie. As I was saying the other day, there is a case to be made for trying to improve questionable material. But The Day the Earth Stood Still? A movie that (a) is just about perfect on its own terms, (b) holds up quite well even after 50 years, and (c) stemmed entirely from the nuclear nightmares of the early Cold War times in which it was made? Come on. What’s the point?
Bad day, darling?
What was your first clue? đŸ™‚
You don’t have to have a bad day to be cranky!
A remake must be better than the original in order to be worthwhile at all. 99% fall short. Looking at the list of movie remakes on wikipedia, I’d say the latest versions of the following are better than their originals (including previous remakes):
Ben Hur
The Birdcage
Casino Royale
Cape Fear
Henry V
The Jackal
King Kong
Lord of the Flies
(I couldn’t find a single example in N-Z that was better than the original.)
While I’m at it, I’m horrified to learn that the following remakes are in the works:
The Birds
Dr. Zhivago
The Entity
Escape from New York
Logan’s Run
Revenge of the Nerds
I should say that the remake in production for Fahrenheit 451 might be worth watching, since the original is so bad.
Very interesting lists, Robert – thanks for taking the time to look them up.
I agree with your opinions, for the most part. I actually like the original King Kong, the 1933 version, a bit more than the Peter Jackson version, partly because of its historical significance, but also because it has an innocent charm that stems from when it was made. Jackson could recreate the look of the ’30s, but not the mood of the ’30s movies, if that makes sense. (We shall not speak of the ’77 version – urgh.) And I’m surprised that you liked the remake of The Jackal because, if I’m remembering correctly, that was a Bruce Willis film and I didn’t think you liked him. I may be thinking of another movie, though.
On the list of upcoming remakes, I’m stunned to hear that Revenge of the Nerds and Dr. Zhivago are in the works — both beggar the colossal question of “Why?” I’ve already expressed my displeasure with Escape from New York, of course; I’m unfamiliar with The Entity, so I have no opinion whatsoever on that one.
As for The Birds and Logan’s Run, I am cautiously optimistic that a remake might improve both. I found The Birds quite disappointing, to be honest, especially the non-ending ending. There were moments of Hitchcock’s trademark brilliance throughout, but for the most part, I found it to be one of his lesser efforts. As for Logan’s Run, as much as I love the premise and the campy pre-Star Wars ’70s vibe, it, like Barbarella, really isn’t very good. Once Logan and Jessica get beyond the city walls, the movie just kind of meanders off into the Zone of Illogic for another 40 minutes, then things blow up. A remake could be an improvement, especially if the filmmakers take more inspiration from the original novel than the ’76 version did.
Of course, the remake will probably be a mess. Consider what happened with the remake of one of Logan’s contemporaries, Rollerball. Or better yet, don’t. For your own protection.
As for Farenheit, the last I heard that was in Mel Gibson’s hands. Do you know if he is finally going forward with it or has someone else acquired it?
MEL GIBSON IS DOING F451???
I hate that guy. I really do.
I know Mel’s production company had F451 in development for quite a while as a starring vehicle for him, but I haven’t heard anything about the project in ages, so I don’t know if he’s still got the option or not. The rights may have lapsed and allowed someone else to take it over…
Aw, sugertits.
Hm… well, a little googlage would seem to indicate that F451 is no longer Mel’s baby, so you can unclench your teeth.
The most recent blurbs I’ve found indicate that writer-director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) has got it now. It was supposedly scheduled to be released this year, but as far as I can determine, it hasn’t even gone into production yet, so that’s not terribly likely.