Can Somebody PLEASE Make Hollywood Stop With The Remakes Of Classics?

[Rutabaga]

I had no idea this movie was being made until I saw the trailer before Hancock today. It looked interesting--even with Keanu Reeves in the lead--until I found out what it is. I am simply SICK TO DEATH of Hollywood remaking classic movies.

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Klaatu barada nikto indeed.

Robert Wise in rolling over in his grave, no doubt.

[Dasquian Belargic]

When is he going to stop playing Neo?! :headache

[Jedi Master Carr]

I refuse to ever see that movie. The Day the Earth Stood still is one of my favorite movies.

[Banner Laverick]

http://www.viruscomix.com/page373.html

[Dasquian Belargic]

lulz

so true :(

[Cat X]

I reckon I might go see this. The original isn't one of my favorites by far so I'm not bothered :)

[Banner Laverick]

Okay, this is slightly off-topic, but whenever people ask/talk to me about movies, 98% of the time, it's a film I've never seen. I don't see the point of spending $10+ to sit in a theatre and watch a film. I don't see the point of renting half of the movies that come out, either. The only time I really watch movies is if I'm on vacation and Charley makes me watch them.

Hollywood is going to keep making remakes because people will go see it just for Keanu/Will/Who-ever. They should just take the basic idea, give it a slight twist and change the name.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well if they are going to remake movies they need to stick to the bad ones. Like they are making remakes to Red Sonja and Clash of the Titans. In both cases the first movies sucked so maybe they can do a better job with a remake.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

On one hand I can understand that it's sometimes fun to remake something and give it a fresh look, but on the other hand I wish that it wasn't happening so often.

It's ok to try and be a little original in your storytelling, Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood :\

[Jaime Tomahawk]

Well to be honest.... where are you going to get an original story? There really isn't a lot of new and different ways to say the same things. And if they did have a good story, it takes a pretty rare director to do it justice.

So I'm okay with remakes as long as they are decent. Well actually as long as a movie's decent full stop............

Edit : Strangely, Keanu looks appropriate for Klaatu. He's supposed to be inhuman and detached from human reality and Keanu pretty much defines that. Dunno about this creeping dust thing tho.

[Yog]

I have nothing against remakes of old sci fi movies / series, particularly when they are more than 50 years old. I would not want to see a Star Wars, Blade Runner or 2001 remake though, because what could you possibly want to change / improve in those? Remakes of Casablanca, Godfather, Citizen Kane, Wizard of Oz, Lawrence of Arabia etc, that is when my blood boil.

[Yog]

Well to be honest.... where are you going to get an original story? There really isn't a lot of new and different ways to say the same things. And if they did have a good story, it takes a pretty rare director to do it justice.

So I'm okay with remakes as long as they are decent. Well actually as long as a movie's decent full stop............

Here is a challenge for you. Would you condone a Lord of the Rings remake if it was done by a competent director, say Steven Spielberg, and it had a huge budget? I would not. There are some movies that are absolutely pointless to make remakes on.

[Jaime Tomahawk]

Well to be honest.... where are you going to get an original story? There really isn't a lot of new and different ways to say the same things. And if they did have a good story, it takes a pretty rare director to do it justice.

So I'm okay with remakes as long as they are decent. Well actually as long as a movie's decent full stop............

Here is a challenge for you. Would you condone a Lord of the Rings remake if it was done by a competent director, say Steven Spielberg, and it had a huge budget? I would not. There are some movies that are absolutely pointless to make remakes on.

Actually, yes I would. I'd like to see someone rise to the challenge and try to better what we have already. There is also enough room to do things differently as well. So why not? It would be a damn sight better than the waste of space Hancock is or even Indy and the Kingdom of What the HELL is this rubbish.

I really dont have any problem with remakes as long as they are good.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I have nothing against remakes of old sci fi movies / series, particularly when they are more than 50 years old. I would not want to see a Star Wars, Blade Runner or 2001 remake though, because what could you possibly want to change / improve in those? Remakes of Casablanca, Godfather, Citizen Kane, Wizard of Oz, Lawrence of Arabia etc, that is when my blood boil.

To me certain sci-fi classics shouldn't be touched. I still never got over War of the Worlds. I still think the original 50 version is 200 times better than the recent one.

[CMJ]

To me certain sci-fi classics shouldn't be touched. I still never got over War of the Worlds. I still think the original 50 version is 200 times better than the recent one.

How was that even a remake? It was an adaption of the book. A much CLOSER adaption of the novel if I say so myself.

[Cat X]

I have nothing against remakes of old sci fi movies / series, particularly when they are more than 50 years old. I would not want to see a Star Wars, Blade Runner or 2001 remake though, because what could you possibly want to change / improve in those? Remakes of Casablanca, Godfather, Citizen Kane, Wizard of Oz, Lawrence of Arabia etc, that is when my blood boil.

To me certain sci-fi classics shouldn't be touched. I still never got over War of the Worlds. I still think the original 50 version is 200 times better than the recent one.

Huh?????

Speilberg's version was pretty good, the original is not this leaps and bounds better. And as CMJ said, it was quite close to the book. It's no masterpiece but it's quite decent and worthwhile. Given the way special effects have advanced, War of the Worlds was an absolute gimme for a remake.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Some people would have said that remaking Battlestar Galactica would be peeing on their childhood or something along those lines, and BSG is awesome and I'm so glad it was remade.

Some things just shouldn't be made in general, like Alvin and the Chipmunks movies. :x I suppose that when movies stink people won't go see them, and then others will find it harder to get their remakes financed. But if remakes of 'old classics' make money, they'll continue to make them.

There are original movies being made today, the remakes haven't choked them out.

The idea of someone trying to remake LotR is ludicrous, but in 50 years if it comes up I probably won't care. It'll probably be a holodeck program by then anyway, and that would be :cool: As far as Star Wars being remade, hasn't George Lucas done that enough already? :p

[Jedi Master Carr]

To me certain sci-fi classics shouldn't be touched. I still never got over War of the Worlds. I still think the original 50 version is 200 times better than the recent one.

How was that even a remake? It was an adaption of the book. A much CLOSER adaption of the novel if I say so myself.

not really, there hasn't been a close adaption of that book except for some cheap 90's movie. I still love the 50's version better but that is just my opinion. I actually hated the spielberg one I guess because of my love for that one.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Let's all just agree that The War of the Worlds radio adaption is the best and move on :mneh

I don't think all remakes are bad. I would rather everything wasn't being remade all the time, but occasionally it has its benefits - like rebooting the Batman franchise.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Let's all just agree that The War of the Worlds radio adaption is the best and move on :mneh

I don't think all remakes are bad. I would rather everything wasn't being remade all the time, but occasionally it has its benefits - like rebooting the Batman franchise.

Heh well that came the closest to the novel that is for sure. And scared millions into thinking the martians were coming.

[CMJ]

not really, there hasn't been a close adaption of that book except for some cheap 90's movie. I still love the 50's version better but that is just my opinion. I actually hated the spielberg one I guess because of my love for that one.

In the book, the protaganist gets involved in the aftermath of the attack on London and other cities, becomes a refugee with thousands of others, and has to wander aimlessly until ending up in a abandoned house with a religious figure who goes nuts. Meanwhile Aliens are outside setting up another tripod and planting their red weed crop. Said religious figure has to be killed as to avoid being captured by the Martians because he makes too much noise.

How is that that different from the film? :p

[Jedi Master Carr]

not really, there hasn't been a close adaption of that book except for some cheap 90's movie. I still love the 50's version better but that is just my opinion. I actually hated the spielberg one I guess because of my love for that one.

In the book, the protaganist gets involved in the aftermath of the attack on London and other cities, becomes a refugee with thousands of others, and has to wander aimlessly until ending up in a abandoned house with a religious figure who goes nuts. Meanwhile Aliens are outside setting up another tripod and planting their red weed crop. Said religious figure has to be killed as to avoid being captured by the Martians because he makes too much noise.

How is that that different from the film? :p

He had no kids with him. The Aliens came very different. They crashed in meteorites like int he original film and attacked the cities by connecting three ships together like the original movie. I thought the way they brought the aliens in the new version really escapes all logic. Like any advanced civilization would put space ships in the ground and leave them there for 20-100 thousand years and then send their troops back into the ship. It made much more sense in the book and the 50's movie that they land and attack. Also, I don't like the 50's version because its closer but I just the look and feel of the movie better. I will never forget the sound the alien ships made with its death ray. In the newer version the sound was lame.

[CMJ]

He had no kids with him. The Aliens came very different. They crashed in meteorites like int he original film and attacked the cities by connecting three ships together like the original movie. I thought the way they brought the aliens in the new version really escapes all logic. Like any advanced civilization would put space ships in the ground and leave them there for 20-100 thousand years and then send their troops back into the ship. It made much more sense in the book and the 50's movie that they land and attack. Also, I don't like the 50's version because its closer but I just the look and feel of the movie better. I will never forget the sound the alien ships made with its death ray. In the newer version the sound was lame.

The protaganist didn't have kids, but we never see more than a lower level feel feel to the proceedings. We didn't have British army or goverment officials about what's going on the way the 50's film does with Americans.

The way of the original attacks is closer in the Spielberg version - not to mention they're actually TRIPODS as opposed to ships.

I cannot believe you didn't like the sound in WOTW. That had one of the best Sound designs of any major special effects film of the last 10 years. That noise the tripods make before they attack? Freaking brilliant.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I just liked the sound from the 50 version better. My bias for that film probably influenced me. War of the Worlds and Time Machine both by George Pal are two of my favorite sci-fi films of all time, so any new versions is going to have to really amaze me. At least I know nobody can argue for the recent Time Machine remake. That film was horrible.

[CMJ]

At least I know nobody can argue for the recent Time Machine remake. That film was horrible.

Hell yeah it was bad. Frighteningly so.

[Jedi Master Carr]

lol yeah I am not really sure they could make one close to that book though. Anything like that book is going to be very bleak and depressing.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Whaaaat you didn't like Time Machine with Guy Pearce????!!! :eek

;) I know, I know, the whole thing was awful. But he's so cute. :mischief

[Rutabaga]

There's no denying that some remakes have without a doubt been successful. In the science fiction realm, the first 3 examples that immediately come to mind are David Cronenberg's The Fly, John Carpenter's The Thing, and the version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers with Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy. But for me, The Day The Earth Stood Still is like the Citizen Kane of 50's sci-fi, so to touch it is basically sacrilegious.

It just feels like they make remakes just because they can, and they need to get something into theaters and make some money. It's true that there really isn't what could be considered a completely and thoroughly original idea in Hollywood, but there can still be unique takes on things. That's why Hancock ended up being so distressing to me...it was somewhat of a unique take on the idea, and it could have been something great, but it ended up being a disaster.

If they're going to remake things, then I totally agree with the idea that they should try remaking things that were crap in the original versions. Leave the classics alone. The other problem is just the constant parade of remakes...if there was one only every once in a blue moon, it wouldn't seem like such a crime.

One of my family's favorite movies is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and we've been cringing for years knowing that a remake has been languishing in development hell. They will never be able to make a version that even touches the original with Danny Kaye! :shakefist

[Jedi Master Carr]

They were trying to get Jim Carrey in the role a few years ago but that fell apart and I doubt it will ever happen.