Remakes

That new Evil Dead remake got me all riled up and thinking about remakes in general so here are some thoughts. 

We’ve had some good ones over the years like The Thing (1982), The Fly (1986) and Dracula (1992).  And we’ve had some bad ones (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Planet of the Apes (2001)).  But generally speaking there are two types of remakes in my opinion.  There are those that are based on some sort of prose like Carrie or Batman.  And those based on a previous movie like Last Man Standing (Yojimbo), Halloween and Evil Dead. 

It may be a small difference but I think it’s an important one.  Let me put it to you this way: no one is rewriting The Great Gatsby or The Lord of the Rings.  No one seriously says “I could write that book better.”  But people do say “I could make that movie better” or something very close to that like “I have some new ideas that could work brilliantly on this great old tale.”  With going from book to movie you’re attempting to adapt to a different medium but going from movie to movie you’re staying within the same medium.  This is what makes that second category so dangerously egregious.  It doesn’t matter what the intention is, the people doing the remake are saying they can build a better mousetrap or, at the very least, make a product just as good as the original in some way or another.

Now I really really want to say that I think these Hollywood studios have the wrong idea about remakes because they keep redoing films that were either successful and/or well known.  I really really want to say that these aren’t necessarily the right candidates.  I really really want to say that the ideal contender should be something that has a good idea but was executed poorly (whether script-wise or production-wise).  I mean why remake shit like Alice in Wonderland or A Nightmare on Elm Street?  They were done pretty perfectly already.  Well the problem with thinking that way is you never know.  You just never know how something could turn out in different hands under the right circumstances.  Hell, the 2009 Girl with the Dragon Tattoo seemed fine but the 2011 remake showed that certain parts could be improved and that the original wasn’t the best it could be.  This is why I’m ok with remakes (and reboots for that matter).  You don’t know until you try it.

Overall I think I still prefer sequels or rip offs more though.  With those you might not realize (potentially ever) that they’re the same as another film.  At least they’re trying to fool you for a minute that you’re watching something different and that attempt is a commendable one.  Plus it’s like I just said, the changes made could be a substantial improvement over the original.  Look at Terminator 2.  It’s pretty much the same movie as its predecessor but with some retooling and tweaking you get something better than the first go around.  I also think Drive is better than the movie it ripped off, The Driver (it’s still a really cool movie though and you should definitely check it out if you liked Drive). 

Sure remakes are frustrating more often than not and they rightly get held to a higher standard if you’re a fan of the original but don’t lose faith in them.  A remake will come out one day that’ll knock you’re block off and you’ll see that they’re a worthwhile venture.