Remakes no one wanted.

[seeformiles]

The remake of Get Carter was atrocious but at least they only did it once. The general lack of ideas in Hollywood is getting increasingly tedious esp, the superhero barrel - the bottom of which is currently being scraped to the point of disintegration. If I was a Spider-Man or Batman fan, I’d be horrified at the ever-shorter gaps between re-boots.

 

[Nanker Phelge]

Infernal Affairs is much, much better than The Departed (which I've admittedly only seen once but I thought was pretty poor. Definitely a pity Oscar for Scorsese as well.)

The Departed tries to cram both Infernal Affairs 1 & 2 into one big messy film full of bad accents, ham acting and repeated montage sequences set to Gimme Shelter. Scorsese at his laziest. Casting Ray Winstone was pure disaster.

Infernal Affairs is a trilogy with two great parts, and a finale that didn't really need to be made, but I still enjoyed it more than the whole of The Departed (which I paid good money to see at the cinema!)

 

[Gromit]

The remake of Get Carter was atrocious but at least they only did it once. The general lack of ideas in Hollywood is getting increasingly tedious esp, the superhero barrel - the bottom of which is currently being scraped to the point of disintegration. If I was a Spider-Man or Batman fan, I’d be horrified at the ever-shorter gaps between re-boots.

Over a long enough time frame everyone on Urban will get the chance to play Batman or Spider-Man in a Hollywood movie.

 

[hash tag]

Already mentioned things like dads army, whiskey galore, psycho, the ladykillers.
To these I would add
Hitchcock's rear window ( an all time great )
The mechanic
Gone in 60 seconds

 

[belboid]

I saw some of the Whisky Galore! remake the other day. Eddie Izzard hamming it up appallingly. I lasted five minutes.

I can kinda see the point in some of those tho. I know a fair few younger people who just won't watch black and white movies and who find the style of acting pre-seventies (ish) to be unbearable. At least they could get to see some classic films, even if it is in a slightly less good version.

 

[danny la rouge]

Hitchcock's rear window ( an all time great )

Agree, although that remake was more about finding roles to suit Christopher Reeves post accident.

 

[hash tag]

Agree, although that remake was more about finding roles to suit Christopher Reeves post accident.

I didn't know it was remade until I caught the end of the Reeve version by accident quite recently.
The original is a gem and the more you learn about the more you realise how great it is.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I had no idea about most of these remakes. Never knew about Rear Window or Whiskey Galore!

I'm not sure I'm happy to know about them now or not.

 

[hash tag]

I had no idea about most of these remakes. Never knew about Rear Window or Whiskey Galore!

I'm not sure I'm happy to know about them now or not.

Those two remakes should never ever have been made and should be allowed to disappear.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Those two remakes should never ever have been made and should be allowed to disappear.

After reading its wiki entry, I think I can forgive Rear Window. It wasn't trying to compete with or replace Hitchcock's film. It was a TV movie and, as Danny says, a vehicle for Reeve.

 

[hash tag]

Murder on the Orient express was murdered.
The hound of the baskervilles X2 because basil cannot be beaten.
I'm sure some will have hated the remake of it's a wonderful life.

 

[Nanker Phelge]

King Kong. Nothing beats the original.

 

[stdP]

Can I surmise from the lack of a mention in this thread so far of the appallingly awful remake of The Stepford Wives with Matthew Broderick and Nicole Kidman that it's rightly been flushed down the memory hole? I actually saw that one in the cinema and it's only my inherited scottish miserliness that stopped it from being the second film I've ever walked out of. The original's one of the best films of its time IMHO (also don't think it was mentioned on the sci-fi list?) with the remake redoing the ending and, quelle surprise, missing the point completely.

The Stepford Wives (2004 film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Quite surprised to see some of the remakes here TBH, always the same "Why? Money and a complete lack of original ideas!" question-and-answer behind them though.

 

[hash tag]

Money and a complete lack of original ideas!
Exactly. People are struggling to come up with new ideas. Perhaps directors should go and read a few more books.

 

[stdP]

Money and a complete lack of original ideas!
Exactly. People are struggling to come up with new ideas. Perhaps directors should go and read a few more books.

It swings back to money in the end, but I think a big problem is the decreasing likelihood of Hollywood beancounters wanting to take any sort of risk on anything that's not already an established franchise or a known quantity of some sort. I dare say there's lots of interesting films being made on the cheap still but it seems the big £$€ largely goes towards "safe" franchises.

I think it's notable that two of the biggest films of 2023 - Barbie and especially Oppenheimer - were original works says a lot about the appetite of movie-goers. Even if I found the hype about them off-putting.

 

[scifisam]

There's a remake of Mean Girls out this year. It is a musical, so it's a bit different, but it does still seem too soon.

 

[Indeliblelink]

This thread isn't as good as the original.

King Kong. Nothing beats the original.

The 1933 version of King Kong was pretty much a remake of a 1925 silent film called The Lost World, they just substituted a dinosaur rampaging around London for a giant gorilla in New York.

 

[Nanker Phelge]

This thread isn't as good as the original.

The 1933 version of King Kong was pretty much a remake of a 1925 silent film called The Lost World, they just substituted a dinosaur rampaging around London for a giant gorilla in New York.

Was the Dinosaur in love?

 

[hash tag]

On a slight tangent, currently showing on talking pictures is Christine, a great film. There has been much talk over the last two or three years of remaking it. I gather the revised script is currently with Stephen King who might even by now signed off on it.

 

[stdP]

On a slight tangent, currently showing on talking pictures is Christine, a great film. There has been much talk over the last two or three years of remaking it. I gather the revised script is currently with Stephen King who might even by now signed off on it.

Assuming you mean the 1983 Carpenter Christine...? Coincidentally enough I bought the blu-ray for that for myself as a christmas present, having not seen it for years but remembering it being more entertaining than its reputation gave it credit for. I found it much better than I'd remembered - I'd forgotten how good the effects of the car had been (the scene where Christine's driving around on fire is ace - well done That Stuntman) and a great use of the golden oldies as Christine's "voice"). I'm happier with the choice the film made of keeping the nature of the possession ambiguous, rather than the book's choice of making Arnie being possessed by the soul of Christine's owner. Some of the high school "jocks vs. nerds" elements are a little corny, but then they always are.

Wikipedia does indeed seem to suggest a remake is in progress under the Blumhouse umbrella. No doubt it'll feature some incomprehensible product placement.

 

[T & P]

There's a sequel to Donnie Darko that was apparently rubbish. Kelly said he's nothing to do with it. Some fans said it ruined the original.

Never understand that kind of hyperbole. How can one film be ruined by another? Especially if nobody has seen it, or knows about it.

The trick is to pretend any offending remakes/ prequels/ sequels either don’t exist or are so unworthy of the original that should be considered non-canon.

And why not? As a big fan of the original Star Wars trilogy but someone who has never read any comics and has not watched most of the animated spinoffs, I am constantly being told this is canon but that other thing is not. I’ve no idea who decides what is or isn’t, but at the end of the day I reserve the right to consider a story as complete in itself and ignore any subsequent sequels- certainly if they weren’t originally convinced as part of an overall story arc by the author.

The Matrix as already mentioned by A380 is a perfect case in point. The original film worked perfectly as a rounded story. Then the sequels turned out not to be utterly shit, but against the grain of the satisfying conclusion of the original story. So until such time as someone remakes the sequels in a more fitting manner, I am perfectly at peace with thinking Neo beats the machines and destroys the Matrix for good as insinuated by the ending of the first film, rather than finding out that the same shit had happened multiple times already with the machines’ implicit consent, which is frankly a fucking slap in the face to everything the original film stood for

 

[krtek a houby]

The trick is to pretend any offending remakes/ prequels/ sequels either don’t exist or are so unworthy of the original that should be considered non-canon.

And why not? As a big fan of the original Star Wars trilogy but someone who has never read any comics and has not watched most of the animated spinoffs, I am constantly being told this is canon but that other thing is not. I’ve no idea who decides what is or isn’t, but at the end of the day I reserve the right to consider a story as complete in itself and ignore any subsequent sequels- certainly if they weren’t originally convinced as part of an overall story arc by the author.

The Matrix as already mentioned by A380 is a perfect case in point. The original film worked perfectly as a rounded story. Then the sequels turned out not to be utterly shit, but against the grain of the satisfying conclusion of the original story. So until such time as someone remakes the sequels in a more fitting manner, I am perfectly at peace with thinking Neo beats the machines and destroys the Matrix for good as insinuated by the ending of the first film, rather than finding out that the same shit had happened multiple times already with the machines’ implicit consent, which is frankly a fucking slap in the face to everything the original film stood for

People get very upset about films sometimes.

Remember watching a Batman sequel which was utterly appalling, years ago.

Now, as stated previously, love the character. In comic and film. But this particular incarnation of the dark knight was poorly realised. The film squandered the potential and pissed about with the Batman.

It annoyed me at the time for a few days. However .... and maybe this is just my life experiences etc... at no point did feel that the previous entries in the saga were ruined/destroyed etc.

Remember back when the Star Wars prequels came out. Internet just in its infancy. Enjoyed the films for sheer spectacle but overall disappointed in their execution. But people online were saying "George Lucas raped my childhood".

Kid you not. What is that kind of shit? Its just a film. If anything, it's got worse over the years. Politics and so-called culture wars over films, especially aforementioned Star Wars and Marvel.

Anyways, rambling now. Could you please explain how exactly films are ruined by other films? Genuinely don't get it. The film is still intact and exists - any later sequels/add ons are just that... not the original film.

Cheers!

 

[UrbaneFox]

Reggie Perrin starring Martin Clunes.

???

 

[krtek a houby]

Reggie Perrin starring Martin Clunes.

???

The Legacy of Reginald Perrin?

 

[8ball]

The Matrix.

Not a patch on the Frank Capra original.

 

[Gromit]

People get very upset about films sometimes.

Remember watching a Batman sequel which was utterly appalling, years ago.

Now, as stated previously, love the character. In comic and film. But this particular incarnation of the dark knight was poorly realised. The film squandered the potential and pissed about with the Batman.

It annoyed me at the time for a few days. However .... and maybe this is just my life experiences etc... at no point did feel that the previous entries in the saga were ruined/destroyed etc.

Remember back when the Star Wars prequels came out. Internet just in its infancy. Enjoyed the films for sheer spectacle but overall disappointed in their execution. But people online were saying "George Lucas raped my childhood".

Kid you not. What is that kind of shit? Its just a film. If anything, it's got worse over the years. Politics and so-called culture wars over films, especially aforementioned Star Wars and Marvel.

Anyways, rambling now. Could you please explain how exactly films are ruined by other films? Genuinely don't get it. The film is still intact and exists - any later sequels/add ons are just that... not the original film.

Cheers!

Once again to clarify. Not talking about sequels.

Talking about perfectly good films that some decides to remake with no justifiable reason to do so and therefore “unwanted”.

I’ve no problem with remaking heist films as technology moves on so bypassing 1980’s high tech security is different to bypassing 2020’s high tech security.

But just swapping out original actors for tween actors to appeal to a new generation. They can get fucked unless they truly explore modern themes (E.g Covid or Social media or something) that wasn’t on the radar previously.

 

[Gromit]

Steve McQueen deserved an Oscar for the Hustler. Didn’t get it.

They remade it as The Colour of Money.
He got the Oscar for that even though in my opinion he didn’t deserve it. Kind of evens out though. He got the Oscar he deserved by proxy.

Both good movies. I’ll allow that remake.

If someone said remake The Great Escape though I’d be like Nooooooo! Don’t want.

 

[T & P]

People get very upset about films sometimes.

Remember watching a Batman sequel which was utterly appalling, years ago.

Now, as stated previously, love the character. In comic and film. But this particular incarnation of the dark knight was poorly realised. The film squandered the potential and pissed about with the Batman.

It annoyed me at the time for a few days. However .... and maybe this is just my life experiences etc... at no point did feel that the previous entries in the saga were ruined/destroyed etc.

Remember back when the Star Wars prequels came out. Internet just in its infancy. Enjoyed the films for sheer spectacle but overall disappointed in their execution. But people online were saying "George Lucas raped my childhood".

Kid you not. What is that kind of shit? Its just a film. If anything, it's got worse over the years. Politics and so-called culture wars over films, especially aforementioned Star Wars and Marvel.

Anyways, rambling now. Could you please explain how exactly films are ruined by other films? Genuinely don't get it. The film is still intact and exists - any later sequels/add ons are just that... not the original film.

Cheers!

As a first generation SW fan I have vented enough myself about the prequel trilogy- though it goes without saying that there’s a lot of deliberate over dramatisation when describing the disappointment caused. The Lucas raped my childhood phrase being a prime example.

Nonetheless, if one grew up with the original trilogy and loved it, it is difficult to quantify how pivotal and significant it was to fans when first released. It really was fucking massive- the ultimate escapist delight. The very ending notes of the main theme, when the opening scroll ends and the camera moves downwards and you were about to be introduced for the first time to a then-magical space tale, still stirs up indescribable childhood feelings of awe that I reckon few people under 40 could have possibly experienced. I hate the word transformative in general, but back in the late 70s and early 80s it really was that.

So when Lucas went ahead with the prequel and got so much so badly wrong, from the bad script to the terrible cgi feel to the origin story of the most iconic villain of all time being a shitshow of indescribable proportions, it was as much of crushing blow and a disservice to the much loved original films as anyone could have conceived to make on purpose.

 

[PTK]

The trick is to pretend any offending remakes/ prequels/ sequels either don’t exist or are so unworthy of the original that should be considered non-canon.

And why not? As a big fan of the original Star Wars trilogy but someone who has never read any comics and has not watched most of the animated spinoffs, I am constantly being told this is canon but that other thing is not. I’ve no idea who decides what is or isn’t, but at the end of the day I reserve the right to consider a story as complete in itself and ignore any subsequent sequels- certainly if they weren’t originally convinced as part of an overall story arc by the author.

The Matrix as already mentioned by A380 is a perfect case in point. The original film worked perfectly as a rounded story. Then the sequels turned out not to be utterly shit, but against the grain of the satisfying conclusion of the original story. So until such time as someone remakes the sequels in a more fitting manner, I am perfectly at peace with thinking Neo beats the machines and destroys the Matrix for good as insinuated by the ending of the first film, rather than finding out that the same shit had happened multiple times already with the machines’ implicit consent, which is frankly a fucking slap in the face to everything the original film stood for

The original Matrix film is stupid.

 

[krtek a houby]

As a first generation SW fan I have vented enough myself about the prequel trilogy- though it goes without saying that there’s a lot of deliberate over dramatisation when describing the disappointment caused. The Lucas raped my childhood phrase being a prime example.

Nonetheless, if one grew up with the original trilogy and loved it, it is difficult to quantify how pivotal and significant it was to fans when first released. It really was fucking massive- the ultimate escapist delight. The very ending notes of the main theme, when the opening scroll ends and the camera moves downwards and you were about to be introduced for the first time to a then-magical space tale, still stirs up indescribable childhood feelings of awe that I reckon few people under 40 could have possibly experienced. I hate the word transformative in general, but back in the late 70s and early 80s it really was that.

So when Lucas went ahead with the prequel and got so much so badly wrong, from the bad script to the terrible cgi feel to the origin story of the most iconic villain of all time being a shitshow of indescribable proportions, it was as much of crushing blow and a disservice to the much loved original films as anyone could have conceived to make on purpose.

Thanks for putting it into words.

Also feel the prequels messed up, so wasn't expecting much with the sequels and was pleasantly surprised that they turned out to be so good.

Didn't (and still don't) get the visceral hatred for them.

Guess each generation has their own love for various Star Wars trilogies and just can't get their heads around new output.

Film "fans" come across as quite conservative sometimes.