Movies That Need Remakes And Those That Don't (1 Viewer)

[Gary->dee]

Hollywood can't resist remakes. They're as much a part of the movie industry as sequels.

The reason I thought of this thread is because of a movie called Fist of the North Star which came out in the early 90's. It was a low budget version of a movie that should be made again with a proper budget and today's digital magic. I was working at a film distrubtion company at the time that was dealing with FotNS and I got to see the dailies and such. Needless to say I was underwhelmed. I was used to the epic scale of the anime feature and to see the movie basically contained within a single film set or two was disappointing. They basically turned it into a stage play.

I think this movie needs to be remade so a lot of the vast armies, cool fighting and gory consequences can be seen in live action with the right director at the helm.

At the time I was at that company The Fantastic Four movie was also being made and I saw very brief glimpses of that flick that never saw the light of day and was permanently shelved. However, that's currently in the works to be remade.

So what movie(s) would you want to see get remade?

What movies do you think shouldn't get remade?

 

[Kachi Khatri]

One movie I will really like to a re-make is the the great 1963 war drama classic: The Great Escape with a bunch of current crop of stars.

Let's see, how about a cast of:

George Clooney
Bruce Willis
Benicio Del Toro
Nicolas Cage
Ed Harris
Tom Sizemore
Denzel Washington

 

[Scott Weinberg]

The live-action Fist of the North Star is tacky and cheesy to be sure...but fun in a totally mindless way.

As far as movies that maybe SHOULD be re-made, I'm thinking of a few literary adaptations that basically sucked. Good books turned into REALLY crappy movies really anger me - because I'm left thinking "Hey this could have been a great movie - and now nobody will ever try it again!"

Examples include the irritating adaptations of Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities, Andrews' Flowers in the Attic and Koontz's Hideaway.

Each of these COULD be made into damn fine movies - but I doubt we'll ever know.

 

[David Tolsky]

One movie that I've always fantasized about being remade is Metropolis, the classic German Fritz Lang silent. I'd like to see a new version with either Alex Proyas or Terry Gilliam at the helm. One I do not want to see remade but already know it is in the works is Willy Wonka.

 

[Gary->dee]

Willy Wonka, great example of a movie that need not be touched. I really think they don't need to remake Superman or at least his origins. It's been done and perfectly at that.

Scott, I liked the look of the Fist of the North Star but in almost every other area I think they were merely scratching the surface of what could have been. I'd like to see perhaps David Fincher tackle the remake since it's essentially a fantasy version of Fight Club. Or maybe the Wachowski brothers?

 

[Matthew_Millheiser]

Willy Wonka, great example of a movie that need not be touched.

It's a wonderful movie, but it deviates way too much from the original story for my liking. A more respectful adaptation of the book ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") would be an adaptation, not a remake.

Re Superman: The first film is religion to me. But the Superman legend has been remade, reinterpreted, expanded upon, retconned, modified, and "what-iffed" so many times that a re-examination of his origins (Krypton/Smallville) would not be as blasphemous as some might think.

There's way too many factors to consider: Krypton as a super-science, 50s sci-fi wonderworld or a cold, sterile, antiseptic, loveless world? The existence of Superboy? Emphasis on Clark vs. emphasis on Kal-El? Did Krypton explode due to natural factors or was it destroyed? Brainiac from Colu or Brainiac from Krypton? Luthor as scientific Super-Villain or Luthor as untouchable businessman? Ma and Pa Kent: alive or dead? etc. etc. etc.

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

Willy Wonka, great example of a movie that need not be touched.

Absolutely disagree - as I commented on another thread, Willy Wonka may be a good family film, but it wasn't twisted enough for a film based on a Roald Dahl book. (Apparently Dahl himself didn't like the film). I mean, it's a musical with the most dire songs ever written! A film that more closely resembles the orginal book is definitely needed.

 

[Adam_ME]

Willy Wonka may be a good family film, but it wasn't twisted enough for a film based on a Roald Dahl book. (Apparently Dahl himself didn't like the film). I mean, it's a musical with the most dire songs ever written! A film that more closely resembles the orginal book is definitely needed.

I know Willy Wonka is regarded as a classic by many, but I've never liked that film. And I'm a huge fan of the book, so if they can do a more faithful adaptation the second time around, more power to em.

And for God's sake, get the title right! The story's about Charlie, not Wonka. Oh also, I don't care how much money the new movie makes, stay the hell away from Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. What a piece of crap that was!

 

[Jason Seaver]

Well, strictly speaking, no movies "need" a remake, and most of the movies mentioned in the thread would fall under the category of "multiple adaptations" versus really being remakes.

I think if you're going to do it, though, the object should be to try and do something different. I don't see the point of Gus Van Sant's Psycho remake, for instance, but Johnathan Demme taking Charade and making it a more serious thriller is at least an interesting idea.

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

Volcano High would be one hell of a film if given an American budget (and maybe a better script with not a lot of plot holes in it). For those of you who do not know what Volcano High is, it's a Korean fantasy/action/martial arts/high school film. Think of it as Harry Potter meets Big Trouble in Little China meets The Matrix.

 

[Brenton]

You guys might get pissed at me for wanting a remake of The Wizard of Oz, but I'm a fan of the book series, and unfortunately no film version thus far has adequately portrayed the world of Oz on the screen.

So to be more accurate, I don't really want a remake of the film, but an accurate film version of the book.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Fist of the North Star was a horiffic movie condensed to 2 hours from a 150 episode TV show. The US movie was bad, and anything dealing with it, including the new TV series airing in the fall in Japan will continue to be bad. It's just mindless violence

 

[Ashley Seymour]

One movie I will really like to a re-make is the the great 1963 war drama classic: The Great Escape with a bunch of current crop of stars.

I can not think of worse example of a movie that needs to be remade.

History pieces that are made well don't age. You can watch the GE today and find it as relevant as 40 years ago.

Actors - How would you beat the original cast. The actors put forward are good in this era, but would detract from the remake.

Cinematography - Still a beautiful piece.

Music - Even your Williams and Zimmers and Goldsmiths would not be able to touch the Elmer Berstein score.

Lets try Twelve O'clock High with some decent CGI.

 

[Matt<>Broon]

Fist of the North Star was a horiffic movie condensed to 2 hours from a 150 episode TV show. The US movie was bad, and anything dealing with it, including the new TV series airing in the fall in Japan will continue to be bad. It's just mindless violence

As usual Jeff. Harsh but very fair.

(Although I never did like the actor playing the guy whose head had to be strapped up, so watching him take a beating was a high point.)

 

[Dan Rudolph]

I think Four Devils should be remade. The original is lost, so you don't have the concerns about trying to replace a classic. We still have the screenplay, the set designs and a bunch of stills, so it should be possible to come up with a fairly close recreation. I doubt it woudl even cost much.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Why not a shot-for-shot remake of London After Midnight?

Even make it a silent film and use the surviving stills, script, and reviews as the base for it. With the right makeup, actors, and cinematography...it would be interesting.

I've also fantisized of the idea of getting all those lost scenes from silent films re-shot with the help of makeup and CGI. It would be cool to have the 4-hour version of Greed fully reconstructed using newly shot scenes.

As for films...

I'd love to see The Phantom Tollbooth remade. The Chuck Jones version is good, but is not anywhere near the quality of the original Norton Juster book. It could easily (in the right hands) be a decade's Wizard of Oz.

 

[Steve Christou]

Remake The Road Warrior and this time set it in a future where the poles have melted and the continents are submerged, Max has meanwhile mutated into 'Fishman' and... oh wait.

 

[Agee Bassett]

Lets try Twelve O'clock High with some decent CGI.

Twelve O'clock High needs a CGI remake like Jimmy Cagney's suit in Yankee Doodle Dandy needs colorization to a chalky powder blue. Like Cagney's properly argentine jacket, the original Twelve O'clock High is perfect in every way.

(Still awaiting the definitive adaptation of Nordhoff-Hall's Mutiny on the Bounty trilogy.)

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Kachi Khatri wrote (post #2):

I thought Hart's War (2002), starring Bruce Willis, was supposed to be a(n updated) Great Escape remake.

I always thought Forbidden Planet could be a dynamite remake, if done properly. Of course, I thought of this mostly in the '80s, and I think its time may be past.

 

[Scott_D]

This may sound ridiculous, but I think they should remake Batman.

Despite how much I like this movie, it has a couple too many story problems that hurt the overall franchise.

1. the fact that jack napier kills Bruce's parents.

2. why did they have to kill off the Joker?

I know some things need to change from the comics to create a more understandable and exciting movie, but I thought that the first point was lame, and when the joker died I immediately thought that that was a bad move.

They either need to resurrect him in a sequel or remake the original.