“Fright Night” and “Conan: The Barbarian” open this weekend and my geekyness has been slightly in check awaiting both of these features’ release. Both of these are remakes and don’t necessarily need to be remade. You see most of the films coming out of the Hollywood grind in say the past 3-4 years?. Studio executives just see a remake as a way to make money rather than tell a good, wholly original story. Who or what is to blame for this? One can easily point to this Recession Era but I believe that is not all. A remake showcased to a new generation is seen as a money making opportunity. In hindight, ‘we’ are also to blame for paying to see our favorite films from the past ‘re-imagined’. So many complain about remakes and superhero films (that’s another story) yet we still pay the $8-$12 to see them in 2D or 3D theaters. One could say that there isn’t anything else out there but if you look hard enough, there is(smaller theaters showing indie films or those that are in limited release). Should we boycott these re-imagined attempts onscreen for a newer-ish generation? Well, no, at least not entirely. Some remakes just ‘work’ but if studio execs just plan on implementing fresh special effects to a known story, then it’s half assed. Wait, it is all assed. Anyways, all of this money is being poured into these HUGE studio remakes. I for one am looking at the reviews, or rather a collection of movie reviews via sites like RottenTomatoes. It is good to get a consensus on films from critics to get an idea of what to expect. These reviews not only help those get an idea, it is also a safe way to see whether or not you are willing to shell out cash at the theater or let it run its course and if curiosity still lingers to wait until it comes out on Netflix or a similar service. Do not just read those Box Office results! The only true way to get an idea, unfortunately, is through websites like RottenTomatoes. Remakes can rarely be effective. This is why researching films before their release can prove even more important.
Let’s look at the remakes of the past year:
“Wolfman” – Giant Turd. Not even close to the original.
“Alice in Wonderland” – zzzzzzzzzz
“Clash of the Titans” – How could this not be good?
“Death at a Funeral” – Yeah, let’s remake a movie that came out in 2007 in the UK.
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” – Didn’t see it. Why would I?
“The Karate Kid” – Almost the exact same story line as the original except sans Cobra Kai. Jackie Chan was being Jackie Chan though.
Every now and then Hollywood comes up with some terrific remakes. Please understand the years in which these films came out.
“True Lies” – Schwarzengger(Pre-Mistress Fiasco) and Cameron at their finest.
“Dawn of the Dead” – Tell me you weren’t impressed.
“Father of the Bride” – Don’t knock family comedies.
“A Fistful of Dollars” – Clint Eastwood greatness.
“The Fly” – Probably one of the best remakes…well, ever. Can you believe Mel Brooks produced it but decided to not have his name headline because people wouldn’t take it seriously?
“The Departed” – One of the best films ever. Scorsese adapted from the Chinese thriller, “Infernal Affairs”
“Cape Fear” – I was pretty darn scared. Another film from Scorsese.
“The Thing” – Great Horror classic.
Yeah, there are some great ones, but let me tell you, the bad definitely outweigh the good. Remakes need to be judged by the people that are paid to and a consensus needs to be made. Save your time and money by doing a little research.
As I write this, the remake of “Conan: The Barbarian” is getting a lousy 44% on RottenTomatoes and “Fright Night” is receiving a 60% which is considered technically favorable but there’s only been 5 counted reviews. It looks like I’ll pay to see the remake of “Fright Night” at this point and wait for “Conan” to come to NetFlix.
Remember that remakes should not be warranted unless they have a different, refreshing take on a well known premise.
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