Are Remakes & Reboots Dooming Hollywood?

Are Remakes & Reboots Dooming Hollywood?

At Earths Mightiest a discussion has begun on the impact remakes and reboots are having on Hollywood. It's a theme that "threatens" CBM fans as well (Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, etc.).

Editorial Opinion
By EdGross - Apr 09, 2010 04:04 PM EST
Filed Under: Other
Source: Earths Mightiest

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Denn1s
Denn1s - 4/9/2010, 4:56 PM
i dont think so. i liked most reboots so far and looking forward for freddy....
midnightexp26
midnightexp26 - 4/9/2010, 5:03 PM
Hey the issue is that money drives everything! They see that originals are not cutting it and with so much money being invested into movies, they need to make what they believe is a safe investment. What better to invest in than a film or franchise that has had past success? I don't blame them. A 150 million is life the lowest it cost to make a film now, u betta make sure that u make something folks will go see. I also believe remakes are being done on movies that were not good or franchises that were struggling. Almost every reboot has been good except Punisher and that was because there wasn't enough depth in the film. The true test will be when they remake superman. Personally I like Superman returns, but it should have been the second film in the franchise rather than the 1st. We needed to see superman show that he is superman! Anyways that my opinion.
ngu13
ngu13 - 4/9/2010, 5:20 PM
reboots an 3d ...had anuff
themanfromroom5
themanfromroom5 - 4/9/2010, 5:23 PM
I am the biggest Superman fan on the planet and although Superman Returns was visually stunning, the story was so horribly retarded it made the movie suck! I lost a lot of respect for Bryan Singer after that movie! IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A GOOD CBM, STAY TRUE TO THE SOURCE MATERIAL!!!
THEHAWK
THEHAWK - 4/9/2010, 5:24 PM
YES!

As are Prequels!

Take a look at some of the unneeded Rrboot/remakes/prequels we are getting, most that no one wants or needs:

Highlander
Nightmare on Elm Street
Predators (has potential)
Spiderman
Daredevil
Fantastic 4(needed)
Casablanca (WB are bastards)
Rocky Horror Picture Show

I could go on.


LEEE777
LEEE777 - 4/9/2010, 5:24 PM
OF COURSE THEY ARE!!!

PLUS EVANS & REYNOLDS TOO!!!

; P
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 4/9/2010, 5:25 PM
Damn lol! : D
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 4/9/2010, 5:26 PM
HAWK @ PREDATORS is a sequel???
OdinsBeard
OdinsBeard - 4/9/2010, 5:43 PM
Just look at it like theater. in theater there's a handful of plays going on at any one given time. some are new, and some are 400 years old. some are the same play in two different cities with two different casts.

if you went to go see RENT in 1995 then again in 2005 you would see it with a different director, different cast, different set and all the rest. but that wouldn't bother you because you understand the nature of the medium. or if you saw Romeo and Juliet in 1972 then again in 2010 it would no doubt feature different people.

I have no problem with remakes. sometimes its fun to see what a different person would do with the same part. or what kind of vision a new director would bring to a story that you like.

i understand that its not an exact translation and you can't take your favorite plays home to enjoy anytime you want. but thats exactly why re-makes are acceptable in my view. if you liked Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and own it at home then theres nothing forcing you to go watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. you can avoid it. just wait, read a review - if it's bad then sit at home and pop in the ole Gene Wilder classic and enjoy.

some remakes and reboots are totally worth it - such as Oceans 11, Batman Begins and 007. some are terrible like Planet of the Apes and Godzilla.

im not saying re-make Casablanca or anything but if it was daniel day-lewis and marrion cotillard as the leads you can bet i'd buy a ticket. doesn't mean i can't enjoy the original. North by Northwest with Liam Neeson. it's a wonderful life with Jim Carey. i'd watch all of those and none of them would make me forget about the original - or maybe they would because they would be done well, who knows.

some people just hold their fiction in to high of a regard. we all read comics here do we not? some of us acknowledge the ultimate universe, some of us don't. some of us acknowledge the clone saga and some of us don't. Romulus, Onslught, The Stacy/Osborn kids - we all pick and chose which parts of our favorite stories to remember and consider cannon.

you can't lump all remakes and reboots together. some a good and worth the price of a ticket and some should never have even been put on paper. but it's up to us to decide which is which.
OdinsBeard
OdinsBeard - 4/9/2010, 5:45 PM
THEHAWK@ are they really doing casablanca? lol i was just being rhetorical above.

let's see what they got...
rockstar728
rockstar728 - 4/9/2010, 5:48 PM
people vote with their money. it's as simple as that.
GUNSMITH
GUNSMITH - 4/9/2010, 5:53 PM
LOOK...WHY DO WE GO BACK TO THE OLDSCHOOL MOVIES? BECAUSE THEY WERE BETTER..WHY DO THEY PUMP THEM WITH CG AND OVERWHELM THEM WITH SPECIAL EFFECTS? BECAUSE THATS WHAT STUDIO BIGWIGS WITH TONS OF CASH FEEL MAKES MONEY,...WHY BET ON A NEW THING THAT COULD GO EITHER WAY WHEN YOU CAN JUST REVISIT SOMETHING THAT ALREADY HAS A FAN BASE AND CAPITALIZE ON WHATEVER THE OUTCOME BECAUSE IN A WAY REGARDLESS, IT'LL MAKE MONEY FROM NEWCOMERS, OLD FANS, CURIOUS AND EVEN HE HATERS...MONEY.
fanboiii
fanboiii - 4/9/2010, 6:06 PM
eh, remakes and reboots are nothing new. don't think it's really a problem. don't like it, then don't buy it. so far, people have been buying it. hollywood seems more profitable now more than ever with billion dollar blockbusters.
1chris2
1chris2 - 4/9/2010, 6:33 PM
well i just watched clash of the titans and i really liked it,and hope they do sequels,and maybe we will get to see some hydras,and centaurs,and aries causeing war. also creature from the black lagoon needs a remake to update it,island of dr moreau,and resident evil more like the first game all need to be made. but focus on story that is the key to makeing a great movie no matter what you are doing.does prequels have anything to do with this conversation,because if so we need a gambit film,and a underworld the begining focusing on william,marcus,corvinus,and victor.also a x-men remake needs to be done but only if marvel gets the rights back.
InTylerWeTrust
InTylerWeTrust - 4/9/2010, 7:01 PM
I don't know about "doom" but it's definitely a rising issue. Too many films are getting the reboot/remake treatment.

Not only that, but often the remakes are poor (cough, Clash, cough).
cyclopstb
cyclopstb - 4/9/2010, 7:44 PM
Rebooting is been pissing me off for years. I agree with rebooting Batman and the Hulk,. But the idea of rebooting Superman, Spiderman, The Punisher, Daredevil, and Fantastic Four is really innoying. I don't see no reason why to do this. These movies were awesome. Some made alot of money. I say reboot these movies with low reivews and terrible acting.

I'm not ready for more reboots!
SenorRobosus
SenorRobosus - 4/9/2010, 7:44 PM
yes, making american remakes of the host, let the right one in, yojimbo aka a fistful of dollars, Mou gaan dou aka the departed aren't right.
OverCross
OverCross - 4/9/2010, 8:29 PM
Not Batman


Just sayin'
EdGross
EdGross - 4/9/2010, 9:30 PM
The two reboots that I'm actually looking forward to are Planet of the Apes and Godzilla. I think both films represent an opportunity to get right what had been messed up. Let's hope they get them right this time.
peterparker420
peterparker420 - 4/9/2010, 10:44 PM
OdinsBeard- NICELY SAID!

To me it all depends on the MOVIE that they are remaking
or rebooting or whatever. For example the upcoming
"The Hobbit"..that is a prequal. and I think that it is going to be great, I am excited for that one, I don't think it will DOOM, the LOTR franchise..cause it was already epic.
if anything this movie will strenghten the popularity,
and get movie goers to REVISIT the LOTR movies.

also on the REMAKE topic..A very daring remake of
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" will be out soon, Some people HATE the notion that they actually remade this CLASSIC and belovid franchise, I for one have all the classic freddies, and just got done watching ALL of them (one a night) (also EXCEPT freddy VS jason, cause that was crap), anyway I LOVE freddy movies,
and I, CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE NEW ONE!..The trailer to ME
looks GREAT..It's going to be the SAME story..SURE..but it will have a nice updated feel, and a brand new actor portaying FREDDY,(yes a good actor) with new special effects,ect, anyway this is just a NEW TAKE on freedy and I'm sure things will differ slightly from the original,
(and NOT like the new CLASH, cause to me the ORIGINAL is still better,but the effect were great and the new KRAKEN was cool looking, for the 10 seconds it was on screen.LOL)

But it will also give a NEW GENERATION a chance to fall in love with the nightmare. I am taking my nephew to see it for his very first horror movie.

But this is just ME and my opinion.

Remakes and reboots just give a NEW generation a chance to see the movies we liked watching as kids, sure there different, but it will also make them think.."if this is a remake..I wonder what the ORIGINAL was like?".. but again just my opinion.
2010warmachine
2010warmachine - 4/10/2010, 12:21 AM
Are Remakes & Reboots Dooming Hollywood? To answer that question? "NO"!
kryptoRK
kryptoRK - 4/10/2010, 1:57 AM
I think stories (not just in hollywood) have always been rebooted and re-imagined throughout history. It's the way Shakespeare took stories that had already been told and turned them into his own unique creations, or the way the Arthurian legend has been retold and changed in books and movies since it was first imagined. If a story is good (and even if it's bad in many cases), it will be retold. Think how many Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood movies there have been since the 1930's.

However, it is annoying when studios will take a good story and destroy it for profit. For every one good reboot/remake there seems to be several crappy ones. And now hollywood tries to reboot CBMs before the dust settles from their previous incarnation. I guess it's all about finding which version you like and sticking with it... like George C. Scott's "A Christmas Carol."
StephenStrange
StephenStrange - 4/10/2010, 3:16 AM
I agree with Odinsbeard.

I don't listen to all the whining about reboots and remakes, and whats supposed to be so terrible.

And who can blame them for wanting to reboot something that some studio abused and made into some garish, lame, cheese fest like FF? Any property that Marvel has licensed out, and then been poorly used, is a prime target for remaking/ rebooting, and that's fine. Let em try to fix what's broken.
EdGross
EdGross - 4/10/2010, 6:11 AM
I'd forgotten about The Warriors. That one seems impossible to update, unless you turn it into a sci-fi film or something -- let's face it, even back in 1980 gangs in New York did NOT look like the way they did in that film, so who knows how they'll approach them this time. I think a remake of The Warriors will be as far removed from the original as the remake of Rollerball was to that film that there will be no connection but the title.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 4/10/2010, 6:46 AM
how can you guys say that reboots and remakes are dooming hollywood?? they make tons of money. reboots aren't causing the downfall of hollywood. the majority of the general audience goes to watch them. i think its funny, because even the people on THIS site that complain about them, still go and watch them, lol.

also, people complain about reboots/remakes, but suddenly its totally fine when its something like Batman, something that YOU personally like. then its okay. its pretty hypocritical. especially considering that every year, hell, every WEEK, there are MORE "original" movies that come out than remakes/reboots. just because a certain movie doesn't catch your attention, does NOT mean it isn't original.

one more thing, the most common argument i hear about reboots is, "GOD, DOESN'T ANYONE IN HOLLYWOOD HAVE ANY ORIGINAL IDEAS ANYMORE?". well i got news for you, any movie that gets made about established characters from another form of media, IS NOT AN ORIGINAL IDEA. CBM's, are not original ideas, they're taking things that have already been created by someone else, and using them to make a movie. i didn't see anyone complaining about Clash of the Titans before it came out. the majority of people on this site were pumped for it. again, something that interested people, so suddenly it was okay.

you might say that they change things, therefore, making them original, but so does every other remake...
marvel72
marvel72 - 4/10/2010, 9:02 AM
their are only a couple or so films that have been remade or rebooted that are any good.
1.the thing
2.scarface
3.star trek
4.the incredible hulk.
as for batman that a tricky one are these classed as reboots or remakes i think so,batman & batman returns are f***ing cool.
as for batman forever,batman & robin are f***ing shit & ruined the batman franchise.
but they became good again with batman begins & the dark knight.
i'm all for reboots or remakes i don't think they do any harm if they are good.
reboots/remakes i would love to see.
1.daredevil (matthew vaughn as director)
2.the fantastic four
3.the x-men
4.star wars 1-6(i know this will upset some of you,but i would love to see someone else do the both trilogys specially episodes 1-3,see how they visualise the the saga.)
1chris2
1chris2 - 4/10/2010, 9:06 AM
whatever man. the clash movie was done pretty good. the scorpions were a little big, but over all it was pretty good.and it did perseus origins a little better.and x-men did not just come out its been out sinc like 1994, thats like fifteen years. and if marvel got the rights back i know we would see better quality films. im 28 by the way and have 3 kids who laugh at the crap that hollywood has been putting out lately. non stop action,cheesy comedy,and 3d what a joke. but clash was acctually pretty good and actaully had a story,and film directors should focus on making better stories.
1chris2
1chris2 - 4/10/2010, 9:08 AM
some films need to be updated or remade.
continuezero
continuezero - 4/10/2010, 10:18 AM
@deadpool72 You have Scarface on your remake/reboot list? When was that remade or rebooted? Or am I just clearly in the dark with movie knowledge?
marvel72
marvel72 - 4/10/2010, 12:32 PM
@ continuezero scarface was a remake of a film called scarface back in 1940s,maybe 50s.if you can get your hands on the two disc edition of the dvd it will tell the history of the film & the changes to the story that brought it up to date in modern times.
i've just checked on scarface wikipedia the original came out in 1932 my mistake.
Gose
Gose - 4/10/2010, 4:25 PM
Nope, its a multiverse, it a "what if?", its a alternate reality, its earth prime , its earth 1 and 2, its a slice in time making a different streams of reality .........
odie00
odie00 - 4/10/2010, 5:14 PM
some reboots are good like hulk and punisher. a lot of the horror reboots are gay as hell like the new friday the 13th pissed me off, im not expecting a lot from the new nightmare one even tho i love that series and jackie earl is awesome, he should play the guy on the king of fighters game that looks just like a short version of freddy haha. but some movies they dont need to reboot but it doesnt matter cause we will still have the originals even if the reboots suck. robocop reboot could be good as long as it stays r rated and they dont tone it down for a pg13 rating that would be weak. dont care about daredevil reboot. fantastic 4 is going to be which i some what enjoy the first ones but they did suck.
48and2
48and2 - 4/10/2010, 11:40 PM
Good thread - alot of interesting comments. OdinsBeard, Gunsmith, Tyler (and everyone else) - good dialogue going on here. It's not "doom", probably just a speedbump.

In certain cases, I have no problem with reboots (especially with CBM's) IF they're trying to fix continuity or canon issues, but aside from that I think it's becoming pretty contrived, and in alot of cases utterly ridiculous. Also, there is the "now cg can realistically visually express anything that can possibly imagined" factor - which can be legitemate. you know alot of older films were trying to do, but it was just impossible with that technology (or lack thereof). One main problem is that in alot of cases, that sort of cheesiness actually gave the film its charm and novelty - like the original King Kong, Jason and the Argonauts, etc.

For instance, it would be nice if the Spiderman reboot could tie the original trilogy up and work in something for the future Ultimate Avengers - that and Wolverine. Same with Supes working in Batman and JL. It is a great business formula too really, but there's just so much bullshit red tape involved.

But then again, there are countless books, novels, plays, etc. that would've been impossible to do halfway decently up to now (especially in fantasy like LOTR).

I've said it a million times, but imo cg is just a tool that can be used for good or for evil lol - same with 3d. The really intelligent and good directors and filmmakers realize this anyway. It's a balancing act. But even Lucas has unfortunately succombed to the dark side (har har) with those hideous prequels - granted that was, arguably, just barely the "silver age" of cg.

Still haven't seen Clash, but most of what I hear basically says it was just an unnecessary over indulgence in CG (there was even a skit on SNL just now where "Barbara Walters" was saying basically the same thing lol).

I would say Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, Gone With The Wind, and It's a Wonderful Life should be off limits (at least for another couple of decades) though. Save Oz, none of these drama genre movies even have need of great special effects. And even if they are remade, imo the new versions will NEVER EVER in a million years have the charm of the old ones. That's like saying, "let's do a modern version of Beethoven's Ninth" (wtf?) Might as well take the term "classic" and throw it out the window.

There is that scene in Amadeus where Mozart is arguing with the Emperor, and he says "just take out a couple notes here and there", and Mozart squirms around and about shits his pants and says "take out which notes?IT'S PERFECT as it is" - or something to that effect. With those "classic" films, that's a decent analogy maybe. Seems to be exactly what Clash is suffering from.
HannibalSmith
HannibalSmith - 4/11/2010, 9:50 AM
Reboots are the devil.
Ranger14
Ranger14 - 4/11/2010, 1:55 PM
They aren't going to "Doom" Hollywood, but they certainly suck for the most part. Anytime you lack the creativity to come up with new ideas, it doesn't help an industry, especially an industry that should thrive on creativity and originality. It's more about the money and being lazy when it comes to remakes.

A couple other movies that should always be off limits for remakes: The Princess Bride and Big Trouble in Little China.
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