EDITORIAL: Movies That Need to Be Remade

EDITORIAL: Movies That Need to Be Remade

Over the years, Hollywood has made a lot of flops out of beloved franchises. Here are some of those flops that deserve to be remade.

Editorial Opinion
By AxlKomix - Jun 07, 2010 05:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Other

Let is be said now that these movies mostly speak for themselves and I need give little reason for why they need to be remade. With that said, let’s get to the ass-pounding.

1. Dragon Ball (Evolution)
This one speaks personally to me, me being a fan of the Dragon Ball franchise. To say I hated this movie would be a lie, but the only reason I liked it even a little bit was because my expectations were so low going in. If that’s you’re attitude before even watching a movie, then the movie probably isn’t any good. First off, why the “Evolution” bullshit? What’s evolving? The movie was called Dragon Ball for the longest time before someone threw that crap in, so why change it? Goku’s lack of tail was nonetheless disappointing. An American actor is no problem, but Chatwin is. I don’t if it was bad directing or just piss-poor acting, but Chatwin was a bad Goku. The story was off from the original and not very entertaining (which would have helped compensate for the other shit). One could say that the movie carried the same ridiculous tone that the cartoon did, but that’s beside the point. The kind of stupid BS found in DBE is acceptable in a cartoon (because it’s a cartoon), but fans expect a more serious take on the story when moving into live action. Worst of all: Fox. Need I say more?

Remake=Dragon Ball, Starring Dominic Scott Kay as Goku

2. Mortal Kombat
This movie fell victim to the worst fate possible: low budget and bad acting. Sure, all of the ice and lighting and slinking reptiles seemed cool when I was six, but now the CGI just looks like shit and makes the eyes sore. The costume quality was obviously sacrificed to pay for the cheap CGI. Sure, Sub-Zero and Scorpion looked accurate, but the costumes looked like something my mother could have sewn together. Back to the aforementioned bad acting, Goro was probably the best actor in the movie and he was a giant puppet. Then again, with a voice like Kevin Michael Richardson backing ya up you can’t really lose. Except for when some tucked-in-shirted douche punches you in the balls. Dirty pool, Cage! Dirty pool! In mentioning fight scenes, there were few. Sure, you might be able to count a good amount on your fingers, but speed those fights back up into real speed and you’ve got about two full minutes of fight footage for the whole movie. If the fight scenes had lasted as long as they did in real speed instead of slow-motion, then this movie could have been better.

Remake=Mortal Kombat, Starring Rain as Liu Kang

3. Super Mario Bros.
I think we all know what’s wrong with this one.

Remake=Super Mario Bros., Starring Jack Black as Mario

4. Ghost Rider
Mark Steven Johnson picked the right guy to play Johnny Blaze. This being because they both know how to take a shit on a movie. Daredevil was okay, but Elektra is up to her neck in shit. Don’t get me started on Cage’s flicks. Those films are so far below the shit that they are beyond saving. So, put these two together and Ghost Rider finds itself swimming lengths in the septic tank. In Columbia tradition, this film focused more on the human character than the superhero of the movie’s namesake. When I go to see a CBM I expect to see more of the costume (or flaming skull in this case) than I expect to see Cage’s massive receding hairline (you can throw a wig on it, but I know it’s still there).

Remake=Ghost Rider, Starring Seann William Scott as Johnny Blaze
(That may sound bad, but he’s the best thing that came to mind. Trust me.)

5. The Punisher
Isn’t the idea of a reboot/remake to make something better than the original? Because that’s not what Punisher: War Zone looked like. If I could turn back time, I’d erase that piece of hooky and make a sequel to Jane’s Punisher. Unfortunately, unlike Superman, I can’t fly backwards around the world and reverse things. So, I’ll have to accept the idea that maybe one day someone will remake the movie again and make it right. If Batman can get seven movies, then Punisher should get at least one more shot.

Remake=The Punisher, Starring …Some future qualified actor.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for this one, folks. If anyone has any suggestions, please say so. I know there are more shitty movies out there, but I can’t think of all of them and I’m more tired than my old man tryin’ to get up a flight of stairs. (Sorry for the lack of images, but I can't upload them on dial-up. I'll post the pics when I get to a high-speed computer.)

Good day, my brothers (and sisters)!

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LEEE777
LEEE777 - 6/7/2010, 6:19 AM
WTF is THIS???????????????

I love THE PUNISHER!!!

Bring TOM JANE back!

And MORTAL KOMBATS cool enough, just reboot a continuation!


AXL @ You forgot the MAIN ONE!

X-MEN REBOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

: P
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 6/7/2010, 6:21 AM
WARZONE SUCKED WORST THAN A TWO BIT HOOKER! : D
Destroyer14
Destroyer14 - 6/7/2010, 6:22 AM
I thought Ghost Rider wasn't that bad.
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 6/7/2010, 6:23 AM
TEA @ LOL! ; D
OriginalPhysco
OriginalPhysco - 6/7/2010, 6:28 AM
Good job
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 6/7/2010, 6:30 AM
SP @ there was a lot more than that wrong with it lol, and i liked RAY, still like TOM much better! : P

Rays got THOR anyways now lol.

By the way, PUNISHER needs to go to HBO for a true grit live action TV series!

P.S. X-MEN X-MEN X-MEN REBOOT!!!!

Click the Link >>>
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS CASTING
DaenerysTargaryen
DaenerysTargaryen - 6/7/2010, 6:31 AM
Basicly bad films should be remade not good films. I've noticed that all they change with the remake is more violence and better special effects and thats it. So far there havn't been that many good remakes.
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 6/7/2010, 6:43 AM
Agreed...

REMAKES suck in general!

No to the SPIDEY movie, SPIDEY 3 all da way! : P
hescian
hescian - 6/7/2010, 6:46 AM
I never saw DBE, never wanted to, never cared. As for the rest of them:
There would be no point in remaking Mortal Kombat. As I've mentioned in other posts, a movie based on a tournament fight game never works for a number of reasons. I never understood the point of the Super Mario's movie, other than to cash in on the popularity of the video game. Again, it's not good subject material. There's no real story/plot to the games, so someone would have to write a story from scratch that just happens to have some of the characters from the game. It's never a good idea.
I agree that Ghost Rider was terrible. I'm never a fan of Cage, but the bigger issue was the execution of the story. GR's fight scenes with the "demons" or whatever they were, were anticlimactic and silly. I think part of the problem is GR as a character. He's got a cool bike, a chain, and the Penance Stare. Only the bike works on film. Again, the Punisher is not a character that translates well to film. And as far as WarZone vs. Thom Jane's version, that debate continues. Personally, I thought WarZone was much better.
hescian
hescian - 6/7/2010, 6:49 AM
And I agree with Star. The biggest problem in the entertainment industry is that they won't take any risks. So instead of remaking bad movies (or good ideas that were poorly executed), bad tv shows, or bad music, they remake only the successful stuff because they figure there will already be an audience for it. Plus they already own the rights most of the time as well, so they are cheaper to make. And they continually ignore/forget what made these products successful in the first place.

And the Bond movies are not in the same category. Otherwise, it could be considered a reboot every time a different actor has played Bond.
Dynamo
Dynamo - 6/7/2010, 6:49 AM
Dragonball Evolution was a horendous excuse for a blockbuster.
scurvydog
scurvydog - 6/7/2010, 6:55 AM
The whole remake thing is inevitable,at least according to Hollywood logic.Let me throw a couple of ideas at you:
1).League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen-WTF was the point of making that travesty if you weren't actually using the characterizations laid down by Alan Moore? I think at one point in time Alan actually suggested that the League be played by the actors that had most recently inhabited them(,e.g. Winona Ryder as Mina,Richard Chamberlain as Quartermain),but Chamberlain's demise put an end to that,unfortunately;
2).Doc Savage- A proper Doc movie-less camp,no question.
3).Sword And The Sorceror-I know that Tales Of Ancient Empires is about to come out(and judging by the previews I saw,more like escape...LOL),but I think this could be tweaked to be a "rip-roaring yarn"...
4).Swamp Thing-Read 'The Anatomy Lesson" and tell me that's not a horror movie waiting to be made...
OFF_TOPIC:WTF has no-one tried to make Planetary into a series yet? Fans of Heroes and Lost would be all over this show if it were ever made....
Shaman
Shaman - 6/7/2010, 7:09 AM
Okay... good article for the most parts but SirPrize is right on the money here. Punisher will NEVER sell to the non-comic fan movie going audience. EVER! The concept is the problem, no matter who you get to play Frank, his concept will never sell outside of the CBfan realm.

And as for Mortal Kombat, it was a very decent film for its time. Lets leave it be because its another concept that nothing better could be brought to. It did what the concept of the game intended it to do. A remake could only slightly improve upon too few details to make it worth the effort and investment. Out of all the fighting games out there, only Street Fighter has enough character development to ever make a decent film.

In the same vain, A Super Mario remake would also do jack shit. An animated film could suit it better though. But live action? Why? It has nothing. It's like a Double Dragon remake. It would be pathetically useless. But a 3D animated Super Mario Bros feature could be very awesome! Dragonball deserves a remake that could bring it back to its sources and be made as accurately as The Last Airbender. Maybe get Shyamalan on it or something.

Ghost Rider should definitely get an R rated reboot! Rated "R" for "Reboot" would be funny in a trailer LOL ;P It would be like a big & public "[frick] You" to Nic Cage LMFAO :P
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 6/7/2010, 7:41 AM
Great article! I cant say I'm too bothered about any of these but give me a Fantastic Four and Daredevil reboot from Marvel Studios and I'll be overjoyed...that wont happen for a long time, if ever, though so looks like I'll have to keep being a miserable bastard 'till then! :P
Joe6Pack74
Joe6Pack74 - 6/7/2010, 7:45 AM
Mortal Kombat was an ok movie for the time, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation killed the franchise. Dragon Ball, Mario Brothers, meh don't care personally. I think they should just forget Punisher Warzone and just make Punisher 2 with Jane. They ought to leave Ghost Rider alone and redo after 2019. People should have mostly forgotten by then. One they should remake is Dead or Alive, the worst video game movie made.

Shaman
Shaman - 6/7/2010, 8:00 AM
Number21- DOA was a bad movie in itself but OCEANS better than both Street Fighter films put together! And to think that Street Fighter has the foundation to be the ONLY decent Fighting Game adaptations to film. I really don't see how the retards at the studios could get it so wrong... TWICE!!! See it's very simple. You have TWO main characters named RYU & KEN. The rest are SUPPORTING!!! Boom, make the film. Deviate from that and get SHIT!
AngryRob
AngryRob - 6/7/2010, 8:17 AM
No movie based on a fighting game will ever be any good. What is the plot to every fighting game? There's a contest to determine the best fighter. Blah.
Joe6Pack74
Joe6Pack74 - 6/7/2010, 8:18 AM
Shaman - forgot about Street Fighter, or my memory blocked them.
FateSucks
FateSucks - 6/7/2010, 8:24 AM
I disagree with your list entirely.

Dragonball, should be forgotten, and never spoken of as a viable live action property.

Mario and Mortal Combat are good video games with zero plot, that's why the films were awful, and would be awful again.

Ghost Rider was good, it needs a sequel, not a remake.

The Punisher would be better served as flavor in Marvel's film universe. It's too bad that Spidey and DD aren't home in the Marvel camp, as he is a perfect foil for the rich history he has as part of their NY.
Shaman
Shaman - 6/7/2010, 8:34 AM
AngryRob- Yep, you do have a point. But in the case of Ryu & Ken, they both learn in the same dojo from the same exclusive master that is killed by an evil force (Akuma) and they both must team up and put their differences aside to beat him. To me, it's a reasonable plot for an adaptation. I really don't get why they haven't tackled it yet but decided to make two retarded films with shitty ass plots instead. How could they not want to make money? Its what every Street Fighter fan has been waiting for.

Number21- You are so lucky to have been able to block them out for this long!
Bobsuncorp
Bobsuncorp - 6/7/2010, 8:37 AM
The Punisher movies have ALL been terrible. The Thomas Jane one was the best of a bad bunch, but honestly it missed out on the one aspect of the source material that has always impressed me most. That Frank Castle has been operating for 30 YEARS as the Punisher. This gives the character a gravity and history that can easily be picked up (I didn't start reading it until a couple of years ago). And the fact that he is pushing 60 is believable given that he is in super fit physical condition and the constant adrenaline running through his body keeps him young. Also it reminds us that in order to reach that age he must be very, very good at what he does and all that experience only makes him more formidable. What we need is a live action version of "In The Beginning" by Garth Ennis.

The book starts with a flashback to his family getting killed after he returned from Vietnam while he is visiting their grave. Then he goes to a mobster birthday party, shoots the Don in the head, walks out. The narration (and the movie would have to be heavy with narration) goes "few seconds of shock" cut to mobsters going "What the F***k!" then "few seconds to get organised" Mobsters yelling "Come on guys, lets get him" then they come charging out of the house - to find the Punisher waiting with an M60.

I kind of wish I had some talent with directing or anything like that, so I could make the damn movie. Cos I don't think anyone else even understands the character.
MassExecutions1
MassExecutions1 - 6/7/2010, 8:39 AM
Ghost Rider was good? What movie were you guys watching? The one with Nick Cage? That movie was TERRIBLE! The first half was passable, but after that..ugh. When you can have Peter Fonda and Sam Eliot in a movie and STILL have a bad movie, that is one bad movie.

Ghost Rider and the Punisher should be folded back into the larger Marvel universe. I would love to see the Punisher as a supporting character in a Daredevil reboot at Marvel. Ghost Rider does deserve a remake. Hey! I here Guillermo del Toro is free!
comicb00kguy
comicb00kguy - 6/7/2010, 8:43 AM
Firstly, I don't know that there is enough real story in Super Mario to make a really good movie based on it (though I have some good memories of playing that on the original Nintendo).

This is a good list, but may I submit my five Comic-related Movies that need to be remade and done right?

1) The Spirit. Took camp to a new low. Arguably one of the worst comic-related films (or maybe all films) ever.
2) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The story is already storyboarded. Find some actors, build some sets, and shoot it as written.
3) Daredevil. There are some fantastic stories starring him that could make successful mainstream movies. Again, less camp, and a big fat Kingpin.
4) Generation X. Let me pull one good obscure one from the back of the vaults. This ran on Fox, if memory serves, many years ago, and it was really campy in a bad way. There are some good characters here that could probably make a really good film, given the right story.
5) Doc Savage. The 1970's film is a lot of good silly fun, and I won't badmouth it. It fit the times. I'd still like to see him done a bit more seriously. Doc is a great character with a great supporting crew, and there are enough good stories with them out there ready to adapt to build a great franchise for many years to come.



selinakyle
selinakyle - 6/7/2010, 8:44 AM
How bout Dragon Ball should just be left a cartoon? I'm down for a Mortal Kombat remake as long as they don't choose effects over storyline and Michael Bay stays far away from it. I actually kinda liked Ghost Rider even though i cant stand Nic Cage. Punisher remake? No!!! I loved the first one.
Kirbymaniac
Kirbymaniac - 6/7/2010, 8:49 AM
super mario must get animated by pixar that would be nice
MassExecutions1
MassExecutions1 - 6/7/2010, 8:51 AM
Shaman - Did you say the Punisher will never work for the Non CBM audience? I thought the problem with the Punisher was that it was already done to one extent or another FOR the main stream audience a million times aka - Deathwish, Taken, 24 - I mean not exactly, but you see what I'm saying?
Batarangmandan
Batarangmandan - 6/7/2010, 9:00 AM
Adam Baldwin for Punisher?
Shaman
Shaman - 6/7/2010, 9:03 AM
Mass- Actually, as cool as the character is to us, ex cop Frank Castle living in back alleys and sewers killing criminals that the law can't put away with guns that the military would have trouble getting his hands on will never work on the big screen. Look at it any way you want, Tom Jane's film is as much money as this concept will ever make, no matter who you get to play the lead and who you get to direct. Get Ridley Scott and Russel Crowe and watch it flop. The guy is a non super-hero character in a super-hero concept. He's doomed to be only liked by the comic book fans. He doesn't have enough depth when compared to any other similar projects you mentionned to ever compete with them. They'd have to reinvent the character for it to sell.
MassExecutions1
MassExecutions1 - 6/7/2010, 9:13 AM
Shaman - You don't need to reinvent the character because he's been written WILDLY differently over the years. You just gotta pick the best stuff and use it. Reintroduce him in someone else film, generate an appropriate amount of sympathy and seriousness, and you've got a money maker, just like some of the stuff I mentioned above.

You know one problem? Frank has never really been an underdog on film. Hell, I almost felt sorry for John Travolta. He never knew what hit him. Warzone? No point in talking about plot point with that one. The point was the violence, which I appreciated.

A good Punisher movie can be made, and it can make money.
Shaman
Shaman - 6/7/2010, 11:25 AM
Mass- Well... hmmm... a team-up/rivalry might just be what the doctor ordered for Frank. I'd love for a Marvel Knights film with only Daredevil and Punisher. The hero having to deal with the anti-hero to bring down a big threat... that could put Punisher back into the people's good graces ;)
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