EDITORIAL: Remakes! Who Needs Them?

EDITORIAL: Remakes! Who Needs Them?

There's no beating originality. It boggles the mind to think of all the remakes being put out by hollywood recently (the latest one in a long list is Poltergeist) and almost all remakes as of late have been box office disasters.

Editorial Opinion
By Sabianjay123 - Sep 04, 2013 07:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Other

Karate Kid, Total Recall, Footloose, Red Dawn, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Fright night, Evil Dead, and the list goes on and on.

There is a reason these movies fail to meet the standards of the original and it's because the original movies that captured our imaginations can never be outdone. There is a certain magic to them which makes any attempt at capturing the magic a near impossible feat. Its the actors that first played these characters that made these movies special. It's the soundtrack and score that will never be able to be matched. Would the final few minutes of Karate kid have been as exciting if not for the incredible score leading up to the final kick.

There is only one Danny Larusso and only one Ren Mccormack. I introduced the new Karate kid to my kids and then showed them the original and guess what they loved the original better. I've continued this practice with most of the remakes that have been released and it never fails the original almost always wins.

Too bad Hollywood doesnt realize that rereleasing these movies in new formats would produce far more revenue then wasting the money to remake them.

Sure you could always get these movies on DVD but throw a few extra scenes like George Lucas has done countless times with the original Star Wars and people will come.

There is a whole library of Cinema waiting to grace the silver screen again all Hollywood needs to do is see that its better to dust off there old house than waste money building a new one.
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LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 9/4/2013, 7:28 AM
Sweep the leg.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 9/4/2013, 7:41 AM
the 80s... nuff said.
Yes, Tainted avoided posting a wall of text and now the world shall end. Unless I get some caffeine.
Sabianjay123
Sabianjay123 - 9/4/2013, 8:11 AM
Never told them its better. The remake is okay. I like it but never told kids it was better. As far as parenting, Iaske which one they like better. i dont force it down their throats. I speak to other parents and many say their children prefer the originals. So then why not remake Star Wars or E.T. or Gone With The Wind or Rocky. As far as comparisons to the original Karate kid. Did'nt the original Karate Kid win a academy award? In all reality it really comes down to opinion and if you look at the big picture the reason for all the remakes is the lack of original ideas.
Sabianjay123
Sabianjay123 - 9/4/2013, 8:15 AM
Many of the points here are valid and leaves the door open for a good discussion.
Sabianjay123
Sabianjay123 - 9/4/2013, 8:19 AM
So at the time when Superman was written there were other stories about a guy from krypton or Star Wars at the time of its release was not a original Idea?
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 9/4/2013, 8:21 AM
Well the movies Starcrushed mentioned are all 80s movies. There was a different level of excitement and ingenuity, imaginations seemed to be more extensive (SEEMED), and we got a LOT of cult classics which are still loved today.

1987, the year I was born - all these B movies came out, and they've since become legendary to fans and their respective genres. The Princess Bride. *Robocop. *Predator. The Witches of Eastwick. Lethal Weapon. *Dirty Dancing. Moonstruck. Full Metal Jacket (ok, that's a bit more upscale). *Hellraiser. *Man on Fire. *Near Dark.

Each asterisk has either had a remake, reboot, or either one in the works.

And sure, we wouldn't get anywhere without remakes. Robert Rodriguez is famous for remaking his own Mariachi movies with each addition to the series. Desperado was a remake and sequel of El Mariachi, with a lighter ending and the same story. Once Upon a Time in Mexico is Desperado with ten times the amount of characters. Each one is an improvement over the other, and the third is one of my favorite movies.

But getting back to the 80s - they have this energy about them that, while generic, is only something you can really associate with that decade. It's why movies like Donnie Darko and American Psycho are so unique.
Sabianjay123
Sabianjay123 - 9/4/2013, 8:21 AM
Given there are movies that diserve to be remade like the star wars prequels.
Sabianjay123
Sabianjay123 - 9/4/2013, 8:25 AM
Thanks Tainted87 that was what I was trying to get at. They are remaking scarface but can anyone ever really capture the magic Al Pacino made in Scarface. I've seen remakes and enjoyed some but they all seemed to lack that bit of magic that as chessey as the eighties were really hit people on a level that movies dont do today.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 9/4/2013, 8:28 AM
Superman is an expansion of ideas. Mix up names, mix up settings. Batman was a bat-themed Sherlock Holmes. I hold to the statement that Superman was a comic book mash-up of Jean Valjean and Moses. Some people want to say that he's a rendition of the Gladiator, and while that's there, in spirit, not so much. Flash Gordon was also a major influence on all things sci-fi.
Sabianjay123
Sabianjay123 - 9/4/2013, 8:30 AM
True.
marvel72
marvel72 - 9/4/2013, 8:38 AM
there is remakes which are better than the originals.

scarface
the thing
the fly
batman (burton)
batman begins
true grit
dredd
Sabianjay123
Sabianjay123 - 9/4/2013, 8:47 AM
You got me there but what generation where these remakes done?

scarface
the thing
the fly

As for Batman and Batman Begins I cant really say one is better than the other because one is better visualy and a little bit more fun while the other is a better rendition as far as story and substance.
Shadowelfz
Shadowelfz - 9/4/2013, 9:34 AM
Agreed with FIRG. As long as it is a GOOD remake than Ill get into it. Problem is the studios doing them are lazy and rely on the properties established value rather than the content of their work. They know they can sell a Thing or Karate Kid movie on the name alone and therefore do not invest the money, time and talent they should to make a quality film.
TheWolverine08
TheWolverine08 - 9/4/2013, 9:35 AM
Jaden's Smith Karate Kid sucked.......
marvel72
marvel72 - 9/4/2013, 9:42 AM
@ Sabianjay123

all in the 80s,as for batman(89) its better than batman(66) & then batman begins is better than batman(89) as well as batman forever & batman & robin.
FlixMentallo21
FlixMentallo21 - 9/4/2013, 9:44 AM
Remember the words of Jay Sherman, people:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EnHfWdlCaQk
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 9/4/2013, 9:48 AM
The Karate Kid remake was not and I repeat NOT better than the original at all.
mgeoff88
mgeoff88 - 9/4/2013, 9:57 AM
Thank you! Enough with the remakes already.

@intruder I still don't understand that. They should've called it The Kung Fu Kid, and pitched it as a movie that was inspired by The Karate Kid. Not a straight-up remake.

I love Jackie Chan, but you don't mess with a classic like The Karate Kid.
MericawithanM
MericawithanM - 9/4/2013, 10:25 AM
I have no problem with remakes as long as they are good and or bring something new that the original didn't. Yes there are a lot of them but that just means filmmakers need to try to come up with better original ideas.
thenerdicon4
thenerdicon4 - 9/4/2013, 10:48 AM
I'm gonna straight up say it. Evil Dead the remake was better than the original Evil Dead. No where near as good as Evil Dead 2 or Army of Darkness, but ten times better than the shit fest of the original evil dead. Terrible acting, bad effects and boring story. The new one di its own thing changed up the ages of the protagonists and the gender of the lead and actually pulled some surprises on me. Evil Dead was great. Got it on Blu-Ray mang.
thenerdicon4
thenerdicon4 - 9/4/2013, 10:49 AM
btw John Carpenters "The Thing" and The Al Pacino Scarface were both remakes and several times better than the originals.
BlindJustice
BlindJustice - 9/4/2013, 10:51 AM
I agree that remakes are bound to happen. Just wait until we're all old like Gusto...
bogusman
bogusman - 9/4/2013, 10:58 AM
1st of all, why would you use a picture from Carrie to illustrate this article? The new Carrie film is not a remake, it's a new adaptation of the novel. Just like more than one Jane Eyre film has been made. Is Man of Steel a remake of Superman? Is Batman Begins a remake of Batman? Nope, they are new takes on the character.

Furthermore, you can list all the remakes you want, but the fact is that you are listing a bunch of remakes from over a span of years. When you look at year by year, there are WAY fewer remakes than ANYTHING else. In fact, thanks to Haunted by Humans, here's a current listing of this year's films:

Original: 35
Adaptation: 24
Sequel/Prequel: 14
Remake: 2
Re-release: 2

Wow. Two remakes. That's like 3% of this year's film.
bagadoosh
bagadoosh - 9/4/2013, 11:19 AM
nice debunk @bogusman
Sephit
Sephit - 9/4/2013, 11:55 AM
The remake of Texas Chainsaw for the most part was one of the best remakes aside from John Carpenter's rendition of "The Thing" which is one of my favorite movies of all time.
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 9/4/2013, 12:25 PM
Levi agreeing with Trudy? You better rethink your life Mr. Bender!
davidcub
davidcub - 9/4/2013, 12:26 PM
I find it odd that so many people are defending Hollywood's lack of originality....anyway...the reason some of these movies shouldn't be made is because you'll never duplicate the chemistry of the original cast...Chloe Moretz is no Sissy Spacek...and Poltergiest is the one they'll NEVER get as good as the original...
Sabianjay123
Sabianjay123 - 9/4/2013, 12:32 PM
Evil dead remake was not better. The effects were better but as far as being more scary. Comparing it to evil dead 2 is like comparing it to a Saturday morning special.
KnobGoblin
KnobGoblin - 9/4/2013, 2:36 PM
Stories are passed down through generations, remakes are just doing the same thing. The problem with most remakes though, is they're lazy cash grabs that add nothing interesting to the material to make it relevant to the times.
Gnyah123
Gnyah123 - 9/4/2013, 5:53 PM
yes remakes can n have to be made
but there HAS TO BE A LINE that hollywood cant cross
certain movies DO NOT deserve to be done over/remade

u guys know they plan on
REMAKING scarface movie?...thats a movie that doesnt need to be remake

POINT BREAK...with reeve n patrick swyeze
also remaking that!!

freddy and jason and mike myers are different they are scary movies i let them slide cuz i love scary movies bad or good
rob zombies halloween movie for example...i think those 2 were good doesnt beat the original first movie though

yes the remake to karate kid makes more sense and i like it better
but the original will be in the hearts of those who loved it

CARRIE...the movie thats coming out in october
they remade that movie 2 times this movie with chloe from kick ass will be the 3rd remake
i havent seen the first only a little bit of it and it looked pretty bad to me

thats the thing about remakes though
movies from the 70-80s movies were good but didnt have that full effect we live in a world with CGI can be perfect now...and we have ppl who can actually ACT now

ans thats ANOTHER reason why i HATE remakes...they get unknown actors but its good but bad...good cuz i wud rather see a new actor on the rise but bad cuz some of the new actors are just BAD!!!

true evil dead was NOT a remake
same with texas chainsaw 3D that recently came out

the only good thing about THE THING...was it was not a remake...it was but wasnt..if u stayed til the end of the movie..u see the movie picks up and starts going into the OLD movie..

again certain movies just shouldnt be remade
i swear if we get a GODFATHER movie down in the future i will scream...certain movies shud NOT be done..
im already made about scarface
Gnyah123
Gnyah123 - 9/4/2013, 5:58 PM
fast and furious is being REMADE
basically....
NEED FOR SPEED is being made and jesse pinkman is the main character...and its said that they want it to be the next fast n furious franchise!
KnobGoblin
KnobGoblin - 9/4/2013, 6:49 PM
They already remade Point Break, it was called The Fast and the Furious. The just replaced the surfing with cars.
Gnyah123
Gnyah123 - 9/4/2013, 7:06 PM
point break is pretty famous
i know a lot of ppl who loved that movie thats one of my favorite movies but my point is they are remaking it!!

scarface is being remade and it shouldnt cuz thats a CLASSIC and it shudnt be done over!! just NO NO NO!!

well some ppl are pretty dumb not to realize THE THING was a prequel

didnt know carrie was a book thats new to me
i think some1 told me that before but not sure...but its a book thats a different story then

no they did NOT remake point break n it wasnt called fast n furious lol silly

once fast n furious is DONE!!!...is what i meant
but the need for speed movie IF good...they want to make it into a fast n furious franchise is what im trying to say so basically a remake! but need for speed isnt even out yet so i cant say if its good or bad or even similar to fast n furious...

look up the need for speed movie on youtube u will see a 3 minute scene its pretty SICK! just like the video GAME!
KnobGoblin
KnobGoblin - 9/4/2013, 7:19 PM
Let's play name that movie then...

Plot - Hunky young cop goes undercover into a fringe subculture to catch a gang of robbers, gets sucked into said subculture by the charismatic leader of the gang, and falls in love with a girl who finds out he's a cop and gets mad, but ultimately forgives him because they love each other. Let's see, is it Point Break, or Fast and the Furious?
Gnyah123
Gnyah123 - 9/4/2013, 7:26 PM
well they are REMAKING scarface AGAIN! is what im saying!
which it shudnt even though it did already wit pacino!
im not troll mofo! just cuz i didnt know it was a book doesnt make me a troll lol


Gnyah123
Gnyah123 - 9/4/2013, 7:31 PM
bet u half of the ppl didnt even know there was a scarface film from 1932
cuz ppl dont go and probably wont go that far back into history looking at movies...
point is...some movies just shouldnt be done over

@AnarkylntheUSA
yes thats similar but the girl/love interest is different cuz she didnt get kidnapped in fast n furious at all and she didnt find out he was a cop til the end of the movie when there friend got hurt
point break she found out half way through the movie and SHE got kidnapped so the love thing is different but yes very similar but still not a REMAKE of the exact movie..
Armyshot
Armyshot - 9/4/2013, 10:49 PM
LOVE remakes, why? because the originals die out, and the franchises die, and then are forgotten, where as the remakes keep them fresh, get later generations into them, and then those generations watch the originals... all the remakes named at the beginning of this editorial, i thought were AWESOME, only few remakes actually own up to the original, do i love the remake of texas chainsaw massacre better than the original HELL YES!!! My son a 9 year old horror buff, doesn't like the lower quality movies of the 80's, but will watch them, and always likes the remakes better for quality... And as for people thinkin' "they remain classics, they don't die off" they DO die off, when people stop thinkin' of them... not everyone's an obsessive cult follower of old horror franchises... So why not reboot a franchise for a new generation... ?
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