Happy New Years everyone. Earlier today, I was looking at Rotten Tomatoes' List of the Most Rotten Ideas of 2011 (you can check it out here), and to my surprise, most of the ideas were based on a reboot or remake being developed. From Lethal Weapon and The Bodyguard to American Psycho and Scarface, various films deemed to be classics are suddenly getting the modern make-over. Even Total Recall is scheduled to get the redo next August, and Red Dawn in November. Perfectly good movies being redone for a new generation. Even classics like Footloose and Fright Night had remakes released this year. Many have shown their displeasure in the seemingly unoriginal ideas that Hollywood has shown recently, but what do I think of it?
In general, I agree with the general public on the topic. Hollywood puts out so few original ideas anymore, and are now focusing on remaking older films for a new generation. While occasionally a remake for a film may be a good idea (depending on the film, of course), the choice of films that have been selected to be remade is entirely uninspired overall. For example, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films. The original installment came out in the 1970s, two sequels, a remake in 2003 (and a prequel to that film three years later), and a pseudo-reboot coming next year (though it's been said that it'll be a direct sequel to the original installment). IMO, the original film should have been left alone, because it doesn't seem like something that would have franchise potential. Similar case with the Scream franchise.
As for reboots/remakes that worked, well...
Typical choices, I know, but good ones at that. All three of the above films brought long-living franchises back to power.
Star Trek returned the film series to form after a slew of films starring the Next Generation crew that were somewhat forgettable.
Batman Begins brought the Batman film series back from the dead after the 1997 film whose name I won't mention.
Casino Royale debuted Daniel Craig, who's possibly our best Bond to date. As for other reboots/remakes that worked,
The Incredible Hulk is another popular choice around here. It showed that the Green Giant has potential as a film character, which the 2003 film didn't. And while it's received mostly negative reviews, the
Clash Of The Titans remake was one that I really enjoyed (I haven't seen the original, so I can't compare the two films).
Also coming next year, we have
The Amazing Spider-Man, which reboots the highly successful Spider-Man film series. Personally, I think a reboot is too soon, and Raimi should've been given a chance to redeem himself with a fourth film. But the idea of a
Spider-Man film closer to the comics, the live action debut of the Lizard, etc. makes me very excited for
TASM. In other reboot news, we have
Man Of Steel coming in 2013, and the Superman film series is a perfect example of an old franchise that needs a modern revisiting (no matter how good they were...at least the first two films). And we also have reboots for
Daredevil,
Fantastic Four,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and
Dredd coming soon - all are also examples of films that need a revision.
But then, we have the films that DON'T need a remake/reboot. For example,
Scarface. Deemed a classic by many, an outpouring of hate came when it was announced that Universal was pursuing a non-remake of the Al Pacino flick. I agree with the majority in this case. The original film was perfect as a stand alone, no need to drive the story into the ground. Also,
American Psycho. A remake of the film, which starred our current Batman Christian Bale, has recently been announced at Lionsgate. The film is another that works as a stand alone story that doesn't need to be done to death on film. And let's not forget Tim Burton's
Planet Of The Apes remake, which wasn't necessary. At this point, we'll probably get remakes for
The Godfather,
The Wizard Of Oz,
Gone With The Wind,
Star Wars,
Indiana Jones and
Back To The Future sooner than later, if Hollywood keeps running out of ideas for original films.
I doubt this editorial will change Hollywood's minds in any way, but I felt the need to share my thoughts on the matter after seeing so many remakes/reboots in order. I hope Hollywood starts making original films that actually work more often (
Inception and
Rango are good examples of films that are great, but not based on anything), and stop rehashing various classic films that we all know and love.