Last week we had adaptation and
fan fiction, so let me add something relevant to these subjects.
Remakes are pretty popular and I suppose that everyone here has
watched at least one movie of this kind. In the context of cinema and
TV, remakes are productions based on an earlier scenario. They either
tell anew the same story from start to end or modify it in various
ways and for various reasons. Some of these only present
a slight
connection with
their predecessor. But why are they
made in the first place?
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There are many reasons behind
remaking films and it's not only cash grabbing, even though money
indeed plays a pretty important role in the whole process:
remakes are treated as a kind of a safe ground. A tested and verified
scenario is re-used so there is little risk, people are going to be
familiar with it and
there is high probability they will
like it.
Changes in technology are
another reason to remake films. New abilities and solutions allow a
better (more realistic, precise) visualization of a previous
scenario. This happened in the case of silent movies which received
remakes just because technology finally allowed to add sound.
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Another
reason are cultural changes, both in geographical meaning and those
that happen throughout the time. The first one is about making a
foreign movie understandable in other countries
and its cultural sphere (films like The
Ring and The
Grudge fall into this category).
The latter is telling the same story, but within a different and more
current time context. A good example of this kind of remake is Brian
De Palma's Scarface which
is based on an earlier film by Howard Hawks. Both tell a story about
a gangster, but the earlier film is set in the times of Prohibition
(a very important subject in the 30s
when this film came out), and the remake tells about a drug mafia in
Florida, again a very popular issue at the time the film was out. The
context here is important because it helps the audience to understand
and empathize with the characters.
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Some remakes exist to taunt or
ridicule the predecessor or, on the contrary, some are homages to the
original or its creator. Others are built solely around the fact that
something is going to be intentionally changed, like the main
character's gender etc. Of course there
are many,
many other reasons to create a remake and there are
a lot of categories they can be
divided into; e.g.
shot-to-shot copies of the original
productions or ones that try to hide the fact they are remakes which might classify them simply as
rip-offs.
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But what's your opinion on
remakes? I'm pretty sure you have some because they are very popular
nowadays (this and other similar productions like reboots). Perhaps
you’d
like to compare the originals with remakes?
Sources:
https://www.wprost.pl/516377/Powtorki-z-rozrywki
Comments
The good example would be the fuss that new "Ghostbusters" remake trailer caused. I won't comment on that one, because I'd have to watch the whole movie to do that - but many of the fans are extremely disappointed and say that the remake will ruin the whole franchise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3ugHP-yZXw
The only thing I can say about remakes is connected to one of my favourite ps game from my childhood – Final Fantasy VII and I am sooo looking forward for a remake that is already being made for ages :D I really can't wait and I am still not sure when the release date is, because it is changing all the time :( Maybe it's already off? Must google it out :D
But I can say that the special effects and sound could make a better movie. Especially in area of science fiction or action movie, where the story could be not so complex, but movie is still good.
I often dont know I'm watching remake till I read more detailed description of it and it's good sign. There are tones of great films that because of time barrier were forgotten and became unapproachable for modern audience. Remakes put new spirit in it and adjust it to new reality.
So i think it is very individual case, but i think the smaller time gap between the original and remake is, the more difficult task is.
It's obvious that some of the classics can not be replaced by any remake ever, because they once made it perfect and it should stay that way.
But some of the old movies we forgot, have a nice contents and it's worth remainding.
I also like to compare the original with the remake, especially one updated to contemporary times/world view, to see if the story still works. If it does, then for me it proves it is universal.
The 'hate' part is completely irrational ;) As with adaptations, a remake clashes with what you're used to: the setting, the actors, etc. I can't imagine watching a remake of the Harry Potter films (Although I'm super happy that the cast of The Cursed Child is diverse :) It changes nothing and a lot at the same time.)
I think remakes are great opportunities (apart from being profitable) and ultimately the good outweighs the bad.
The other thing I like about remakes is that they can address some technical issues in a much better way than in an older version.
What I don't like is making a remake shortly after the original has been issued just because the CEOs of a film studio decide that their studio is much more successful and their version of a movie will earn much more. This happened with the adaptation of Stieg Larsson's Millenium - it was first filmed in 2009 (a swedish-danish-german-norwegian co-production directed by Niels Arden) and then remade in 2011 by Columbia Pictures, directed by David Fincher. I am not saying that the american movie is worse because of that, I just think that it stole swedish movie's thunder.
I am really looking forward to see a Harry Potter remake in a couple of decades, even though special effects were pretty amazing in it.
Also we should take into consideration the fact when the brilliant movie is done in poor manner. Classic slasher movies of the 80s could be a good example. For example Friday the 13th - classical slasher with big, tough lad, who is silently decreases population of the stupid teenagers. In the remake it is the same, however, it is a failure because the feeling of the slasher of the 80s was already lost. The same could be said about new Halloween (partially, personally for me the way new Michael Myers looks is librarian - he is psychopathic maniac, he should be bearded and dirty, not walk around in fresh clothes as if some one took care of him).
There are different situations when remakes are better, or brighter, or worse.
For me, as with most movies if its a good one, it doesn't matter if its a remake, adaptation or original script.