Yep you read it right, I like remakes!! And yes even if they remade a film I love, like Back to the Future, The Lost Boys or Alien. It wouldn't bother me, I suppose in a way they intrigue me. If I like the film, can they make it better? If I didn't like the original, maybe I'll prefer the remake?
This little post has been prompted by the soon to be released US version of Let me in, a remake of Let the right one in, which I think is an amazing film! So really I should be up in arms about this, but I'm not, in fact I'm really looking forward to seeing it. From the general talk of the remake it sounds like they have done a really good job, as one person said they have made a film from the book, and not from the original film. I suppose many people don't look at that way, I hadn't. If a film exits from a book or a comic why can't it be remade, somebody else may provide a better interpretation of the material than was used in the first film. Harry Potter, even Lord of the rings could be remade, and why not? Maybe they should remake the Twilight Saga!
As Hollywood run out of ideas? I don't think so, I just think it's hard to turn some material into a credible film, under budget and within a decent running time. You also have the fact that subtitled films do not market well in the US, so it's inevitable that these films are going to get the Hollywood treatment. So let's take Let the right one against Let me in in the US box office, the subtitled version took $49,000 on opening weekend, the US version took $5 million +! I think that sums it up, you can't blame the US film industry for remaking foreign films, at the end of the day it's about making money! Imagine if Avatar had been Asian do you think it would have grossed 2 Billion + in the US? I doubt it!
In today's financial climate isn't it an option for a studio to remake a film they already own the rights too. Especially if it's been a while since the original was released. Again something you can't really blame Hollywood for doing. The Crazies, The Omen etc, I liked the Crazies, but haven't seen the original to compare it. I didn't like the Omen but liked the original, but felt it was due a remake, the fact it wasn't very good doesn't spoil my liking for the original!
And the final Hollywood option, is when the studio re-boots a film, this does have varying degrees of success. The most notable is the Batman franchise, I love Tim Burton's original and the 2nd to a lesser degree, the rest of the original franchise I haven't watched! Mostly on the back of poor reviews! But Nolans Batman films are brilliant, and the The Dark Knight is one of my favourite films. I have no problem with the original Batman and Batman Begins co-existing I can watch either and enjoy them equally! Another reboot which did well was Bond, Casino Royale was just what the franchise needed, pity MGM were in such crisis at the time.
I don't mind a remake or a reboot, and here's a one which most people would disagree with me on, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I find the original average at best, even seeing it recently on the big screen, it still didn't do it for me. But I like the remake!
No comments:
Post a Comment