Sure, it's enticing to see if the double take
has bigger explosions, better story line or more believable acting.
But, the question is: is it all for a quick blockbuster buck or is it to
revive an old franchise that is full of potential?
Arguably,
remakes are a part of literary history and Hollywood should not be
condemned for doing what the likes of Shakespeare did- Hamlet is
essentially a remake. Furthermore, the first ever motion picture, The
Great Train Robbery made in 1903, was remade only a year later.
Let
the Right One In, in the same fashion as horror classics, The Ring and
The Grudge, was a critically acclaimed foreign film, but didn't stretch
to a large fan base because it was subtitled. Simply by masking it under
an American guise, almost as a carbon copy of the original, the first
take is now appreciated world wide.
Take the original Hulk
film; it should have been the easiest film to make, as simple as 'Hulk:
Smash!' Instead, it was a monumental mess.
In 2008, only 5
years later, The Incredible Hulk appeared and was substantially better
than the original. Thus showing that some films are a flop in first
production and require a rewrite to justify the idea.
In 2012,
originality has a price. Paramount's vice-chairman, Rob Moore says,
“Movies that are really special are big risks.” This is because when a
film is released, it is judged by week one at box office: if the figures
don't suffice, it's sent straight to DVD.
Remakes, such as
Batman, are more likely to gain backers than an original script because
there is already a preexisting fan base and a curiosity among the public
that is sure to bring in a profit: the opening weekend of The Dark
Knight Rises made $36.4M at box office, an obvious success.
However,
remakes aren't always guaranteed successes . Take the new Total Recall,
its production cost 5 times what it made in the opening weekend.
Claudia Puig of USA Today says, "Total Recall is another remake that
didn't need to be made."
So, if you hate remakes, you might
want to lock yourself in a padded room because there is plenty more
where that came from. Look out for cult-classic, Carrie recreation: God
help us all.
LOVE K