Remakes

[paulpablo]

What do you all think about remakes of fictional stories in various art forms, or even remakes of characters.
Additionally what do you think about the changing of genders or races in characters?

I got thinking about this topic after seeing the trailer for ghostbusters the film they've made with just women as the main characters.

Plus recently they were talking about using a black actor to play James Bond.

Personally I'm against most remakes anyway, I heard Russell brand wanted to do a remake of drop dead Fred and that annoyed me.
And as for changing the race or gender or main characters I just don't see the point.
If I really like a character I find it really distracting if that character just becomes female or turns black or vice versa, if a woman turns into a man or black person turns white.

[Alex K]

I think remakes can really work out great, but often don't. I vastly prefer the 70s remake of Bodysnatchers to the original, for example. The modern remake is nice, but falls a bit flat towards the end. The modern remake of Total Recall on the other hand, despite the innovative premise, turned out to be CGI'd to death bland standard fare, partly because the lead was lacking charisma. It had potential, though.

As for changing gender, the notorious example is the casting of Katee Sackoff in Battlestar Reimagined, and I think we can all agree that was a great move.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Some remakes are nothing less than brilliant, such as '3:10 to Yuma'. Others are simply and purely awful, such as 'The Karate Kid'. My opinion of remakes depends on the film, I suppose.

That being said, 're-imaginings' get right up me hooter. It is my firm and sincere belief that everyone involved with the RDJ versions of Sherlock Holmes should be subjected to bastinado until they apologize.

Boru

[Alex K]

Some remakes are nothing less than brilliant, such as '3:10 to Yuma'.  Others are simply and purely awful, such as 'The Karate Kid'.  My opinion of remakes depends on the film, I suppose.

That being said, 're-imaginings' get right up me hooter.  It is my firm and sincere belief that everyone involved with the RDJ versions of Sherlock Holmes should be subjected to bastinado until they apologize.

Boru

Have you seen the 1940s Nazi-fighting Sherlock Holmes series?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYoerEu-_yI

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I have, and I'm not happy about it.

Boru

[abaris]

Have you seen the 1940s Nazi-fighting Sherlock Holmes series?

I have, and as is usual with films like that, I didn't like it. Propaganda, no matter how well intended, is always something to steer clear of. Even with Hitchcocks Saboteurs. Or much worse with Ford's "They were expendable".

[Homeless Nutter]

"Maltese Falcon"(1941) - was a remake of 1931 movie of the same name.
"Some Like It Hot"(1959) was a remake of "Fanfare d’Amour"(1935)
"The Thing"(1982) was a remake of "The Thing from Another World"(1951).
"Scarface"(1982) - "Scarface"(1932).
"The Fly"(1986) - "The Fly"(1958).
"Little Shop Of Horrors"(1986) - "Little Shop Of Horrors"(1960)
"The Heat"(1995) - remake of "L.A. Takedown"(1989), by the same director.
"True Grit"(2010) - "True Grit"(1969).
"The Departed"(2006) - "Internal Affairs"(2002).

...and so on. Of course many of those movies (as well as countless others) were based on other media, like books.

Sure - many remakes these days are boring, cynical and unnecessary, but then so are many so called "original" movies and TV shows. Also - cinema and TV have been around for a century, so it's small wonder, that more and more ideas are being reused.
Nothing new under the Sun and all that...

As for the actors of varied races, or genders playing the same characters - I don't mind, in fact I'm all for it, because I know it p*sses off bigots no end. And f*ck those people...

[Alex K]

Have you seen the 1940s Nazi-fighting Sherlock Holmes series?

I have, and as is usual with films like that, I didn't like it. Propaganda, no matter how well intended, is always something to steer clear of. Even with Hitchcocks Saboteurs. Or much worse with Ford's "They were expendable".

I found them fascinating in a historical psychological kind of way. It captures something about the zeitgeist, the need to bolster morale of the people in war times by having a British hero save the empire. And always with the inspirational quotes at the end!

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Mind you, the Rathbone films are based on misinformation. By the start of the Second World War, Holmes was 85 years old, and had long since retired to Sussex to keep bees. He did, in point of fact, come out of retirement twice, but both events occurred long before WWII.

Boru

[Minimalist]

Some are harmless enough.  Some, like The Day The Earth Stood Still, are nothing short of shitty.