Are There Any Movies That Should Be Remade?

Last week I complained that there wasn't anyone with an original idea left in Hollywood; it seems like every film project that's been announced lately is either a prequel, sequel, remake or adaptation.  While I don't have a major problem with novel adaptations (for the most part), I usually flinch instinctively when I hear the word "remake."  However, after all of my grumbling about the lack of new ideas in the entertainment industry, I got to thinking that there actually have been a few remakes that I've enjoyed, such as Ocean's 11 and King Kong (I realize I may be in the minority on that one, though).  Which means that there might be a few others that I wouldn't mind so much, either.

For example, let's look at one of my favorite movies: The Neverending Story.  Not only did I love the book of the same name, but my younger brother and I also had the 1984 movie memorized.  Recently I watched it again and was astonished at how poor some of the special effects were. (Notice I said "some"... Falkor the Luckdragon still looks pretty awesome, if I do say so myself).

There is a part of me that thinks that if this unique story was put into the hands of, say, a Peter Jackson or Guillermo del Toro, the result would be magnificent.  A remake of this film could bring its wonderful tale to a whole new generation that might not have ever discovered it otherwise.  Special effects have come a long way over the past two decades, and these guys are the masters of making faraway worlds and strange creatures look unbelievably real.

Along these same lines, I thought that Flight of the Navigator -- a 1986 Disney movie that I also knew by heart (and which features a young Sarah Jessica Parker way before Sex and the City, as well as the best sing-a-long of a Beach Boys song ever) -- would be a reasonable contender for a do-over.  As would Splash... and Time Bandits... and maybe even Jaws (yeah, I said it!). 

But before anyone gets too riled up at my suggestions above, please know that I have now come to my senses.  I am confident that I would just end up decrying a new Neverending Story in addition to probably losing sleep over it.  In my heart, I believe that there is only one Bastian, one Atreyu and one Childlike Empress, and they are all still living in the original film's version of Fantasia.  I would forever be critical of the poor souls cast in a remake. (Perhaps the real question is, would any actors actually put themselves through the pain of having to live up to a bunch of cynical thirtysomethings' expectations in the first place?)

Sure, it might be interesting to see old favorites "re-imagined" on the big screen, but they could never possibly win over the die-hard fans of their predecessors.  It's best to leave things as they are, and so I remain staunchly opposed to remakes (at least of films I really like).  As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Comments

[Kath]

Hey, I have been reading your blog for a few weeks now and added to my Google Reader. I have been enjoying your reviews very much!

I REALLY liked King Kong too. I especially thought Jack Black was terrific. I like some 'remakes/retellings' as well. While I didn't love Planet of the Apes, I like anything Tim Burton, but I really disliked Wonka. Probably because the 1971 version is one of my top 5 favorite movies.

Now you got me trying to think up some others!

[Erika Olson]

Kath - Thanks for your nice words... and we are exactly on the same page about Planet of the Apes and Wonka. I was convinced as a kid that the Chocolate Factory from the original film was real, so I didn't like seeing a "new and improved" version.

- e

[E]

Interesting... I actually liked the new, Burton version of Charlie -- because it was Charlie *not* Wonka, and much more true to the book.

[JD Parker]

Erika,

I tend to agree with you about "re-imagined" stories. Of course, how many "Dracula" movies are there really?

I truly hope that they don't make a "RE-DO" of NES (Neverending Story) for several reasons. To begin with, although the special effects are definately dated, it is part of the history of Hollywood Movie Magic. When you saw this as a kid, you believed it when you saw it. And even though kids today might wince at the now seemingly hokiness of the movie, still it was a gem that recieved myriad awards at the time by the National PTA and various other family and educational organizations world-wide.

Second, don't forget who this film was directed by: Wolfgang Peterson -- the same guy who brought us other such great classic films as "Das Boot" "Troy" "The Perfect Storm" and "Air Force One". Not every director can hit every creation of theirs out of the park, but this man has been one of my favorites, along with Wilder, Coppola, Speilberg and Kubrick.

Today, movies such as "Harry Potter" and "The Spiderwick Chronicles" have kids doing the one thing that I would hope more films could do: actually READING books! It's my hope that encouraging this will finally break the imagination drought that tinseltown has been suffering from and produce new and exciting fare for the silver screen.

[SHANE BROWN]

i dream of jeanie & helter skelter without
all the lawyer B.S.

[Kevin]

Without a doubt they need to remake Revenge of the Nerds. There are tons of newer quirky actors, like those guys from Superbad.

[Gabby]

Weird Science, with all the new technology & special effects. It would be nice to see an updated version or even a sequel to it.

[Erika Olson]

Hi everyone -

Thanks for the comments! You all bring up some great ideas for remakes. I had been thinking about 'Weird Science,' too. I love the original but fear that a new generation of teens won't ever get to know it. I never thought about Revenge of the Nerds, Helter Skelter or I Dream of Jeannie... interesting possibilities!

And to JD - I couldn't agree with you more about the new crop of films getting kids to read... I am very pleased by that as well. But I just still wonder how many kids growing up today will ever see the original NES if their parents weren't big fans and therefore don't tell them about it. I guess I'm still a little bit torn about the whole idea (not that there's ever been any buzz about remaking it in the first place).

- Erika

[Liz]

I was reading your blog and I thought about that, too. I was wondering since they're remaking all the 80s movies, they'd be remaking, 'Flight of The Navigator' using the CGI technology. With all the technology we have now, I'm sure they could remake this movie and I wonder if they're going to do Tron? Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea? This Island Earth, or some other movie that didn't have a chance.