The tradition of remaking a film that was successful somewhere or sometime else is a revered way of doing business in Hollywood. It's something that has happened in all genres and media, probably back to the original 6 stories of the Ancient Greeks. But lately it seems that this has become one of the driving forces in modern motion pictures.
Hollywood just doesn't seem to have an original idea in its head. Or at least the execs don't seem to think the public can understand a new concept. Which means more likely that the execs can't. Either way, as we go further into this new century we seem more likely to copy something than create something.
Now if all of the remakes were good, or at least as good as their original inspirations, I don't think anyone would care. But millions of dollars, and more importantly hundreds of hours of screen time is being wasted on crap. We are being led in the desert and asked to chug sand as if it were champagne. At least that's my opinion.
But a friend of mine recently brought up a good point, I think. The thought is that most movie-goers today have no idea about the originals films that are being copied. And often, as in the case of the Adventures of Robin Hood (with Errol Flynn and the definitive Robin Hood movie), the original films are being shown far less often with later copies being shown far more often. As in this case the Kevin Costner revisioned remake is far more common than the Flynn original - thus some younger viewers may not know of a superior film existing.
So it makes me wonder, how many people have not seen the original films being copied by Hollywood now? How many people prefer the remakes to the original films? We there is no better way to find out than to ask.
The following list are an original film and it's (most) recent remake. Let me know which you have seen, and/or which you prefer.
12 Angry Men (1957, with Henry Fonda)* - 12 Angry Men (1997)
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961, animated)* - 101 Dalmatians (1996 live action)
Alice in Wonderland (1933) - Alice In Wonderland (1951, 1985, 1999, 2010)
Alfie (1966, Michael Caine)* - Alfie (2004, Jude Law)
Amityville Horror (1979) - Amityville Horror (2005, Ryan Reynolds)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976, John Carpenter - director) - Assault on Precinct 13 (2005, Laurence Fishburne)
The Bad News Bears (1976, Walter Matthau)* - Bad News Bears (2005, Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinear)
Bangkok Dangerous (1999, Thai film)* - Bangkok Dangerous (2008, Nicolas Cage)
La Cage aux Folles (1978, French film) - The Birdcage (1996, Robin Williams)*
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)*! - The Invasion (2007, Nicole Kidman)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971, Gene Wilder)* - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005, Johnny Depp)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968, Steve McQueen)* - Thomas Crown Affair (1999, Pierce Brosnan)
Carrie (1976, Steven King book conversion)* - Carrie (2002)
Charlotte's Web (1973, animated)* - Charlotte's Web (2006, live action)
Les liaisons dangereuses (1956, French) - Cruel Intentions (1999, Ryan Phillippe)*! - Dangerous Liasons (1988, Glen Close)
Night of the Living Dead (1968, George Romero director)*! - Night of the Living Dead (1990)
War of the Worlds (1953)* - War of the Worlds (2005, Tom Cruise)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)* - The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008, Keanu Reeves)
Death Race 2000 (1975, David Carradine)* - Death Race (2008, Jason Statham)
Fame (1980, Irene Carra)* - Fame (2009)
Yojimbo (1961, Akira Kurosawa) - A Fistful of Dollars (1964, Clint Eastwood)
The Fly (1958) - The Fly (1986, Jeff Goldblum)* - The Fly (TBA)
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965, John Wayne)* - Four Brothers (2005, Wark Wahlberg, Andre Benjamin)
The list just keeps going. But I think you get my point. Keep an eye out for my list of the best and worst remakes ever.
Note - Any movie marked with an * means it was the best version in my opinion. A movie with a ! means this is the best version of several movies based on the same film.
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