Immediately the 2005 remake of War Of The Worlds comes to mind – where a great director (Spielberg) manages to turn a true classic into a forgettable piece of drek. If you have any doubt, watch the 1953 movie with Gene Barry – the acting styles and dialogue may be a little dated (though appropriate for a movie made in the early 50’s) but the film, even with its’ 50+ year old special effects, is more frightening, and perhaps even riveting at times, than the remake that somehow destroys the classic plot and distracts through the overuse of graphics and ridiculous subplots.
I am not saying that all remakes are bad. There was the 1976 remake of King Kong by Dino DiLaurentis, which was horrible regardless of a good cast, but this was subsequently followed by the absolutely memorable 2005 Peter Jackson remake. The Jackson remake did justice to the original concept, and may even have improved upon it through the judicious use of special effects (hey, the ape looked real).
So back to my point. The Day The Earth Stood Still from 1951 reminds me of the ’53 version of War Of The Worlds – it has acceptable special effects, a great plot, and very good acting – both Michael Rennie as Klaatu and Patricia Neal put in excellent performances (the kid was irritating, but necessary to the plot). And it was a movie with a serious, relevant message. So why remake a classic?
What’s next? A remake of Forbidden Planet with CGI replacing “Robbie”, or perhaps a new Wizard of Oz with CGI instead of small people (that way, no political incorrectness), or even a new Gone With The Wind? Where will it end? Am I just over-sensitive, or do we need these remakes to replace tattered, outdated films and I just don’t get it?
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