Movies that should be re made

edited April 2014 in General Movies & TV Posts: 2,341
I have been pretty nasty in my comments regarding the flux of remakes, sequels, and super hero films. At the risk of contradicting myself, I usually find remakes to be a waste of time as some timeless classics should never be touched. For example, King Kong, Psycho, Gone with The Wind to name a few.

Some films were so messed up that a re make would be a good idea and make for a more entertaining film. I have two now that I feel need to be redone:

The Running Man This 1988 hogwash starring Arnold was a slam on TV and just basically full of crap. The book by Stephen King written as Richard Bachman is quite good and very different. In the book, Ben Richards is a small meek man. He gets on the show to make more money to feed his family. The stalkers are not carricatures of super villains, but plain clothes guys who use detective tactics to find the runners. When they find them they calll in the SWAT team and blow them away. Surely Hollywood could redo this. A remake staying true to the novel would be appreciated.

For some reason Hollywood has always mishandled Stephen King material. Green Mile and Cujo (despite the sugar coated Hollywood ending to the latter) remain the exceptions.

Ghost Story When I read this book in 1980 I thought it was the scariest book I had ever read. I was excited to see the film when it came out in late 1981 and man, was I disappointed. I thought WTF did they do to Peter Straub's great story? Perhpas with a larger budget, better cast and script that stays more to the novel would be very entertaining.

These are the only two I can think of, would be interested in hearing your nominations, comments.
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Comments

  • Posts: 6,396
    OHMSS69 wrote:

    For some reason Hollywood has always mishandled Stephen King material. Green Mile and Cujo (despite the sugar coated Hollywood ending to the latter) remain the exceptions.

    What about The Shining, Stand By Me, Carrie, Shawshank Redemption? I think they're all outstanding films.

  • Posts: 14,800
    I agree some bad movies should be remade, but technically the ones you mention would have movies adapted from the same source material, not be remakes per se. Although I agree sometimes the line is thin.
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 2,341
    @WillyGalore
    Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me are both good and rank with Cujo and The
    Green Mile.

    I hated The Shining by Stanley Kubrick starring Jack Nicholson. That film stands as the poster child of how Hollywood fraks up Stephen KIng.
    Shelly (can't recall her last name ) was not right for the part of Wendy and Scatman Crothers was not good enought to be Hallorran. Also why kill him off? In the book he saved the day.

    Carrie (1976) directed by Brian DePalma, yes, that Brian DePalma who brought us sexy thrillers and Scarface in the 1980's. Carrie was not one of his better films. I have not seen the remake that recently came out. How as it? Better I presume...
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 6,396
    But I love Kubrick's take on it. And actually he did a far better job of it that King himself, who filmed a mini series back in the 90's. It was horrible. King woithout doubt is a brilliant horror writer, but when it comes to adapting his own work, he's simply terrible.

    Oh, and I'll throw Misery into the brilliant films list too. Don't know how I missed that one.
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 14,800
    Kubrick used the novel as a starting point, he had no intention to make a faithful adaptation of the novel. Halloran was killed because Kubrick did not want a positivist ending when someone saves the day and evil redeems itself. The movie ends with the innocent escaping the monster, after the Overlook claimed yet another victim (Halloran) and with Jack Torrance prisoner of his own madness, frozen dead in a maze (brilliant metaphor).
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 6,396
    Ludovico wrote:
    Kubrick used the novel as a starting point, he had no intention to make a faithful adaptation of the novel. Halloran was killed because Kubrick did not want a positivist ending when someone saves the day and evil redeems itself. The movie ends with the innocent escaping the monster, after the Overlook claimed yet another victim (Halloran) and with Jack Torrance prisoner of his own madness, frozen dead in a maze (brilliant metaphor).

    Couldn't have summed it up better myself. Only Kubrick could make random title cards "Tuesday", "Saturday" (which have aboslutely no meaning) and a child riding a tricycle across carpet and a wooden floor so utterly terrifying.
  • QsAssistantQsAssistant All those moments lost in time... like tears in rain
    Posts: 1,812
    Ghost Rider
    Love the character but the first movie wasn't good at all and the second was just dull.

    Dead Or Alive
    Love the video games but the movie wasn't what DOA should've been... even though I thought the film was a bit fun.

    Street Fighter[/b%
  • Posts: 14,800
    The Howling series. Not so much because the first one was bad, it was great and in many ways superior to the original novel, but the sequels were dreadful. They could turn it into some kind of epic horror series based on werewolves.
  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    Ghost Rider
    Love the character but the first movie wasn't good at all and the second was just dull.

    The first was f*cking gold compared to the second. I took back every hateful thing I said about the first film once I saw the second. Thank God the rights have been reverted back to Marvel, and they can do their own, faithful take on the character.

    I want either a remake or another sequel to Under Siege. We need some new "Die Hard on a [blank]" movies these days.
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 2,341
    Ghost Rider
    Love the character but the first movie wasn't good at all and the second was just dull.

    The first was f*cking gold compared to the second. I took back every hateful thing I said about the first film once I saw the second. Thank God the rights have been reverted back to Marvel, and they can do their own, faithful take on the character.

    I want either a remake or another sequel to Under Siege. We need some new "Die Hard on a [blank]" movies these days.

    Nicholas Cage is just not all that great and was miscast.

    @Ludovico Great idea. Howling had so much potential but looks like Hollywood just never appreciated what they had a hold to. They failed to take it seriously back in the 1980's. "You grew up in LA, this is the country. The wildest thing you ever heard was Wolfman Jack." I loved that line. lol
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 2,341
    (((
  • QsAssistantQsAssistant All those moments lost in time... like tears in rain
    edited April 2014 Posts: 1,812
    Ghost Rider
    Love the character but the first movie wasn't good at all and the second was just dull.

    Dead Or Alive
    Love the video games but the movie wasn't what DOA should've been... even though I thought the film was a bit fun.

    Street Fighter[/b%

    WTH??? It only posted half my post...

    Street Fighter
    Lets pretend the first never happened and while the second was a thousand times better it still wasn't what Street Fighter deserved.

    Tomb Raider
    Never liked the first one as a kid and I still don't, the second is much worse. Lara was miscast.
  • Posts: 2,400
    As far as Bond movies go, YOLT and TMWTGG are the most deserving of a re-do. Two of the best Bond novels reduced to campfests and, in the case of the latter, a despicable piece of cinema.
  • Posts: 14,800
    @OHMSS69-Thanks. In fact, thinking about it, there are a lot of movie franchises I would keep the original untouched, but do remakes of the sequels. Halloween comes to my mind. The original was perfect, but none of the sequels match it in quality, and the less of Zombie's travesty the better. Even now, something could be done, keeping the original intact, and making a true Halloween 2 faithful to its spirit.
  • Posts: 2,341
    As far as Bond movies go, YOLT and TMWTGG are the most deserving of a re-do. Two of the best Bond novels reduced to campfests and, in the case of the latter, a despicable piece of cinema.

    YOLT would have to follow the novel more where a moody, avenging Bond goes to Japan and meets Ernst and Irma Bunt, dealing out just deserts to the two who killed his wife.

    TMWTGG could have a more serious tone, have Scaramanga taking out 00's around the world and Bond is next on his hit list...
    Ludovico wrote:
    @OHMSS69-Thanks. In fact, thinking about it, there are a lot of movie franchises I would keep the original untouched, but do remakes of the sequels. Halloween comes to my mind. The original was perfect, but none of the sequels match it in quality, and the less of Zombie's travesty the better. Even now, something could be done, keeping the original intact, and making a true Halloween 2 faithful to its spirit.

    The first Halloween is near flawless. It deserved a better sequel. Why the need for a higher body count in these sequels? Concentrate on the mood, suspense and creepiness of the first film.
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 1,637
    Jaws (oh , it's gonna happen so no point to piss & moan.....to see it based more on the book would be an interesting take , mrs Brody/Hooper affair , mayor owing $ to mobsters etc. It could be decent if they put some effort into it script wise)

    Police Academy remake or PA8 ?

    Chris Reeve was offered Running Man btw........
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 2,341
    I must say that the remake of the cult classic The Wicker Man was crap. I found the original with Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee from 1973 very disturbing. The remake with Nick Cage was just cagey...no pun intended. No, pun is intended.

    @Tracy Jaws is another timeless classic and they should keep their paws off of it. Re Reeve being offered The Running Man, he probably read that horse shit script and declined.
  • Posts: 1,478
    As an original Bond fan, I have no problem with remaking a couple of the films. We've had six Bonds, the series re-booted a couple of times, non-Fleming novels that re-invent Bond as the whim of the continuation author. And let's not forget the first Bond film appeared 52 years ago. It's impossible to determine any kind of chronology or Bond history at this point. By all means, revisit some of those films that missed the opportunity Fleming provided. Let's start with "You Only Live Twice, Twice."

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Ghost Rider
    Love the character but the first movie wasn't good at all and the second was just dull.

    The first was f*cking gold compared to the second. I took back every hateful thing I said about the first film once I saw the second. Thank God the rights have been reverted back to Marvel, and they can do their own, faithful take on the character.

    I liked the first, the second was a disaster. Would not mind a proper GR film from Marvel, more true to the comics.

  • Posts: 14,800
    People should not mistake remakes and adaptation from the same source.
  • Posts: 498
    Has anyone seen Theater of Blood with Vincent Price and Diana Rigg? I want that movie to be remade (as a comedy this time) starring Kenneth Branagh. It would be AMAZING.

    Also I think a Soylent Green remake, if done right, could be a very good film. I enjoyed the original quite a bit, but the futuristic scenes do look a bit dated by now.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    jackdagger wrote:
    Has anyone seen Theater of Blood with Vincent Price and Diana Rigg? I want that movie to be remade (as a comedy this time) starring Kenneth Branagh. It would be AMAZING.

    My favourite Vincent Price film, I pray that there will not be a remake, ever.
  • Posts: 9,731
    Tracy wrote:
    Jaws (oh , it's gonna happen so no point to piss & moan.....to see it based more on the book would be an interesting take , mrs Brody/Hooper affair , mayor owing $ to mobsters etc. It could be decent if they put some effort into it script wise)

    Police Academy remake or PA8 ?

    Chris Reeve was offered Running Man btw........

    Not Jaws however Jaws 3 should be remade.. Hear me out the Setting (seaworld) and Idea was brilliant the execution was well piss poor.

  • Posts: 12,506
    For some reason and I do not know why? But? I would really love to see a much darker version of "Street Fighter".
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 1,280
    Honey I Shrunk the Kids

    Use the same actors in older roles to give them a career-boost that's better than Dancing with the Stars or Strictly Come Dancing....and they'll be cheaper to use than most big name actors today in addition to their previous experience in acting.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    Honey I Shrunk the Kids

    Use the same actors in older roles to give them a career-boost that's better than Dancing with the Stars or Strictly Come Dancing....and they'll be cheaper to use than most big name actors today in addition to their previous experience in acting.

    This is a joke, right?
  • Posts: 14,800
    Hawk the Slayer. The original movie was cheap and really, really bad. But nowadays, with the renewed interest in medieval fantasy, what with Game of Thrones and The Hobbit, it could be remade into something actually decent, maybe even good. Save the basic story, more or less, make a better casting, write better dialogues, better budget, develop the world a little more and you might have something. It might even warrant a sequel the original never had.
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 7,653
    jackdagger wrote:
    Also I think a Soylent Green remake, if done right, could be a very good film. I enjoyed the original quite a bit, but the futuristic scenes do look a bit dated by now.

    They remade Omega man with that piece of dung with Will Smith.

    Soylent Green is one of those movies that cannot be remade sensible, add Will Smith and some action and you got another stinker.

    I am still waiting for a remake of the Fantomas books.

  • Posts: 14,800
    Oh I'd LOVE a good Fantomas movie or tv series, faithful to the books. But that would not be a remake, rather an adaptation from another medium.
  • Posts: 7,653
    Ludovico wrote:
    Oh I'd LOVE a good Fantomas movie or tv series, faithful to the books. But that would not be a remake, rather an adaptation from another medium.

    If you go back to 1913, the books were immortalised by Louis Feuillade for the cinema.

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