Let's just start off with that I think most remakes are unnecessary. Just watch the original. It's a step down from a sequel, which is really done to progress the story further. It's a step up from a prequel (one of the stupidest terms we have to deal with), that is just a way to bore us to death with how we got to the first movie, which is now technically the second movie even though it was the original. There are enough books, plays, comic books, TV shows, toy brands, video games, social networks, and funny catch phrases out there that we shouldn't be seeing a swarm of remakes every year.
Don't get me wrong. Actually I don't care if you get me wrong. Sometimes a remake works and adds something new to an existing idea. This has happened once in the entire history of film. It was when Alfred Hitchcock remade his own movie The Man Who Knew Too Much.
That's not entirely true. There have been plenty of remakes that stood on their own and did a good job of modernizing the concept for current audiences. The horror genre is probably the one hit most by this. Just about every major horror movie I grew up with has been remade or is slated to be reimagined (another one of the stupidest terms we deal with). Some are able to update the general idea or even expand on it while most others confuse gore and CGI for a plot. Then there is the rare exception that does less than nothing. An example of this would be the remake of Psycho. What the hell was that? I felt like I was watching a film school experiment in shot-for-shot masturbation. Eventually we'll get to a point where people are watching the third or fourth remake of something. I can't wait for them to remake The Fly again.
I've come to the realization that the more you like a movie the more you should avoid its eventual remake. I love Red Dawn and there is no way in hell I'm going to watch the remake. Unless you can promise me that Jennifer Grey is somehow going to get gunned down there is nothing you can offer me I can't see in the original. I was pretty much indifferent to the original Halloween and didn't see it as the horror standard that it's been made out to be. So I was able to walk into the remake with no expectations.
Why is it generally accepted that a movie can be remade or reimagined? It's not done elsewhere. Sure there are cover songs and even cover bands, but it would be insane for some band to attempt to release a remake of Led Zeppelin II. It's ok for someone to remake The Birds, but lunacy for someone to rewrite Stephen King's The Stand. Why is one accepted and the other isn't? Another horrifying thought, what if we're not that far off from it? I know how to work a computer, I think I'm going to take a stab at rewriting Dune, but you know, make it more modern so more troglodytes can appreciate it. At some point aren't what we watching just plagiarism?
There are so many remakes that Wikipedia had to dedicate TWO pages to them all. Think about that.
If you weren't annoyed before, you just haven't been paying attention
