Movie Remakes: Good Versus Bad

The Bad

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The 2006 remake of The Pink Panther starring Steve Martin and Beyonce was a huge box office smash, raking in $159 million. However, most seasoned movie goers know that the amount of money accumulated by a movie does not necessarily guarantee a good film experience. Since Beyonce wears her usual skin tight, sparkling wardrobe, it is easy to guess that she could be the reason behind the decent money and subsequent sequel rather than the so-so goofy, over the hill comedic style of Steve Martin and the random plot of the remake.

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The original 1975 movie version of The Stepford Wives was a breakthrough statement on the status of women during the seventies and the relation to the feminist movement. Many viewers of the first film at the time of its release talked about how it gave them chills. However, the 2004 version starring Nicole Kidman was more of a revolutionary flop than a social statement. The remake lost the potency of showing the cookie cutter image of women in the suburbs to something to be laughed about as goofy rather than the horrible truth that it is.

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The original Dukes of Hazzard show was a huge success in its time. It featured a feisty hot chick, fun car stunts, and a sort of Robin Hood take on the good hometown boys taking on the greedy authority figures. The 2005 movie that sought to bring the franchise back to life actually sucked the life right out of it. While they kept the leaping car stunts and hot eye candy in the form of Jessica Simpson, there was hardly any plot which a viewer might actually be able to follow.

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The early and mid 2000 boom of Jude Law made people think any film with him in it would be a sure fire hit. However, Jude seemed to bite off more than he could chew when he chose to star in a remake of the Michael Caine 1966 movie of the same title. The original was rough, sexy, and almost gritty in its look on bachelor life. Jude’s sweet looks seemed to have worn off on the remake to make the 2004 Alfie as a lighter, sweeter version. While it’s good on its own, the remake doesn’t compare to the power of the original.

The Questionable

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The original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that had Gene Wilder as the eccentric Willy Wonka made the Roald Dahl books around this candy filled wonderland immortal. Today, people still like to watch the older version with their children as a family movie. However, some people felt it could use a good revamping. Tim Burton decided to tackle the monumental task and tried his hardest to sever any ties to the original by focusing more closely to the books with a silly-weird Wonka as opposed to a creepy-funny one. Some people did not like such a big diversion from the original film, but those who bothered to read the books and give the remake a chance of its own generally were surprised at its unique vision.

Author: Brooke Windsor — Copyrighted © roadtickle.com