Should We Leave Classic Films Alone?

When it comes to the classic film world, have there been recreations that were amazing? Sure. Heat, Scarface, The Departed, and Ocean’s Eleven were all fantastic representations of the original with a modern flare. But there are some serious duds in the category as well. In fact, more often than not, this is the case. After watching the eternal suckfest that was the remake of Dirty Dancing with its abysmal acting and horrific variations from the original plot, a lot of people started the rally cry for Hollywood to leave a good thing alone.

With announcements abounding regarding the remake of several classic films, including Jaws, movie watchers are up in arms about Hollywood’s desperate ripping off of fantastic material. These remakes have sparked a passionate debate about whether or not the powers that be in the movie business should just leave well enough alone.

Really? You Want to Remake That?

Some of the movies that are rumored to be in pre-production make sense. Jaws was a major blockbuster and the technology is so much better now, they could certainly make a better version (NO.). Mary Poppins is a family favorite that features the beautifully golden voice of Julie Andrews, but she can’t sing anymore, so they should probably remake that one. But remaking Soapdish? Come on!
Every day, there are hundreds of should’ve, could’ve, would’ve people penning scripts that may have potential. There are screenwriters with incredible ideas that have been greenlit, only to have funding pulled just as the movie was about to be made. Novels with amazing narratives line the shelves of libraries collecting dust. Yet Hollywood keeps hijacking their own material.

There are rumors of plans to remake The Craft. Was it a high school flick about a bunch Catholic school girls dabbling in witchcraft? Yes, and part of its allure was the amazing Fairuza Balk. She delivered a flawless performance as a white trash budding psychopath. Does that movie really need a second installment or a complete redo? It’s not going to do for the original what Disturbia did for Rear Window and it’s probably just going to massive multi-million dollar reason for a head slap.

Among others slated for remaking: Police Academy, White Men Can’t Jump, and Splash. Yes, Splash, because that needed to be seen again.

Are We Out of Ideas?

All of these remakes beg the question: are we out of ideas? They can’t be. A group of four people could sit around a table and come up with five different movie ideas that would be better than a remake of Splash. Hey, Hollywood! If you’re running low on content, watch the news and make movies about that. Read a good book and become inspired, but please, leave the classic movies alone.
Sure, the live action version of Disney cartoons have been ultimately incredibly successful and they could be added to the list under the heading of remakes. This is partially correct, as these studios are taking known content, changing VERY little, and making real live people bring our favorite characters to life. However, the studios seem to be committed to making sure they honor the original in the recreation and that isn’t the case with the films that have been reproduced recently.

The original Red Dawn was released during the tail end of the Soviet fear era and a scrappy group of teenagers fought off a terrorist regime, thus preventing World War III. To be fair, a one lined synopsis such as that one, cheapens the successfulness of the original film. It was good and Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Gray, Lea Thompson, and C. Thomas Howell KILLED their performances. It wasn’t a critical favorite, nor did it make a boatload of money but the movie has become a cult classic and a lot of people were dismayed by the idea of a remake. It just didn’t need to be done.

All of these huge remakes that Hollywood is revving up to make have the majority of movie goers asking the same question. WHY?