Remake Of A Remake Of A Remake

Nothing ever changes. 
Well at least when it comes to the wonderful world of film, and the people who embrace that lifestyle.

As soon as you bring up (for one second) the idea of remaking a movie to the masses, their reaction is usually swift and eloquent: WE HATE IT.

Particularly if that movie is one that is loved and adored by most of its audience.

In any case, I will speak for the minority here and say that I, Ryan Taplin, hereby state that I love remakes and I am onboard for a remake of any film if the filmmakers in question can present a fresh, new look at the film and create something that is worth remaking in the first place.

Alright so I'll admit that every remake of every movie isn't brilliant (The Lake House (2006), Alice In Wonderland (2010))
Some of them in fact can be downright stupid and pointless (Friday the 13th (2009), The Amityville Horror (2005), The Heartbreak Kid (2007)).

Yet it's pretty uncommon to see a remake (or reboot) be created and not have its road through production be one that's met with anger and friction from people in the film community.

Why is this? Why can't remakes just be made without everyone's objection?

One of the reasons is because these people have associated certain memories with these films, and the idea that someone is remaking the films in question (or rebooting them), would in essence, rob them of their memories, demean them in someway.

A perfect example of this concept would be the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. Now I was reading this article on the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, and to be honest, the guy seemed a little weird. His reasons for why the Prequel Trilogy was better than the Original Trilogy were a little bizarre. But it's okay. That's his opinion.

Now if there's anyone out there who's unfamiliar with Star Wars and its films, I offer you this virtual bottle of sunscreen to protect you from those harmful UV's now that you're no longer living under a rock.

Star Wars: Episodes IV-VI were the brain-child of filmmaker George Lucas. The original trilogy came out in 1977-1983. Now there was news in the early 1990's that Lucas was planning a return to that universe, and fans everywhere were freaking out, but in a good way. Geeks, critics, and yes, even women were excited to see what George Lucas had in store for the next adventure in that galaxy far, far away. News came that Lucas was planning a "Prequel Trilogy", which would transport audiences to the story of Anakin Skywalker, the boy who would eventually succomb to the dark side and become the evil Darth Vader.

"Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" was coming to theaters in 1999.

OH MY GOD.

There was so much positive hype, and so much anticipation (in retrospect it would have impossible for the film to live up to the expectations that were put on it).

And then "Episode I" came out.

And people, for the most part, were pissed.

They despised Jar Jar Binks.
They hated the Gungans.
They loathed Jake Lloyd who played "Anakin Skywalker".
They had a problem with the dialogue.

And the other two Star Wars prequels were met with similar friction.

Some people were saying that George Lucas had, and I quote, "raped my childhood".
That's a pretty intense reaction for a trilogy of movies, don't you think?

But for them it was more than just a movie, Star Wars represented something else entirely, it was memories.
Pure and simple, these people had grown up loving their precious Star Wars, and now George Lucas had gone and F***ed that up for them.

Now let it be known that (and I'll use my whisper voice), I actually like the Star Wars prequels.

"Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" is actually my favorite Star Wars film (GASP!)

Yeah. I said it.

And it's okay, because it's an opinion.

An opinion that doesn't "rape people's childhoods".

Now like I said, I think that the Star Wars Prequels is a perfect example of the consensus of reaction when a filmmaker attempts to re-imagine a film that they feel could use an update.

But can you imagine the reaction if I said, "Hey you know what they should do? They should REMAKE Star Wars!"

People would freak out. They would call me a blasphemer. Like a leper,
I would be cast out from among them for even dreaming
that someone could remake (or reboot) Star Wars.

But in all honesty, I think that someone should.

I think that universe would COMPLETLEY benefit from a facelift from a different director with a fresh new take on the franchise.

Case in point: "Star Trek" (2009).

I'm not sure if you saw that movie, but it was completely awesome.
I mean seriously.

And I hated the "Star Trek" franchise up until that point.
But with a fresh new director, and an awesome script, they were able to take a dying franchise and resurrect it into something that was one of the best action films I'd ever seen.
Not to mention it was arguably the best Star Trek movie ever made.

The point is: it can be done.
All you need is a great story and a whole lot of lovin' from the people involved.

Remakes (or Reboots) can be GREAT.

There are some movies that are considered classics that are actually remakes.

For instance, did you know that the 2006 Best Picture Winner "The Departed" was a remake?

What about "Scarface (1983)" or "The Ring (2002)" or
"Cape Fear (1991)" or "Heat (1995) or "Ocean's Eleven (2001)"?

The list goes on and on.

I'm not afraid to embrace remakes of movies, and you shouldn't be either.
Remakes have the ability to provide a fresh take on something that might otherwise be outdated.
Just don't be so hard on filmmakers when they say they want to remake a movie, whether it's a modern sci-fi classic or it's your favorite movie of all-time.

Try to approach that proposed movie with a fresh and open mindset.
See that film as a piece of entertainment that's meant to do just that:
Entertain.