2010 Movies in the Remaking

This year has become a huge year for remakes and it brings up the issue of whether movie remakes are necessary. A lot of remakes can't live up to the original because classics are classics for a reason. A timeless movie does not need to be remade because it is TIMELESS. But retelling a classic story so that it appeals to the modern generation could be refreshing and exciting to see how cinematography and graphics have changed. To determine how necessary it is to remake a classic film, we have to look at each of them individually. Does Hollywood really care to reestablish these classics or have they lost their originality and are looking to make money ?

'Clash of the Titans' is due to come out next month, 29 years after the original. Relative to how graphics have developed in that amount of time, it could be due for a remaking; however, any middle aged movie buff or older will still remember 'Clash of the Titans' coming out in 1981. Graphics have improved but that doesn't mean a remake is necessary. What is interesting about the "new" 'Clash of the Titans' is the change of plot (and this is judging by the trailer). The original was about Perseus (Harry Hamlin) who unknowingly ticks off Thetis (Maggie Smith) so Thetis punishes him by putting him in this random city where he falls in love with Andromeda (Judi Bowker). Andromeda was supposed to marry Thetis' deformed son, so Thetis gets even more pissed off and wants to kill Andromeda. Keep in mind it was all Thetis' fault for putting Perseus in a situation where he would meet Andromeda. So Perseus, for the love of the woman he just met, sets out to do a bunch of stuff so that he can save her. All while the king of gods, Zeus (Laurence Oliver), is going along with Thetis instead of smacking her and telling her to respect his authoritah! So my point is that this plot doesn't make much sense to someone like me who is of a younger generation. This is interesting because it appears that the remake has a less fickle Zeus played by Liam Neeson and Perseus (Sam Worthington) is on a quest to save humanity from the wrath of the Gods. These days, simple love stories are just not as appealing. And I find that very interesting, so that is why I'm looking foward to seeing the remake.

'A Nightmare on Elmstreet' was first released in 1984 and the remake is expected to hit theaters this summer. With the Halloween and Jason movies being brought back to life, it is no surprise that Freddie would come next. Jackie Earle Haley, who played Rorschach in 'Watchmen', will be playing Freddie Krueger. Why is this remake necessary? Same basic reason as 'Clash of the Titans'. There is a new standard for fear because teens just aren't as easy to scare as they used to be. Looking back at old Freddie Krueger movies, they are cheesy and boring and Freddie Krueger is a classical character who needs to be brought back to life and that is only possible if he is scary.

'Death at a Funeral' is an upcoming remake of a film by the same name... released in 2007. Why would they remake a three year old film? I'm seriously asking, because I can't think of a single reason. This remake is not necessary. It might be a good movie but that doesn't change anything because the original did pretty well.

Jeff Bridges returns to the game world of TRON as Kevin Flynn in 'Tron Legacy'. 'Tron Legacy' is a sequel to the 1982 'Tron' but many are considering it a remake because it targets younger generations regardless of whether they've seen 'Tron' which means the movies are not entirely dependent on each other. For its time, 'Tron' seemed like a much bigger impossibility; now the technology seems less than a decade away. This is a perfect movie for 3D!

'The Crazies' was recently released, 37 years after the original. The movie was shot not far from where I live so I felt inclined to see it and I did like it. Was it worth remaking? Well it is old and I've never heard of it, so sure.

'The Karate Kid' is back with Jackie Chan playing Mr. Han, who replaces Mr. Miyagi from the 1984 original. This version takes place in China instead of Japan which means it should be called The Kung Fu Kid if it intends on being entirely accurate. Will Smith's son, Jaden Smith, plays the kid, Dre Parker. Han is a very common Chinese name and Dre Parker isn't all that creative of a name either, but I wouldn't sell this one too short. It actually looks like a pretty good movie. It looks like they tried to change it up so that the movie's story concept and title are the only things similar to the 1984 original.

'Predators' is another upcoming movie that is more like a sequel than a remake, but because it plans on cleaning the slate of 'Predator 2' and the AVP movies, we can consider it a remake. The producers wanted to bring Arnold Schwarzasdfsger back into the series but from what I can see, that isn't happening. You can see from the title that it paradies the 'Alien' and 'Aliens' names. This is because, for the first time ever, the movie will take place on the Predator's planet. 'Predator 2' wasn't that bad or anything, but it would be nice to see a Predator movie that is as great as the first so the series can finally be as good as the Alien series.

There are a lot of other remakes coming out soon like 'RoboCop', 'Total Recall', 'Piranha', 'When Worlds Collide', 'The Wolfman', and so on. It is impossible to find a list of them all. 'Alice in Wonderland' has been remade for the fifth time and there is a rumor that 'The Thing' will have a third remake. Rumors of a 'Child's Play' remake have been spreading, hopefully they'll go deeper into the killer's past before he became a doll. The Three Stooges might have a come back with new actors taking over. The Spider-man series is starting over with Logan Lerman as Peter Parker. Good choice! As much as I love Tobey Maquire, starting the series over doesn't seem like that bad of an idea. Will these remakes live up to the classics? We'll find out.