In general, do you prefer original/older versions of movies, or the latest remakes?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by GuildX700, Jan 27, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. GroovyGuy

    GroovyGuy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Halifax, NS Canada
    Overall I prefer the originals versus the remakes. That said, sometimes I enjoy both as the remake may have a different "vibe" than the original. Based on that, I can count on one hand the remakes I like as much as the originals with "Oceans 11" being one of them ;)
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  2. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    I think this is a silly question as it really is a case by case thing and you have to judge each films on its own merits. So anyone that says any 'rule' is wrong, IMO.

    Ben Hur was a remake. Scarface was a remake. The three key sci-fi films of the late 70's/early 80's - The Thing, Fly, Invasion of the Bodysnatchers - all remakes. Would anyone take the old Captain America films over the new ones? I could go on and on.

    Bad remakes stick in the memory far easier than the good ones.

    It's very simple - the remake is either good or bad, nothing more.
     
    Jazzmonkie and Pete Puma like this.
  3. I generally prefer originals. I didn't mind remakes on occassion, but then they decided every movie needs remade.
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  4. Luvtemps

    Luvtemps Forum Resident

    Location:
    P.G.County,Md.
    Rules say leave the classic alone,and I agree,but once in a while somebody gets it right and respectful-The Magnificent Seven-King Kong.
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  5. Higlander

    Higlander Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Florida, Central
    It depends.....
    Many times very old originals are seen as best, partially cause of the vibe of old movies.
    Nothing can replicate and old looking B+W movie and that vintage look.

    Of course it has to be good also, but many old movies are classics partially just on being old.
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  6. BILLONEEG

    BILLONEEG Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    I prefer the originals of the movies I like if the movies are well done from the beginning. I don't follow sales numbers to determine what I like because promotion techniques are so refined that a film dud could be promoted as an Oscar worthy great film.
    I am open to seeing remakes if they are able to update the story without disrespecting the original classic. If they are able to retell the story by expanding on the original film's story, that could possibly make it a better film. I'd be willing to watch it open minded.
    I also believe there are some film classics that shouldn't be remade. "Gone With The Wind", "Citizen Kane", "West Side Story" are three examples.
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  7. The only remakes that I like are 1977 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, 1980 The Thing and the 2004/2009 Battlestar Galactica series remake. For the rest, give me the original thing.
    The last remake I watched was Flatliners. I saw the original at the cinema and I quite liked it, I find the remake dumb and with a terrible cast except for Ellen Page who saves, upto a certain point, the movie.
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  8. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    Original over remake, almost every time.
     
    beat_truck and GuildX700 like this.
  9. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    I'm thinking of The Parent Trap-I like both versions. But most remakes feel like just cash-in attempts. Well, D.O.A.'s newer version was good, though the 1949 version has a certain freneticism about it that I found unique. Then you have stuff like La Femme Nikita, redone into English not as well I felt.

    How do the original language films of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo etc compare to the English ones? And are they available subtitled?
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  10. Khaki F

    Khaki F Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kenosha, WI. USA
    I've only seen the first in the series, but I prefer it. And yes, it's available with subtitles.
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  11. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    They are ok but the plot gets very silly. The first is one of those occasions where the US version improves upon the original. Rooney Mara is a far better actress (and more true to the book) and David Fincher is perhaps the best director around these days, so anything he does he elevates. He excels at these types of stories as well. Plus a far better supporting cast, better soundtrack etc.

    It's a real shame he didn't get to do the other two. For me the original is 7/10 where as the remake is 9.5/10.
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  12. cboldman

    cboldman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hamilton, OH USA
    I take it personally when they remake films that I saw in the theater the first time around (Planet Of the Apes, Willy Wonka,etc.) because it suggests that I’m ancient.
     
    kch27, apesfan, altaeria and 2 others like this.
  13. Dr. Pepper

    Dr. Pepper What, me worry?

    Depends on how far back you go. Often a classic 1940s movie may be a remake of a silent film. I like sound, so for me a movie made from the 1940s or 1950s with classic stars like Stewart, Fonda, Peck, and such is probably going to be my favorite
     
    apesfan and GuildX700 like this.
  14. GLENN

    GLENN Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kingsport,TN, USA
    I feel your pain. I think the worst offender is The Three Musketeers. There have been at least three versions released in my movie-going lifetime, the first being the one by Richard Lester. Needless to say, it had already been remade several times before that.
     
  15. Rachael Bee

    Rachael Bee Miembra muy loca

    Isn't worse than that? I seem to recall a Four Musketeers flick, not to mention any mice that wanted in on the 'teer game.... ;)
     
  16. Django

    Django Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    I almost always prefer the original, flaws & all. Example, the planet of the apes films. I'd take the original run over the newer ones any day.
     
    apesfan and GuildX700 like this.
  17. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Yup, I can't stomach the new ones. I have the full case blu ray set of the original, love em.
     
    apesfan likes this.
  18. aussievinyl

    aussievinyl Appreciator Of Creative Expression

    In general, I'm not a fan of remakes, but only because each remake is one less chance for a new story to be shared with the world.
    That said, it is a strange thing to explain - I want a remake with established characters to be the same (as in STAR TREK), but I don't want them to change it too much. Of course, it's likely to change and improve if it's a sci-fi by having better special effects, but will the script be good? Should I spend my money on it?
    I like both versions of TRUE GRIT and the recent PLANET OF THE APES films, if that means anything.
    The A-TEAM remake was great, for example - action packed, funny, well shot, good acting - but it did badly..no sequels there, which I assume studios want.
    I wasn't a big fan of the TV show, but that meant I could enjoy it fresh, so I wasn't going to be a b*tching fanboy.
    I see that Liam Neeson is going to be starring in a film called 'Philip Marlowe', which sounds good - will it be a period film, or modern in setting?
    I've seen Bogart and Mitchum portray this character (enjoying both) and even though technically it's a 'remake', that term may apply to the character only if the plot's not from a Chandler book. I don't want to know much about it, which as film fans know, requires some effort nowadays.
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  19. beat_truck

    beat_truck Forum Resident

    Location:
    SW PA
    There are a handful of remakes that I like, but most of them are just abominations trying to cash in on the name of the original.
     
    ohnothimagen and GuildX700 like this.
  20. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    99% original 1% remake...
     
  21. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    there are a few but I am hard pressed to remember them...
     
  22. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    I can enjoy a remake but, it's just a caveat to the original...
     
  23. white wolf

    white wolf Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I can't really think of any remakes that I like as much as an original.
     
  24. Jackson

    Jackson Senior Member

    Location:
    MA, USA
    I rarely if ever prefer, or even like a remake, same goes for sequels. The last one I remember liking is probably “ The Postmen Always Rings Twice”.
     
  25. The Wanderer

    The Wanderer Seeker of Truth

    Location:
    NYC
    When the re-make is just piggy-backing on the original - the original usually prevails.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine