Remakes

Whether or not an old movie should be remade is an issue debated by critics and fans. Some will say updating a film from the past is a good idea. After all, a good story is always a good story. Others will say, "leave it alone, think of something new."

Obviously, some tales are pretty much untouchable. No one could imagine remaking "Gone With the Wind" or "Casablanca." (Well, maybe some could imagine it, but the backlash would be huge.) Horror films are always fit to be remade, as there will always be an audience for a good scary movie. However, as the remake of "Psycho" proved, you really should look to bring something new other than just new actors. Some complained that remaking the "classic" "Ocean's Eleven" was a desecration. Others argue the only thing that made the first a "classic" was the cast and there's no reason why the film itself couldn't be improved upon. Whether they did improve upon it is your own opinion.

I always think that there should be more attention to finding films that were good ideas, but flawed in some way. Fix the flaw and you will end up with a better film, one that no one can complain about. Another good angle would be to take a film that reflected the time period it was made and update it.

Three films always come to mind that fit this criteria. "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," "The Mouse That Roared" and "They Might Be Giants."

Imagine "Liberty Valance" as an inner city gang story, where a young man has acquired a reputation for something he didn't do, then must face the aftermath.

The initial turning point of "The Mouse That Roared" could be NYC conducting a "terrorist drill" that coincides with the small country's "invasion." Then have New Yorkers think that being a part of another country might just take care of any future terrorist threat because the terrorists wouldn't have any bone to pick with the new rulers, who would find that ruling New Yorkers is a daunting task.

"They Might Be Giants" is a little-seen film about a wealthy man who believes he's Sherlock Holmes. His family wants to gain control of his fortune, so they hire a doctor, whose name happens to be Watson, to spend time with him and declare him mentally incapacitated. However, the more time Watson spends with the man, the more she comes to believe that, while he might not be Holmes, his suspicions about a criminal enterprise run by a man named Moriarty just might have some foundation. The ending of the original film is a bit weak and someone could have a lot of fun with the particulars of the plot while also improving the end.

To me, remakes can be a good thing. You just have to find the right films to remake.