The modern Film is extremely subjective; it is pretty common knowledge, though, that remakes fail to capture the magic that is captured by the original films, whether it’s through quality or people who are biased towards movie remakes. There are some exceptions, however.
Bad:
To understand the hate of remakes, people have to understand that the bar is set, and if a remake falls short, it is pretty damning. Some of the movies that are constantly looked down upon are because they missed the mark by not living up to the original. This can be chalked up to bad acting or just odd creative choices, all amplified by the fact that it has already been done better.
Point Break (2015):
Both the remake and the original thrive through great stunt work and choreography but the remake falls flat from the lack of charisma on camera. It is hard to follow Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, but in the remake the audience is treated to two cardboard cutouts as lead characters.
Rob Zombie’s Halloween(2007):
No genre is more guilty of bad remakes than Horror. John Carpenters’ Halloween was one of the first slashers and undoubtedly the most influential, the remake however by accomplished Musician and Filmmaker Rob Zombie was anything but. It followed the format that a Remake has to be bigger, bloodier and flashier. It achieved that but fell short of what the original could capture, so it wasn’t necessarily bad but just not as good.
The Wickerman(2006):
The Wickerman was a 1973 film about a police officer looking for a missing child on an island inhabited by a pagan community. Now imagine that but it’s with Nicholas Cage acting like he’s on drugs for an hour and a half.
Good:
It’s rare a movie remake can be as good as the original. However, there are some that are able to be inoffensive or maybe even better.
IT(2017):
IT was an overwhelmingly successful book so it was only a matter of time before it was adapted into film like many other Stephen King novels. The mini series in the 90’s was good but with technological advances in effects and a higher budget, IT (2017) was a welcome remake that was great.
The Thing(1982):
The Thing from another world was a great film and very advanced for its time but 30 years later John Carpenter made his version which is probably one of the greatest horror films ever made with groundbreaking effects and suspense.
Footloose(2011):
As stated before, film is subjective and Footloose was a very respectable remake that didn’t deviate from the original story but just made it more relevant to the twenty-first century. With a modern setting it was able to use genres like rap that weren’t as prominent at the time.
Overall the answer to the question “Can remakes be as good as the original” is yes. Even though it’s rare and some of the prejudice against remakes is warranted there are plenty of good remakes worth giving a chance.
(Disclaimer: these are opinions)
