Judgment Time: Originals vs. Remakes - Round 4
Well, I’ve just about run out of remakes and reboots that I’ve seen both the originals and the newer versions of, so this will be my final round of ‘Originals vs. Remakes’ (for now). This time around, it’s all bad. Though some of these modern versions tried really hard to produce something noteworthy and a few even managed to come out as minor successes, in the end the first was always the greatest. So without further ado, read on to receive my judgment.
Godzilla (1954) vs. Godzilla (1998) -
In truth, just the fact that the newer Godzilla came out in 1998 is not the only reason that the remake was far inferior to the original. The franchise had been leaking steam for many years and some American movie company trying to make a few bucks didn’t change things much. The biggest problem with the 1998, Matthew Broderick-starring incarnation was that it was in no way a proper Godzilla film. The very first Godzilla flick was cheesy and campy and the monster was a guy in a ridiculous rubber suit, but the film was made for a reason. It was, at its core, much more than a giant monster flick, if for no other reason than there really were no giant monster flicks at the time. Godzilla was about apocalyptic destruction. In 1998, they made it about a giant monster that destroys
My final judgment - Don’t even bother with the 1998 version. Complete waste of time.
The Wicker Man (1973) vs. The Wicker Man (2006) -
I ended up seeing the first version of this film almost by force. It did not sound like something I would want to watch, but, alas, it was the only thing on (quite literally). As it turns out, the 1973 Wicker Man is a truly creepy film. More than that, there’s an ambiguous message that keeps it from being generally thrown into the horror genre. There are messages of religion and society all throughout the movie and when the “good guy” finally gets his due, you’re left with a smile on your face. The new flick, in stark contrast, is an attempt to take what the original had to say and make it simpler for people to digest. The island-dwellers are, at their core, bad people who live a strange lifestyle that demands murder. The only thing good that came of the 2006 Wicker Man was Nicholas Cage’s amazing “Not the bees!” scene, a performance truly worthy of an Oscar.
My final judgment - Watch the original if you like strange, cultish films. If you even see a copy of the new flick, bury it in the earth and pray that no one finds it. The folks at Rotten Tomatoes actually got this one right, giving the first a 90% critical rating and the second an atrocious 15%.
Bad Lieutenant (1992) vs. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call
Another remake that Nicholas Cage managed to destroy, Bad Lieutenant was a movie that simply did not need a second go. The original performance of Harvey Keitel was so utterly disturbing that it made the movie - which was good but not great - into a cult classic. The first flick was about a guy that was a complete waste of space, a corrupt piece of a corrupt law system. With the 2009 version, the movie became little more than a strange and surreal light show. Oddly enough, the newer version was directed by Werner Herzog, who has previously made some good flicks. This time around, however, he does little to capture the essence of the original. Of course, it may have been Cage’s acting that destroyed the film… I wouldn’t rule that out as a possibility.
My final judgment - See the first one if you’re into dark and screwed up drama flicks. See the second one if the first one makes you curious enough.
The Producers (1968) vs. The Producers (2005) -
The first incarnation of The Producers is a Mel Brooks film. With that said, you can understand that it is impossible to do any better than he did and that every remake from here to eternity will be a pale comparison. Thus, when this Broadway musical-turned-movie was redone in 2005, it could not hold a candle. The cast tries to do a good job and, being an adaptation, the scripts are nearly identical, but it’s all about delivery. Watching the newer version of The Producers did little other than want me want to go rewatch Brooks’ version. It’s like day old soda, with all the fizz gone out of it.
My final judgment - Watch the first one for sure. The second? If you’re a huge fan of the musical in general, it’s always fun to see what other people do with it, but otherwise don’t bother.
Photo Credits -
Godzilla courtesy of ghostradio.wordpress.com
Beekeeping courtesy of toplessrobot.com
Keitel Bad Lt courtesy of notforthecoolkids.com
The Producers courtesy of theguardian.com