Klaatu Berada Niktu
This weekend I watched The Day the Earth Stood Still on cable, and the I went and saw The Day the Earth Stood Still in the theater. Generally speaking, I am not sure how I feel about remakes. Movies aren’t like plays, which are constantly re-interpreted. You’ll never be able to see the original run of Hamlet again. I am pretty sure the original cast has died. But you can see the original version of The Day the Earth Stood Still. I did. On cable. This Friday past.
At the same time, like a play, the dramatic action of a film is determined by a script, and like a play, it could be argued that a remake is basically just a reinterpretation of a script with new visuals and performances. But how often do remakes follow the script to the letter? Most remakes update, re-imagine, borrow, contain some sense of homage, and/or loosely follow the source material. Usually, the focus is on maintaining the “story”, which is not tied to a particular script.
With the emphasis being placed on story and not just script, it becomes even easier to validate a remake. Stories are retold all the time. How often has the story of Romeo and Juliet been told in books, on stage, in short stories, and even movies? In fact, the most successful movie of all time is a reinterpretation of Romeo and Juliet.
So maybe there’s nothing wrong with a remake every once in awhile. I love it when I make up my mind. However, the question that should be asked is not whether or not we could make a remake, but whether or not we should.
The original The Day the Earth Stood Still offered a poignant message perfectly tuned to the social and political climate at the time of its release. It was an inventive and creative work of sci-fi that is often emulated.
The new one had good visual effects.
December 17th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Even with the political commentary, I found the original to be very uneventful. So I figured the new one would be an epic action blockbuster. I find it funny that they went looking for an alien who does not emote, and just couldn’t find anyone better at not emoting than Keanu!