Although it has become somewhat of a joke in Hollywood that remakes are starting to outnumber original movie ideas, the fact remains that some movies just seem to beg for a remake. In some cases, the original movie was great, but could benefit from new technology and filming methods. In other cases, the storyline was good, but the original movie just somehow seemed to miss the mark. Either way, remakes aren’t always a bad thing. In fact, sometimes it’s just what a movie needs to find its true vision. Here are three movies that could definitely benefit from a “take two” in Hollywood.
Congo
Although the movie adaptations of most of Michael Crichton’s books strayed pretty far from the originally written word, the movie “Congo” strayed especially far. Fans of Crichton who read the book may not even have recognized the movie. It would be interesting to see this movie remade with more of an emphasis on the original storyline and characters. The remake could also benefit from some computer-generated imagery, especially for the gorillas, which were a bit disappointing in the original movie. Steven Spielberg would seem to be the perfect choice as the director of a “Congo” remake.
Natural Born Killers
There has always been on ongoing controversy regarding the movie “Natural Born Killers.” Because of the disagreement in vision between the original screenplay writer Quentin Tarantino and director Oliver Stone, it would be interesting to see this movie remade from the angle of Tarantino’s original screenplay. Tarantino has been pretty vocal about his disagreement with how Oliver Stone handled the film. However, he’s not the only one who disagrees with the treatment the movie received. Somehow, it seems to be missing its “reason for being,” with most of the originally intended humor and satire now missing. Instead, the movie seems to substitute a mish-mash of pop culture references in the place of real substance. Quentin Tarantino himself would be the obvious choice as the director of the remake.
Silent Running
This movie from the 1972 would fit right in with the current interest in “green” environmental causes. With a storyline based on one man trying to prevent the destruction of the Earth’s last remaining forests, this movie really made you think. Environmental storylines were new and unexplored territory back in the 1970s, so the movie naturally puts a lot of focus on emphasizing the overall concept of saving the planet. Of course, in today’s world environmental ideas and concepts are an everyday occurrence. If Silent Running were remade today, there could be more of an emphasis on developing a few of the storylines and characters, without losing the overall impact of the environmental theme. Based on his experience directing the movie “Moon,” which has a similar feel, Duncan Jones would be a good choice as the director of a Silent Running remake.
