Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
08-03-17, 03:53 PM
#1
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
With the Bruce Willis-led remake of the 1974 Charles Bronson movie Death Wish coming out and drawing initial negative reaction. Just wanted to see from all of you what remakes/reboots did you see and actually liked/loved despite some initial skepticism or negative reaction from trailers/promos etc.
This could be a reboot of a movie franchise, a movie remake of a long-running TV series or simply a reboot of a well known standalone movie.
Some initial ones off the top of my head:
Superman Returns - The unofficial Superman III.
Miami Vice - Very underrated Michael Mann movie. Surprised this bombed. I would have liked to have seen a sequel.
Friday the 13th (2009): I enjoyed this reboot. Too bad it crashed after an initial strong start and it's performance wasn't good enough to make a sequel.
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Karate Kid
Fast Five: Even though all the characters were the same from the 1st, 2nd and 4th movie, this was IMO for all intents and purposes a reboot of the series which changed it from a muscle car series to an action/adventure heist series. It made the series better.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit: Pine did a good job with this and Costner was a good co-star. Too bad it did poorly and didn't work out rebooting the series.
The JJ Abrams directed/produced Star Trek series
Spider-Man Homecoming
The Amazing Spider-Man: I thought it was a pretty successful reboot after Raimi and Maguire bailed. Too bad it's sequel was a bloated mess.
The Magnificent Seven: Not a huge Western fan, but I thought this was a really entertaining movie. Denzel was solid and the supporting cast worked.
The Equalizer
The Planet of the Apes series
Mission: Impossible series -- Probably all of the movies except Part 1. That was my least favorite.
That's just some off the top of my head. What about the rest of you?
This could be a reboot of a movie franchise, a movie remake of a long-running TV series or simply a reboot of a well known standalone movie.
Some initial ones off the top of my head:
Superman Returns - The unofficial Superman III.
Miami Vice - Very underrated Michael Mann movie. Surprised this bombed. I would have liked to have seen a sequel.
Friday the 13th (2009): I enjoyed this reboot. Too bad it crashed after an initial strong start and it's performance wasn't good enough to make a sequel.
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Karate Kid
Fast Five: Even though all the characters were the same from the 1st, 2nd and 4th movie, this was IMO for all intents and purposes a reboot of the series which changed it from a muscle car series to an action/adventure heist series. It made the series better.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit: Pine did a good job with this and Costner was a good co-star. Too bad it did poorly and didn't work out rebooting the series.
The JJ Abrams directed/produced Star Trek series
Spider-Man Homecoming
The Amazing Spider-Man: I thought it was a pretty successful reboot after Raimi and Maguire bailed. Too bad it's sequel was a bloated mess.
The Magnificent Seven: Not a huge Western fan, but I thought this was a really entertaining movie. Denzel was solid and the supporting cast worked.
The Equalizer
The Planet of the Apes series
Mission: Impossible series -- Probably all of the movies except Part 1. That was my least favorite.
That's just some off the top of my head. What about the rest of you?
Last edited by DJariya; 08-03-17 at 04:36 PM.
08-03-17, 03:54 PM
#2
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
John Carpenter's The Thing
Rob Zombie's Halloween and Halloween II
The Blob (1988)
Mad Max Fury Road
Rob Zombie's Halloween and Halloween II
The Blob (1988)
Mad Max Fury Road
08-03-17, 04:09 PM
#3
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Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
So you are going for newer age remakes right? Otherwise I'd have a lot like The Fly, ScarFace, Ocean's 11, The Thing, King Kong (70s version)...
More recently...
A-Team
True Grit
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
More recently...
A-Team
True Grit
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
08-03-17, 04:21 PM
#4
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
current Star Trek films
current Planet of Apes films
Mission: Impossible
Clash of the Titans
The Thing
The Fly
Mad Max Fury Road
Magnificent Seven
Daniel Craig Bonds
Alien
Predator
Terminator
Raiders of The Lost Ark
current Planet of Apes films
Mission: Impossible
Clash of the Titans
The Thing
The Fly
Mad Max Fury Road
Magnificent Seven
Daniel Craig Bonds
Alien
Predator
Terminator
Raiders of The Lost Ark
Last edited by rw2516; 08-03-17 at 05:23 PM.
08-03-17, 05:06 PM
#5
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
I guess I've just been in denial that Fury Road was a remake of sorts.
My list : the Thing, the Fly, Wizard Of Oz (39), Scarface, Piranha, the Departed, the Vanishing and the Texas Chain Saw Massacre with that broad from True Detective and San Andreas.
My list : the Thing, the Fly, Wizard Of Oz (39), Scarface, Piranha, the Departed, the Vanishing and the Texas Chain Saw Massacre with that broad from True Detective and San Andreas.
08-03-17, 06:44 PM
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Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
Dawn of the Dead
Death Race
Start Trek
Planet of the Apes (including the Tim Burton film)
Clash of the Titans
My Fair Lady
The list goes on..
Death Race
Start Trek
Planet of the Apes (including the Tim Burton film)
Clash of the Titans
My Fair Lady
The list goes on..
08-03-17, 07:00 PM
#9
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
Good one. Responsible for the resurgence of zombie movies. And it was an earlier remake before it became so popular.
I'll add Christopher Nolan's Insomnia. Excellent movie. I recall a lot of outrage that they were remaking a recent Norwegian film so quickly. Didn't the director of Memento have anything better to do? I also remember listening to Nolan's DVD commentary, and his emphasis on how the viewer will feel about the details. And thought to myself, "this guy is going to make some really popular movies".
That was him getting his foot in the door at WB, which led to Batman. And I recall we were all quite excited about WB plucking a little art house director for a big action movie. Now that turned into the norm (MCU movies, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, etc.).
The Departed is another one - where everyone was upset about it being remade. Responses were mixed. I think it plays beautifully. Love the pacing and performances. And the whole movie plays like a good album. The editing and everything has a rhythm that makes it easy to watch again and again. Though that's kinda Martin Scorsese's thing.
I'll add Christopher Nolan's Insomnia. Excellent movie. I recall a lot of outrage that they were remaking a recent Norwegian film so quickly. Didn't the director of Memento have anything better to do? I also remember listening to Nolan's DVD commentary, and his emphasis on how the viewer will feel about the details. And thought to myself, "this guy is going to make some really popular movies".
That was him getting his foot in the door at WB, which led to Batman. And I recall we were all quite excited about WB plucking a little art house director for a big action movie. Now that turned into the norm (MCU movies, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, etc.).
The Departed is another one - where everyone was upset about it being remade. Responses were mixed. I think it plays beautifully. Love the pacing and performances. And the whole movie plays like a good album. The editing and everything has a rhythm that makes it easy to watch again and again. Though that's kinda Martin Scorsese's thing.
08-03-17, 08:15 PM
#12
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
I still think the first third of 1976's King Kong is good. The way they build to his introduction and then you hear him crashing through the forest with only a few glimpses. (John Barry's ominous score helps a lot.) Then you see him in full...and he's obviously a man in a suit. After that the movie goes downhill pretty quick.
08-03-17, 08:49 PM
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Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
I still think the first third of 1976's King Kong is good. The way they build to his introduction and then you hear him crashing through the forest with only a few glimpses. (John Barry's ominous score helps a lot.) Then you see him in full...and he's obviously a man in a suit. After that the movie goes downhill pretty quick.
08-03-17, 11:58 PM
#15
Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
The Force Awakens is a reboot? lol
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For me the only remake I liked is Halloween by Rob Zombie.
08-04-17, 01:19 AM
#16
Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
2016's THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN was pretty good. It was actually better than the earlier MAGNIFICENT SEVEN sequels, e.g. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN RIDE (1972) with Lee Van Cleef. (Not Van Cleef's fault, it was just terribly low-budget and directed by a hack.)
08-04-17, 04:49 AM
#17
DVD Talk Legend
08-04-17, 06:19 AM
#18
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
08-04-17, 06:27 AM
#19
Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
Wouldn't say they are remakes, but they are clearly inspired by the previous movies.
Screenwriter Jerome Bixby on IT!:
Screenwriter Jerome Bixby on IT!:
“In all honesty, my story was also derivative,” he allowed. “Essentially what I did was take Howard Hawks’ ‘The Thing’ and play it aboard a spaceship. But I didn’t copy the story line; I used the film ‒ a masterpiece in the genre ‒ as inspiration for my story. The Hawks film has long been a model for SF writers.”
Last edited by covenant; 08-04-17 at 06:33 AM.
08-04-17, 07:11 AM
#20
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
We could settle what is or is not a remake by setting a ground rule:
Is Magnificent Seven a remake of Seven Samurai?
Different title
Different setting
Different characters
Same storyline
Remake? or just "based on"
08-04-17, 07:26 AM
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08-04-17, 07:57 AM
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08-04-17, 02:46 PM
#23
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Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
08-04-17, 02:50 PM
#24
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Re: Remakes/Reboots that you liked/loved
I think there's a difference between "inspired by" and "remake."
The Magnificent Seven producers paid Toho studios for the rights to the story.
The Magnificent Seven producers paid Toho studios for the rights to the story.
08-04-17, 02:55 PM
#25
DVD Talk Limited Edition