Richard Book is Innocent (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
oxfordtweed) wrote2009-11-16 08:20 pm
oxfordtweed) wrote2009-11-16 08:20 pm
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Why Remakes are Important - AKA, RIP Edward Woodward
As a child of the 80s, I'm unfortunately far too young to been around for, let alone remember, a lot of really great things on their first run. Some things, our parents show us, because they loved it, and it's to my parents that I owe my fondness toward Star Wars, the Beatles, the Stooges, Gilligan's Island, and Doctor Who. In the case of Doctor Who, many young people owe their new-found fandom obsession to the BBC and Christopher Eccleston and the NuWho reboot (or remake, or whatever the hell you want to call it). Star Trek is currently undergoing the same fandom divide with new fans pouring in thanks to JJ Abrams and his cast of merry GQMFs. I don't think this ever happened with Star Wars, however, because it's a universal truth that the new three films were a load of rubbish, but for some reason, we all still saw them anyway.
But that brings me to my point. Most people tend to regard remakes as lazy, and a generally bad idea, and for good reason with a great many of them. We hear that the American market is remaking Spaced or Life on Mars and revolt. News comes round that Tim Burton's remade Planet of the Apes, or any other thing he's remade, and you want to be ill. But as horrid as some of these things turn out to be (and let's face it; the end of US!LoM was just downright insulting), they are good things. Whenever I hear that a film is a remake, I do two things when it comes out: I read reviews, and I watch the original. The Wicker Man was no exception. If a remake comes out and I haven't seen the original, reading reviews is a great way to gauge the quality of the original. When people were actually angry at Nicholas Cage for this remake, it only made me want to see the British version even more. And do you know? It wasn't really much of a surprise when the film ended and I'd enjoyed myself. I still haven't seen the Nicholas Cage version, actually. And I'm not sure I ever will.
I haven't seen much else that Edward Woodward's (Why's Edward Woodward got so many D's in his name? Otherwise he'd be called Ewar Woowar) done, but having seen the Wicker Man, it was nice to watch Hot Fuzz and get that small little joke that's buried in under so many other layers. It was definitely one of those jokes that was written for the older viewers, which I wouldn't have understood if not for a supposedly shitty remake the year before. So thank you Nicholas Cage and Neil LaBute for giving me the opportunity to appreciate such a fine actor. At least you were good for something.
But that brings me to my point. Most people tend to regard remakes as lazy, and a generally bad idea, and for good reason with a great many of them. We hear that the American market is remaking Spaced or Life on Mars and revolt. News comes round that Tim Burton's remade Planet of the Apes, or any other thing he's remade, and you want to be ill. But as horrid as some of these things turn out to be (and let's face it; the end of US!LoM was just downright insulting), they are good things. Whenever I hear that a film is a remake, I do two things when it comes out: I read reviews, and I watch the original. The Wicker Man was no exception. If a remake comes out and I haven't seen the original, reading reviews is a great way to gauge the quality of the original. When people were actually angry at Nicholas Cage for this remake, it only made me want to see the British version even more. And do you know? It wasn't really much of a surprise when the film ended and I'd enjoyed myself. I still haven't seen the Nicholas Cage version, actually. And I'm not sure I ever will.
I haven't seen much else that Edward Woodward's (Why's Edward Woodward got so many D's in his name? Otherwise he'd be called Ewar Woowar) done, but having seen the Wicker Man, it was nice to watch Hot Fuzz and get that small little joke that's buried in under so many other layers. It was definitely one of those jokes that was written for the older viewers, which I wouldn't have understood if not for a supposedly shitty remake the year before. So thank you Nicholas Cage and Neil LaBute for giving me the opportunity to appreciate such a fine actor. At least you were good for something.