Remakes

It was announced this week that New Line Cinema is going to be doing a remake of Escape from New York. The original is one of my all time favorite films, but this news doesn’t upset me. I know a lot of people get bent out of shape about this type of thing. Not me. Why don’t I get offended?

Because it doesn’t matter.

I’m not anti-remake. I wouldn’t go too far the other way and say I’m pro-remake, but I don’t see the harm in re-doing films. Why?

Because it doesn’t change the original in any way. The first versions are still out there, ready to be viewed. They’re available now (with cable, VHS, Computer Downloads, DVD, etc.) more than ever.

And because the remake might actually be a good movie.

There have been some great ones:

The Wizard of Oz

The Maltese Falcon

His Girl Friday

Ocean’s 11

The Fly

The Thing

Heaven Can Wait

The Magnificent Seven

Evil Dead 2

King Kong (2005)

Casino Royale

And some that aren’t perfect but still worth seeing:

Shaft

Assault on Precinct 13

Cape Fear

Dawn of the Dead

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Thomas Crown Affair

The Man Who Knew Too Much

Man on Fire

Little Shop of Horrors

Roxanne

So will I run out and seethe new version of Escape from New York the day it opens? Probably not. Will I see it on DVD? Probably. Good or bad, will it make me appreciate the original even more? Definitely.