Remakes - The Story Multiverse | [Original Page Build: 2024-07-16 10:49:48] [Content Updated: 2024-07-17 10:09:51] |
Recently, I started watching the Planet of the Apes remakes. I had seen Rise of the Planet of the Apes a few years back, and remember enjoying it. I watched the first two in this new series. I have two more to watch in this series, including the latest one (in theaters, as of writing this blog). This got me thinking of movie remakes. Do we really need remakes? Shouldn't filmmakers tell new stories?I am not against remakes. They can be hit or miss. When there has been a successful movie, is there any need to try to top it? Or, the need to recapture its success?
Consider the many versions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, if filmmakers did not keep making remakes, we would not have A Muppet Christmas Carol, which is considered by many to be one of the best versions. Okay. if the Muppet version is considered the new "best" version, was there really a need for the animated one, voiced by Jim Carrey? If the original Miracle on 34th Street is considered a holiday classic, was there a need for a new version in the 90s? Elf is a new holiday classic. A Christmas Story is another classic. Do either of these films need remakes? If someone does attempt remakes of these, how successful do you think they will be? On the other hand, these two classics have been turned into musicals, which is a variation of a remake.
Ok, Dougie. What's with all the holiday movies? Just dreaming of Christmas in July? Yes. That, and of cooler weather during these blistering summer days. Before listing holiday classics, what was my point? My point is I understand why people want to play with good content. It's why I have enjoyed writing fan fiction, playing in my favorite fandoms' playgrounds. One of my favorite fandoms is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (H2G2), which touches on that last bit of the holiday-filler paragraph above about remake variants.
One aspect of H2G2 I love are the many variants explored with Douglas Adam's content: a radio play, a novel, a TV series, a text adventure, a comic book, a movie. Someone adapted it to musical theater, too! Each version shares content from the original source, and adds its own bits of uniqueness. Some better than others.
So, why recreate H2G2? Why create remakes of anything? H2G2 provides some insight. One reason is technology. H2G2 the text adventure is because Douglas Adams was fascinated with technology, and created this game, to see if he could. The vast technological improvements with special effects is how, eventually, the movie version became more possible.
For another reason why to make a remake, let's jump back to Jim Henson and his Muppet labs. Muppets are a different technological approach to a remake of a classic. By blending a classic holiday horror story with Muppet technologies and personas, they created a version more appealing and approachable to a wider audience. Like adapting H2G2 from a radio play to a TV show and a novel, the content reaches a wider audience. Throwing Muppets at a classic does not guarantee success. They attempted Muppet Treasure Island, without much success. Also, It's a Very Muppet Christmas Movie recreated their own take on It's a Wonderful Life, which also was considered a flop (personally, I appreciate the Muppet version over the Jimmy Stewart version. Sorry, Jimbo.).
If the point of a remake is to recapture a moment, like trying to recreate a success or reliving a nostalgic moment, I would bet most such instances fail. If you keep trying to one-up a past success, eventually, it will crash into the ceiling. I think there is more success in trying to retell the story in a different way to reach a new generation, and that depends on the need of that new audience. The optics of the past may not sit well with the audience of today, and adjusting those optics for a modern generation may leave the audience of yesterday behind.
With the recent fascination of multiverses, this is how I view remakes. A retelling of a story is like a multiverse variant. Some will be told well, and some not. Some concepts are best left in the past. When a recreation deviates too far from a past concept, it may be better to create as something new, inspired by art of the past, while not linking it too heavily on the past variant.
Two additional thoughts on remakes from the perspective of my own stories. My first thought, a few years back, I considered rewriting Checkered Scissors as a YA novel. Maybe I should tell a similar story with younger characters? Maybe make it more appealing to a younger audience? I decided against this. The story is already out in the wild. The original version is fine. Sure, the characters might not be teens, but the content of the book is accessible and relatable, even to a younger audience.
My second thought, what if someday, someone wants to adapt my stories? This is a difficult one for me. Many years ago, I co-wrote scripts for musical theater. I loved crafting our scripts with a wonderful team of creative minds. I was proud of the scripts we created. However, I did not agree with the director's vision of the script. Elements of the script were misinterpreted and fell flat when performed under his direction. He claimed to take full responsibility for these misses. However, our names were still attached to the script in the program. He may claim responsibility, but what is the audience perception? Do they think it was poorly directed? Or, poorly written? When someone decides to license my stories, I would prefer a separation. The book I have released is fully under my control, and I take responsibility of its content and execution. Once licensed, there are too many factors for an adaptation (script writer, director, costumes, set design, and so on.). I would hope this team of people make something great, but if it is a flop, I had no further input beyond the original source material into that adaptation's creative process, as frustrating as that can be. What if the adaptation is better than the original? Wouldn't that be just as frustrating? On the one hand, it would be frustrating to be the creator of the lesser of the two. On the other hand, I provided a starting point for another set of creative minds to make something incredible that people love. How could I be disappointed with that?
What are your thoughts on remakes? What remakes do you enjoy? Which ones should not have been made?
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