So my seventh blog post is a little late, and probably won't get comments but I feel like ranting. As I sit here I am listening to the second cover of "No Quarter" by Led Zeppelin that I heard in the past week-Tool made an epic one and I'm currently hearing The Flaming Lips version I'm not quite digging as much. This sparked thought about covers of songs which led me to think of sequels to movies and remakes.
Probably the most famous debate I've been hearing lately in regards to sequels and remakes is peoples ideas about the "Evil Dead" so called "remake" that came out last year. So many people were up in arms about it and thought it didn't do justice to the series however; it wasn't meant to be a dead ringer; it was meant as a tribute really which is what "covers" really are. Some bands(and movie directors) want to replicate the work as best as they can with what they have to offer-this is more common in music. Others want to do it their own way with modern technology-very common with directors such as Rob Zombie's "Halloween". Sometimes replicas of classic movies are not received well, such as the remake of "Clash of the Titans" while others are actually praised, such as "The Parents Trap".
In regards to sequels I am once again using "Star Wars" as my example regarding sequels. Being that Lucas started the series with episode 4 it only called for a 1 2 and 3. We all can agree that episodes 1 and 2 were not great, but 3 (the most recent) was awesome, Why? Plot! 1 and 2 were boring and really only there to build up to Darth Vader becoming Darth Vader, but that was their purpose! I personally wasn't a fan of the incoming use of CGI in 1 and 2 but hey, it was the new millennium so that was cool then I guess. I think there's something to be said for old school special effects but what are you gonna do? So Star Wars was a rough ride with sequels considering episode 3 was a hit but 1 and 2 weren't, but then you have a series that just won't quit and really should like Paranormal Activity. Sequels stop working when you tire out a plot or release them too frequently- like the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movies, "Shrek" did well with their sequels because they timed the releasing of them properly even though the third (or was it the fourth?) was kind of questionable. Going back to "Paranormal Activity", I was shocked they even did a second one! I will admit I saw the third and fourth and wasn't too upset but I think it's going too far, how much more can you elaborate on a haunting? The first movie was awesome because of how low budget it was but now that it's becoming a regular series they're now "faking" the low budget thing sucking the appeal dry and it's STUPID!
So why do some work and others don't? In sequels it's pretty cut and dry, sequels work well when you create a reason to have one like Star Wars in conjunction with timing. If you release a sequel the year after the first movie it may be too soon and will tire out the whole franchise. It's very easy to tire out a plot or release a sequel that is soley relying on the success of the original movie. As for remakes? Remakes work best when you either create a new element that sells the movie almost as if it wasn't a remake at all. They also work if they are a proper tribute and honor the original well. If you make a remake and it retains no soul of the original or isn't unique in it's "new take" on the original. I personally enjoyed Rob Zombies remake of Halloween because it had a gritty, sleazy, modernness to it that sold it well. It wasn't too different from the original in plot at all or the intensity, it was exactly as it was intended to be, the same movie as if it were released now.
I don't see remakes and sequels as cop outs if they're done by renowned and respected directors with good intentions. It's hard to be original in this day and age so I see how remakes look like the easy way out but creating one is delicate work because you have purist fans out there who will be very tough critics. I have my eye on Disney and what they're going to do to my Star Wars trilogy.
This was a very interesting post. I agree that some movies need to be kept as just one, and others can be continued with a sequel and it seems like that's how it was supposed to be. Personally, I find myself steering away from things with sequels or that grows into a series. Its not that I absolutely hate sequels or series, I just seem uninterested in their story lines. For instance, I am not your typical teenage girl who is love with Twilight, or a nerd for Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings and even The Hunger Games. I just feel these stories are overrated and could of be left alone with one movie. I am a fan of the newest Parent Trap, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Grease as well, and I especially adore the High School Musical series and it will always be one of my favorites.
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