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Friday, May 17, 2013

Double Blog Hop! Best and Worst Movie Remakes AND May Monster Madness!

(Quick note: If you're here to Celebrate the Small Things go Here.)  A-hem:
Two blog hops in one day?  What is this madness?  Well, it's movie madness because this is the
with  Alex, Stephen, Livia and Al!  But because I'm doubling up it's also monster madness because this is
with  Annie Walls, Little Gothic Horrors and Wicked Ways Productions.  This was a 7 day blog hop and today is day 7.  SO, today I'm going to be talking about the best and worst monster movie remakes.  It's a good category because there's lots to choose from.

Lets start with the best:  I couldn't choose just one because my monster list wouldn't be complete without the holy trilogy of slasher film stalkers.  Who are they, you ask?  Why it's Jason Voorhees, Freddy Kruger and Micheal Myers, of course.
In the original Friday the 13th Jason was an awkward, unpopular boy who drowned as a result of staff negligence at Camp Crystal Lake.  In the first movie it was Jason's mother who took vengeance on the camp counselors who she blamed for her son's death but at the end of the movie Jason himself emerges from the bottom of the lake and goes on to wreak havoc for several movies.

The 2009 version was less of a remake and more a reboot as it involves elements of four of the previous movies rather than relying on the plot of just the first one.  But it was great, so I'm putting it at the top of this list.  In addition to pulling in Jason's history with his mother the film also incorporates his iconic mask, settings from the previous films and the famous music to stellar effect.  The kills are entertaining but not too schtick-y and all the things that made you love the original movies are there in plain sight.  It was extremely well executed and a must see for any fan of the franchise.


Next up is the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street.  Freddie is a classic monster- complete with morphing form, supernatural powers and a seriously creepy appearance and Robert Englund did such an amazing job portraying him that many thought it a sin to even consider casting anyone else.  But in the 2010 remake that's what they did and thankfully Jackie Earle Haley (who I know and love as Rorschach from 2009's masterfully done Watchmen) did a fantastic job.  The film maintains everything that was great about the first one and brings another element that never came through before: Freddie was a pedophile before he was a dream stalking monster and that is abundantly clear in Haley's portrayal.  It was a great movie-going experience and fans of the original series will enjoy it.


And last is the remake of Halloween which serves as the origin story for Michael Myers.  In the original movie Michael is seen very briefly killing his sister before the film jumps forward to the night of his escape from the mental hospital.  I.E. it never really goes into or even lets you wonder why he's killing, he just does.  The primary goal of the remake was to dive into the back-story of Michael: his abusive step-father, ill-quipped mother and  bullying sibling all get a little bit of screen time before the child Michael kills them and you do get a feel for the budding psychosis in the character.  But honestly, what really made this movie for me was the Laurie character played by the talented Scout Taylor-Compton.  The way that she unravels as her big brother chases her is brilliant.  It's a quality remake which earns its fans.

But what would the best without the worst?  So with that, I give you: Godzilla.
I couldn't possibly tell you what the filmmakers of this mess were thinking.  Perhaps it's because the Godzilla franchise turned campy and they thought that they could make a campy American version and have it be loved just the same.  They were wrong.  What they forgot, I can only assume, is that Godzilla was, originally, a real horror movie.  It grew out of the unimaginable horrors of nuclear destruction which the Japanese filmmakers witnessed first hand and whatever you may say about the special effects of the time you can't argue that it wasn't about genuine fear over the unimaginable destruction that nuclear explosions brought to the people of Japan.

Sure, by the 27th sequel almost all of the original message had been obliterated but that doesn't mean that you should forget what the franchise started as.  Especially not if you're doing an American version 44 years after the fact.  All-in-all this film was a convoluted mess and a lot of the terribly campy sequels which are just laughable are preferable to it.  Just embarrassing.  I can only hope that the upcoming 2014 reboot will learn from the failure of this earlier American version.

And now I once again invite you to hop along and visit others best and worst lists!  Happy Friday all!

61.


13 comments:

  1. I enjoyed the dumbness of the F13 remake! I've watched it at least four times, usually picking up midway through and being unable to leave until the credits. It has a perverse gravity to it.

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  2. I am really not a monster movie fan. I haven't seen any of the movies you mention, original or remakes. Oh well.

    Visiting from the blogfest
    Rhonda from Laugh Quotes

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  3. I hadn't bothered with the remake of Nightmare on Elmstreet, but after your rec, I might just go and check it out. I have never managed to sit all the way through Godzilla, the remake, so I'll take your word for how bad all of it is. I didn't enjoy the King Kong remake either, it was way too long and ponderous.

    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles

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  4. yep! Let's hope the 2014 Godzilla is waaaay better!

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  5. The Godzilla remake still makes me growl and twitch.

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  6. Godzilla was really bad. DOn't think I finished watching the movie.
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  7. I never minded the guy in the rubber suit, even if the movies became campier and more for kids. But the American version was not Godzilla.
    Thanks for participating in our blogfest.

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  8. I thought Godzilla looked more like a T-Rex. I just watched bits and pieces of it. Thanks for participating!

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  9. Oh yeah, GODZILLA was really bad -- and not in the "good" bad way as the original, either.

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  10. Some great movie reviews here. I have not seen any of these remakes, but I have seen the originals. Nightmare on Elm Street was one of the only horror movies that actually scared me. The remake of Halloween sounds good. I like that they show you why Michael was a killer. That stuff makes a difference.

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  11. Oh, I didn't realize you had doubled up! Man, I forgot the movie one, and I was totally planning on doing it! I just didn't have the time. I love your choices though! :)

    MMM on Kristen's blog, Day 7: The Best Monster of All

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  12. I haven't even seen Godzilla, but I do love the soundtrack ;)

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