The Day The Earth Stood Still. Was a remake necessary? No. Was the remake any good? No. I want to talk about the stuff I have watched recently. I'll open with the crapfest that I aforementioned.
The 1955 classic was great. A chilling message that resonates today, special effects that warm the heart with their authenticity and unique feel whilst a strong story underpins a very goof film.
Whereas the original dealt with nuclear arms, Scott Derrickson opts to deal with the big issue of climate change. And boy it is shoddily done. Like The Happening it is detrimental to the work being done on this massively important issue because it is clueless and doesn't explain anything. Firstly the film is way too short to fit in three storylines as well as action sequences that are painfully dull and lifeless. Gort the robot is now a big CGI hunk of metal and the spaceship is a big, weird OTT CGI ball of dust.
In the opening 30 minutes I nearly fell asleep. Dull isn't the word. Jennifer Connelly tries her best but when it clearly looks and feels as if all concerned are baffled as to why they are doing this movie, success is impossible.
Things pick up with Keanu Reeves arrival. Surprisingly he does a solid job. Amusing in places but on the whole believable. Sadly the rest of the movie isn't. The problem is we have so many storylines; Earth dying, Keanu has come to save the world by ending it, Jennifer Connely is struggling with her step-son (Jaden Smith) and his fathers death, the worlds response to the situation, the secretary general's action's...By showing the whole world and their reactions we are taken away from the main plotline. Shame really as Reeves, Connelly and Smith give good accounts of themselves and a scene at a cemetery where Smith's father is buried is tenderly shot and Reeves displays a subtlety rarely seen by him. However the touching and absorbing plotline of the three and their journey is weighed down by a truly dire range of CGI and pointless scenes most notably John Cleese playing Professor Barnhardt for about 2 minutes and adding nothing to the narrative development. But the key thing is the main theme of the Earth dying and humanity's responsibility is never explained or given any sort of focus.
And after 90 mins we are no clearer on why the Earth is dying and the hilarious final CGI set piece is laughable in its execution with an anticlimax of Universe size proportions. Derrickson directed an Urban Legends movie and the Exorcism of Emily Rose and is rumoured to be helming The Birds remake. That is really sad. Another classic movie will be ruined.
Before I continue I'll give a quick summary of some other movies I saw recently that differ in quality but deserve a mention:
Marie Antoinette - Fluffy but Coppolla is clueless with tone and genre. Dunst excels.
Terminator: Rise of the Machines - Arnie just abut salvages it. Stahl is pitiful and Danes is uninspired. Feels half-hearted in execution and how anyone can criticise McG's Salvation is beyond me.
Splinter - Average horror that is effective in places but nothing special.
American Gangster - I don't know why I felt underwhelmed but despite a cracking story and heavyweights in Scott, Washington and Crowe on board, it has long periods of utter boredom and only flashes with brilliance occasionally. Both stars seem to be underperforming and it is a film that quickly escapes you and leaves no lasting impression.
A Beautiful Mind - This on the other hand is Crowe's finest ever performance. Marvellous direction by Ron Howard and although sentimental in places it never loses its emotional power and Connelly never fails to wow me. A special, surprising and ultimately empowering movie.
O - Really good teen movie based on Shakespeare's Othello. Dark, bleak and interesting look at racism and jealousy. Hartnett is perfect as is Mekhi Phifer and the movie is definitely worth a look.
Tales From Earthsea - A long and ponderous opening builds into an exquisitely moving anime picture with stunning visuals from Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away) and jaw-droppingly exciting action sequences with the central characters being superbly voiced by Timothy Dalton and William Dafoe among others. A tender fantasy that is both enthralling and touching.
In contrast to the abysmal TDTEST, one remake that improves upon the original is The Ring. This is probably controversial and many disagree with me but Gore Verbinski's US version is vastly superior. Many, including a respected UK journalist Mark Kermode declare that the Japanese original is terrifying and the American one is directed with a sheen of arrogance and it doesn't touch the original. I disagree completely.
I've watched Verbinski's The Ring three times and it chills me like a great horror should. It is shot in glacial and bleak tones; blacks, whites and faded blues paint the screen and create an incredibly tense atmosphere. The plot is ridiculous but it is a horror so no-one gives a crap. And to be fair it is better than Hideo Nakata's original which is boring in comparison. The strained relationship between Naomi Watts and Martin Henderson and their son is played out superbly whereas Nakata's film pushes it to one side. Also the longer and more detailed subplot involving Samara is great and heightens the tension.
I accept that the budget's of both movies differ hugely. I appreciate the original for its weirdness and excellent scene where the girl comes out of the TV screen which betters the remake. However what I don't accept is mediocre acting, dull story and most importantly, lack of scares. It caused me to jump once and was tense in parts. But on the whole it doesn't contain enough of the demonic Samara and the relationship between the journalist and her husband is poorly conceived.
What disappoints me most with the Japanese original is the opening. Dragged out to an almost unbearable level of tension in the remake it is rushed and leaves you with nothing in the original. Nakata has ability and creates an average oddball film with one massive redeeming feature...the end. A magnificent and chilling twist. Other than that this 1998 movie is only really rated so high because it's low budget, it's foreign and people hate to admit that a Hollywood remake could be better.
A couple of things to add about the US remake. It's skillfully directed by Verbinski and the plot features a lot more turns and excitement than the original. Watts is stunning. Giving the movie a class that is usually absent from this genre. Henderson and Daveigh Chase (Samara) are impressive. Add to that a collection of cracking scenes on an island, a boat and the nerve-shredding finale plus the aforementioned opening that hooks you in and gives you an almighty warning that you are about to be put through the wringer.
A truly great remake. Loads of you guys won't agree but for once a Hollywood remake crushes a foreign original.
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