This document discusses and compares two film adaptations of the Judge Dredd franchise: Judge Dredd (1995) and Dredd (2012). The 1995 version starred Sylvester Stallone and was a critical and box office flop. The 2012 version starred Karl Urban and had significantly higher box office returns due to advances in technology and a darker, more violent tone that was more faithful to the source material. Key factors that contributed to the remakes included financial motivations from studios, innovations in technology that enabled new visual effects, and keeping the story relevant to current trends like depictions of drug use.
PR5: Factors Influencing Film Remakes & Production
1. PR5: Remakes& ProductionFactorsWhichInfluence Them
In thispiece of workI am goingto be discussingwhyfilmsare remade.There isafew different
factors whichcontribute towhyfilmsgetremade;these are Financial Factors,Distribution&
Exposition,new innovationslike technology,trends,genres,synergiesbetweenfilms,stars,vertical
& horizontal integration,Social,Political andRegulatoryIssues. Synergiesare amassive factordue to
themleadingontomany otherfactorslike the financial side of thingsandtrends.Synergiesare
usuallyproductswhichwill furtherpromote the filmandgenerate alotof moneyat the same time.
So T-shirts,magazinesactionfiguresandgamesare all goodexamplesof synergies.Alsothesecan
settrendslike withclothing.If afilmhasunique clothingstyleswithinthenitwill influence others
intocopying.Andthisisalsorelatedtosynergiesdue totrendsbeingsetbyproductsold.Like
games,sometimesitistrendto playa certaingame that “everyone”isplaying.ThenthereisVertical
and Horizontal Integration. Vertical isaprocessat whicha mediaconglomerate ownsanumberof
differentcompany’satall differentstagesof production.A goodexample of thiswouldbe Warner
Bros. WarnerBros is infact ownedbya multi-national mediaconglomerate calledTime Warner.By
applyingvertical integrationithelpstoboostthe filmsprofitsandtapintonew global markets. And
horizontal integrationis where anorganisationorcompanydevelopsfrombuyingupcompetitorsin
the same sectionof the market.The mediaindustryallows wealthyindividuals tohave the abilityto
purchase such companies;itisalmostatrend withinthe entertainmentindustrytohave somuch
control.
Part 1
Judge Dredd(1995)
So 2 of the mainfilmsIwill be discussinginthissection are Judge Dredd(1995) and Dredd(2012).
The firstfilmJudge Dreddwasreleasedin1995 underthe productioncompaniesHollywood
Pictures,Cinergi PicturesandEdwardR.PressmanFilmandwasdirectedbyDanny Cannon. The
mainrole isportrayedby Sylvester StalloneasJosephDreddwhichisone of the mainJudges,Judge
Dredd.Judge DreddassistsJudge Hershey(DianeLane) inendingablockwar.The filmissetin the
yearof 2080 so isjusta visionof whatthe worldcouldbe like.Inthe filmthe worldismade tocome
across as an uninhabitable wasteland.The majorityof humanityresidesinhuge megacitieswith
populationsof over500million.The judgesare the mainthinginthe film.Theyare rolesof a police
officer,judge,juryandexecutionerall inone.Soitmakesthemquite powerful andpeoplefear
them.Dreddsoonloseshisdominance ashe isthe mainsuspectina murdercase of a newsreporter
that iscritical of Dredd. Meanwhile Rico(ArmandAssante) aformerJudge escapesfromprisonand
reclaimshisJudgesuniformandGun. There is thena trial beingheld forDredd before the tribunal of
council JudgesincludingChiefJustice Fargo(Max VonSydow) Dredd’sMentor andJudge Griffin
(Jürgen Prochnow). Dreddisfoundguiltydue toDNA evidence.There werematchesfromDredd’s
DNA to DNA onthe murderweapon.He issentencedtoalife of imprisonmentbecauseFargo
requestedthatDredd’slifebe sparedbefore he lefthispostasChief Justice. He wasshockedof
Dreddpossiblybeingamurderer. ThengriffinwhofreedRicohadhimframe Dreddforthe murder.
Fargo becomesChief Justice andinstructsRicotoletall hell breakloose throughoutthe city.
EventuallyDreddreturnstoa fairlydestroyedMega-CityOne andnearlygetsframedfor
assassinatingthe council membersthatRicomurdered.Dreddtirestostopthe chaos andendsup at
the top of the statue anda final struggle sendsRicofallingtohisdeath.Meanwhile the city’s
2. controllingsupercomputerhasrecordedthe entire eventandbroadcaststhe informationto
everybodyandclearsDredd’sname.
At the time of thisfilm’sreleasethe actorsandactressesthat featuredwere well knownsothismust
of helpedthe progressionof the film.Howeverthe filmdidn’tdoverygoodwhenconsideringthe
box office andpeoplesreviews.RottenTomatoesareview websitegave the filmascore of 18%
basedon reviewsfrom51critics.The site alsoconcludedthe ratingof the filmtobe 3.7/10. The site
statedthat “JudgeDredd wantsto be botha legitimate violentactionflickandaparodyof one,but
directorDannyCannonfailsto findthe necessarybalance tomake itwork.”Overall the filmwas
consideredaflop;the box office takingstellyouthat.Inthe UnitedStateswhenitwas releasedit
grossedonly$44.7 millioninthe NorthAmericanDomesticBox Office Receipts.Itdidslightlybetter
internationallywithover$78.8 million.Andall togetheraroundthe worlditreachedintotal $113.5
million.InfactSylvesterStallone actuallyreceivedaGoldenRaspberryAwardnominationforWorst
Actor.
Dredd(2012)
Thenthe secondversionof the filmwasreleasedin2012 calledDredd. Reallythe storywasactually
quite different.Theyhadkeptthe whole conceptadideaof the future worldandthe judges.The
judgeswere still incharge of beingajudge,anexecutorandthe jury.The directorof thisfilmwas
Pete Travis.NowIfeel thatTravisthoughtso much more couldbe done withthe filmthanwhat
Danny Cannondid.And I alsobelieve thatinsome sensesthe 2012 versionhadaspectswhichwere
more relevanttothe currenttime of the film’srelease.Like how one of the mainfeaturesinthe film
isdrug use and the creationof a newdrug.In 1995 drugsprobablyweren’tascommonas theyare
today.
So the story startswiththe future UnitedStateswastelandknownasCursedEarth.One the east
coast laysMega-CityOne a violentmetropoliswitharesident’scapacityof 800 millionand17,000
crimesreported daily.The onlyforce inorderisthe judgeswhichare incharge of a numberof
differentthings.The mainjudge Dredd(Karl Urban) isthe mostimportantandmain character
throughoutthe whole of the film.He isaccompaniedbyhisapprentice partnertraineeJudge
Anderson(OliviaThirlby).Andersonisaverypowerful psychicandisbeingevaluatedbythe chief
judge onbecomingasjudge herself.Soshe hastoaccompany Judge Dreddtosee if she is worthy
enoughof becomingaJudge.There isa 200-storey towerblocknamedPeachTreeswhichisowned
by the drug lordMadeline Madrigal otherwise knownasMa-Ma (LenaHeadey). Ma-mafinds3rogue
3. drug dealersandsoexecutesandskinsthemtotheninfuse themwiththe “Slow Mo”drugand
thrownoff the top flooranddownthe atriuminPeachTrees.Dreddand Andersonare thencalledto
investigateandlearnof a drug den,whichtheylaterraid.Ma-ma isthe creator of a new drugcalled
“slowmo” itslowsthe user’sbody’sperceptiondownto1% fromnormal.WhenDreddand
AndersonenterPeachTree’stheyarrestathug namedKayafterAndersonreadshismindtofindout
he was one of the people thatexecutedthe 3dealers.WhenMa-mafindsoutthe Judgesare going
to take Kay infor questioningshe putsthe buildingon lockdownandcompletelysealsitoff. Ma-Ma
thenrequestsDreddandAndersontobe killed.Butthenthe Judgeshadtofighttheirwaythrough
hundredsof groupedarmedthugstryingtokill them.Because Ma-Ma isthe boss of PeachTrees
everyone justabidesbyherrules.The Judgeseventuallymake ittothe 76th
floorwhere Ma-Ma and
hermenare waitingtocompletelytearthemapartwith VulcanCannons.Theycompletelyrip
throughthe wallskillingnumerousresidentsunintentionally.Asthe cannonspartly tore throughone
of the exitstoa Skateparkbalconyonthe side of PeachTreesthe judge’sbroke throughandcalled
for help.Meanwhile Ma-MasendsherhenchmenCalebtosearchforthe judges.Whenthey
eventuallymeetDreddchucksCaleboff the towerin full view of Ma-Ma.Dreddthenstarts to
suspectthat Ma-Ma fearsKay will spill vitalinformationtothe judgeswhichwill getherintoalotof
trouble.SoDreddbeatsKayuntil he givesin.ThisiswhentheyfindoutPeachTreesisthe centre of
Slo-MoProductionandDistribution.The otherjudgesthenturnupto peachtreesto helpDreddand
AndersonbutgetrefusedentrybyMa-Ma’s computergeekthatconvincesthemthey’re havinga
fewmalfunctionswiththe security systems. ButAndersonissetonwaitingforthe otherjudgesto
come and helpthem.SoDreddconvincesherthatkeepingmovingtogetclosertoMa-Ma is the best
thingto do.Then a pairof armedteensconfrontsDreddandAnderson.ThisthenallowedKayto
disarmand overpowerAnderson.Kay thenescapesfrombeingthe judge’shostage totaking
Andersonashishostage.He steelsherJudge gunandhe takesherto Ma-Ma’s base on the topfloor.
Dreddthencarrieson makinghiswayup to Ma-Ma’s base whenMa-Ma callsinher corrupt Judge’s
Les,Kaplan,Chanand Alvarez.The fourfake JudgesrelieveVoltandGuthrie (the 2that came to
Dredd’s helpcall) fromtheirdutiestogetridof them.The other fourare thenallowedaccessinto
the building.DreddthenencountersChanrealiseshe isanimposterandkillshim.MeanwhileKay
thentriesto kill AndersonwithherownJudge Pistol.Butthe pistolsare done throughDNA andhave
a scanneron so will onlyworkforthat one person.Kaythenblowshisownarmoff by usingthe gun
In attemptto kill Anderson.She thenescapesandcomesacrossKaplanone of the imposters.She
readshismindrealiseswhohe isthenkillshim.With2of the fourfake judgeskilledDreddthenkills
Alvarezbutrunsout of ammunitionandthengetsshotbyLex.AsLex goesto finishDreddoff
AndersonarrivesandkillshimInthe nickof time.DreddandAndersonthenfinallyare able to
confrontherface to face.She thenthreatensDreddbysayingif she diesthenthe whole of the top
floorsof PeachTree’swill blowupdue to herhavinga device onher wristwhichwill detonate
explosivesif she dies.Dreddfiguresoutthatthe bombsdetonatorsignal will notreachthe bombs
fromthe ground.He thenforce Ma-Ma to inhale the Slo-Modrugand throwsheroff the atriumto
herdeath.In the aftermathAndersoncomestotermswiththe fact she failedherevaluationby
gettingdisarmedandshe thenleaves.Dreddthentellsthe chief Judge thatAndersons performance
was goodenoughtopass. Soshe endsup becominganofficial Judge.
The Box office takingsforDredd(2012) were a lotbetterthan the onesfromJudge Dredd(1995).
From 2012 itmade $27.6 Millionoutside of NorthAfricaand $13.4 millionfromNorth America,fora
total of $41 million.Theninthe UKit reachedthe weekend’s number-one filmonitsrelease
4. reaching£1.05 million($1.7million) from415 cinemasinitsopeningweekend.Intotal inthe UK it
earned$6.9 million. Howeverasthe filmwascertifiedbythe BBFCas an 18 it will have restricted
the salesslightly. Italsogot$4.5 millionsalesinChina,$4 millioninRussiaand$2 millionin
Australia. InNorthAmericathe filmwasestimatedto grossbetween$8and $10 millionduringits
openingweekendbasedonitsadultratingand the poor reputationof the 1995 adaptation. The film
finishedsixthplace onitsfirstweekendwith$6.3million.The largest partof the demographicfor
the weekendwasoverthe age of 25 (69%) womenand(75%) men. The original budgetforthisfilm
was $45 millionanditmade $41 millionfromthe box office.
So overall the secondversionof Judge Dredddidalotbetterthanthe first.I personallyfeel Dredd
was a lotbetterthan Judge Dreddjustinthe way the storywas and the technologyusedwasjust
phenomenal.Idobelievethatthe effectsinthe newerfilmare one of the mainreasonsitwas a lot
better.In2012 there isa lot more technologyandrecoursestocreate visual effectswhere asin1995
technologywasnothing.One of the maintechniqueswasthe extremeslow motionthatfeatured
whenthe Slo-Modrugwas inhaled. Thiswasabsolutelyincrediblewithsome of the shots.The
people workingwiththe special effectssaidthattheywantedtocapture somethingbeautiful andso
by usingthe extreme slow motionallowedthemtodothat. But itwasn’tas easyas just filmingit
thenediting.The cliphadtobe splitintoall differentlayers.Because gettingthe foregroundand
backgroundperfectina scene like thatisreallyhard.Sotheyspliteachclipintolayersandjust
editedthemfinelysotheyfittogetherwell.Like forexample one of the last scenes where Ma-Mais
fallingfromthe topfloorthere isthe layerwithheron,thenone withshavingsof glass,the
backgroundand splashesof bloodonanother. Theyalsosaidthattheywantedtomake the shots
standout fromthe othershotsinthe film.Theywantedthe viewertogeta feel of the Slo-modrug
almostand by addingthe actual slowmotioneffectgave thatfeel off.Theyalsosaidthattheymade
the clipsreallysaturatedincolourtomake themstand out andlookevenmore beautiful.Bydoing
thistheyalsohad to basicallyselecteachindividual objectinthe frame toadjustthe colour
saturationto make itlookgoodand to get the colouringperfect where theywantedit. All of the
above I have mentionedwere innovative andthe firstversionof Judge Dredddidn’tfeatureanything
like this.Havingsceneswhichare asbeautiful asthese onesmakesitmore appealingandmore
people wouldwanttowatchit.Anotherthingtheydidwiththe slow motionwasthe goryvisionof
bulletspiercingpeoplesskinandgoingstraightthroughtearingthe skinopenandhavingbigsquirts
of bloodpouringoutof the gashes.The visual effectscrew alsosaidinaninterview thattheyalmost
wantedgettingshotinthe face to lookglamorous.The shotsare beautiful how they’re done.It
actuallytookyearsto perfectgettingsceneslike thatperfect. Withhow muchthe technologyhad
movedforwardfromthe firstversiontothe newerversionwasamazing.Eventhe DVDof Dreddin
2012 got releasedasa Blue RayDVD whichisHD andscratch resistantaswell asthe original DVD.
Thiscan alsobe classedas a Synergyasit made more moneythanwhat itwould’ve done if itwas
justreleasedasa normal DVD.
5. Anotherinnovative thingwithDreddwasthe factthat basicallythe whole of MegaCityOne was
fake.Theyoriginallyshotthe scenesinJohannesburgandCape Townthenjust digitallyaddedall of
the highrise and unrealisticfantasylike buildings. The filmwasshotdigitallyandprimarilyin3D
usingRED MX, SI2K and PhantomFlex high-speedcameras.
Whenyouthinkabout whattheycreatedinthisfilmall bydigital technologyisjustmindblowing
whenconsideringthatthe firstversionhardly hadanyspecial effects.Itdidn’teveninclude anawful
lotof violence.Thatwasanothergoodpointabout the 2012 versionwiththe scale of violence
throughoutthe whole of the film. The firstfilmheldbacka little withthe wholeviolence things.
Howeverthere isone thingwithDredd(2012) that I can’t decide workswell ordoesn’t.Andthatis
the fact the buildingisquite restrictedandclaustrophobic.Inthe sense thatinthe whole filmitis
justsetin thisone bigtowerblockbuilding.Butthen isthatwhat makesthe filmthatlittle creepier
and mysteriouswhenthe massive rustymetal sheetsare loweringtocoverthe windowsanddoors
of PeachTrees.Italmostmakesyoutrulythinkare Dreddand Andersongoingtoendupmakingit
out of PeachTree’salive ornot. AndI thinkIlike thatabout the filmhow youdon’treallyknow for
sure howit isgoingto go. Andanotherthingwhichmakesita little more mysteriousandseriousis
the fact Judge Dreddneveronestakeshismask/helmetoff throughoutthe wholeof the film.Where
as inthe firstfilmhe doesandyousee hisface.It doesadd thataspect of mysterywhenyoucan’t
actuallysee properlywhatthe personlookslike.It’slikeinBatman,youneversee hisface.
AlsoI feel the storeyinthe 2012 version issomuch betterthanthe one of the 1995 version.Itis
hard to keepatrack of in the firstfilm.Ialsofeel itwasa little cliché.Like inthe sense thatsomeone
has beenframedfora murdertheydidn’tcommitthengroupsof people goaftereach otherto seek
revenge.Itisall so basicand predictable.Ifeel thatcontributedtoitnotbeingpopular.Butwiththe
2012 versionwithitinvolvingdrugs.Ifeel thisworksincrediblywell.Andtoalsohave one of the
maincharacters a women,LenaHeadeyplaysthe role of Ma-Ma perfectly. She issocool but scary as
hell atthe same time. There are alsosome aspectswhichmake herseemcool the fact she is
Thisshot isone of the originalstakenin
Johannesburgbeforeall of the visual
effectsgotaddedtoit. Theyliked the sky
line andthe run downlookingtowerblocks.
Now thisshotis exactlythe same justwith
basicallyall of the fake buildingsandobjects
addedto it.Theyaddedthe reallyhightower
blockbuildings,freewaystomake the place look
busierandactuallyquite alot more unrealistic.
ThenDronesfor the surveillance theydecidedto
use for the film.
6. involvedwithdrugsespeciallyevenonesshe hascreatedherself.ThenIwouldsaythatthe endingof
bothversionstiesthemtogetherhowthey’re verysimilar.JudgeDreddthrowsthe baddyoff the top
floorof a towerblockineachversion.It’slike the basicsof the filmswere similareventhoughthe
original storywascompletelydifferent.
Whenthe newerfilmwasreleaseditwasexpectedtonotdoverywell due tohow poorlydone the
firstversionwas.Butas it wasdone so much betterthe figureswentquitealothigherthanthe first
ones.Andintermsof synergiesIfeel these will have enhancedthe sale profits.Asthe newerfilm
was releasedtheyreleasednew versionsof the Judge Comicsandalsoactionfigures. Ifeel thatthe
release of the 2012 filmopenedall newavenuesfornew products.Like there wasareasonto re
publishnewcomicsandactionfiguresbecause peoplewouldgenerallywantthem.
So overall Ifeel thatJudge Dreddwasremade because the original filmwasreallybadandcould’ve
beendone somuch betterthanwhatit was.It had incrediblepotential andIthinkthatiswhy Pete
Travisdecidedtodo a remake.Itdidwell asa whole whencomparedtothe firstversionandother
filmsaroundthe time asit made it to the topof the filmof the weekend.HoweverIdo feel one of
the mainand unrecognisedreasonswhythe 2012 versiondidbetterwasbecause of the technology
that wasavailable whencomparedtowhatwould’vebeenavailable aroundthe time of the firstfilm.
But thenisn’tthatthe case for a lot of filmsyetthere isstill some classicsfromyearsago.
As bothDreddfilmsare actionthrillertype filmstheybothshow the iconicobjectsthatapplytothe
genre;forexample gunsandviolence,actionandfastpace editing.Yousee these traitsmore inthe
newerDreddfilmasthere isn’tanawful lotof violence inthe first version.Alsothe musicis alot
fasterand uppacing inthe newerfilm.The style of musichadchangeda lotwhenDreddcame out in
2012 than whenJudge Dreddcame outin 1995. The reasonfor thiswouldbe thatthe filmsare
tryingto keepupwithrecenttrends.Musicisa massive thingnow adays,as much as it usedtobe
and more.If a filmhasreallygoodmusic inthata lotof people are goingtolike itwill promote that
artistor bandand the film.Itworksbothways; if someone watchesthe filmandlikesthe musicinit
thentheymostlikelywilldownloaditandfollow upthe bandfully.Andif someone likesanartistor
bandand seesthat theyhave producedmusicfora specific filmthenthe chancesare theywill
probablywatchthat film.
7. Part 2
Rec
Year of production - (2007)
Directedby - Jaume Balagueró
Producedby - Julio Fernández
Main cast members –
ÁngelaVidal playedby ManuelaVelasco
Manu playedby FerranTerraza
Jorge- Yamam Serranoplayedby PolicíaJoven
Vincente Gil playedby PolicíaAdulto.
Main crewmembers –
Cinematography –PabloRosso
Editing– DavidGallart
Casting– CristinaCampos
ProductionDesign –GemmaFauria
Costume Design –GloriaViguer
Art Direction – GemmaFauria
Special MakeupEffects Artist–DavidAmbit
AssistantMakeup Artist– Isabel Duque
Hair Stylist– ImmaPerez
Distributor– Filmax International
Countryof Origin – Spain
Budget- $2 million
Box Office Takings - $32.5 million
Quarantine
Year of Production –2008
Directedby - JohnErick Dowdle
8. Producedby –
Doug Davison
Rory Lee
SergioAguero
CarlosFernandez
JulioFernandez
ClintCulpepper
Main Cast Members –
AngelaVidal playedby JenniferCarpenter
Scott Percival playedby Steve Harris
Jake playedby JayHernandez
George Fletcherplayedby JohnathonSchaech
Main crewmembers –
Cinematography –KenSeng
Editing– ElliotGreenberg
Casting– LindseyHayesKroegerandDavidRapaport
ProductionDesign –Jon Gary Steele
Art Direction – ChrisCornwell
SetDecoration – Dena Roth
Costume Design –Maya Lieberman
Special MakeupEffects – DavidA.Brooke
Make Up Artist– Nikki Carbonetta
Hair Stylist– SolinaTabrizi
SoundEditor– AnthonyAdams
CameraOperator– JosephAguirre
Distributor– ScreenGems
Countryof Origin – UnitedStates
Budget- $12 Million
Box Office Takings- $41,319,906 Million
Rec isa Spanishhorrorfilm createdbya groupof mediastudentsinBarcelona,Spain.Theygrouped
togethertocreate the projectandhiredactors and actressesthattheyknew andwouldhelpactout
throughoutthe filmfornotan extravagantcost.Evensome of the cast memberswere the crew.The
groupof studentshiredoutanapartmentblockto shootthe filmand hadtheirowncamera
equipment.The name of the filmRecisan abbreviationforthe workrecordas the filmisshotin a
self filmedshakyway.Thisaddsto the feelingof the filmasthoughitwas all caught oncamera in
the heat of the moment.The reasoningbehindthisisthatthe filmisbasedaroundaTelevision
9. reporter,ÁngelaVidal andhercameraman,Pablogoes tocovera nightshiftisBarcelona’slocal fire
stationsfora fictional documentarytelevisionseries“While You’re Sleeping”.Whilstrecordingatthe
fire stationthere isanemergencycall fromresidencesata local apartmentblock.Theystate that
theyhearda womenscreamingandshe islockedinher apartment.Theyall immediately headover
to the scene to investigate.Asthe fire andpolicemenapproachthe womenshe getsaggressive and
attacks one of the policemenbybitinghim.Theythenrestrainher.Meanwhilethe militaryseal off
the buildingandall of the residentsfromthe apartmentare leftterrifiedinthe lobby.Thenall of a
suddenAlex one of the fire fightersthatremainedinthe women’sapartmentaggressivelyplummets
throughthe middle of the stairwell andtothe lobbyfloor.The othersthengoupstairstoinvestigate
furtherandare attacked.Theythenhave no otherchoice butto shoot the women.Duringthisa
little girl isinterviewedbyAngelathatlivesinthe apartmentandstates she isill withwhathermum
toldherwas tonsillitis,she alsostatedthatherdogwasill and wasat the vet.A healthinspector
thencomesintothe buildingtotendtothe woundedandtellseverybodythatthere isahighly
infectiousvirus,similartorabiescirculatingthroughthe apartment.Theythenputtwoandtwo
togetherand realise itwasthe little girlsdogthattheydiscoveredthe disease from.Bywhichtime
Jeniferthe little girl throwsupbloodandrunsaway.Her motherMari was aware and so is
handcuffedtothe stairs.Itdoesn’ttake longforthe infectiontospreadthroughthe buildingasno
one was allowedinoroutof the building.Allof the exitsandentranceswere boltedshuteventhe
secretpassage ways. Towardsthe endit onlyends upbeingAngelaandPablo whoare the only
humansurvivorseveryoneelseeitherdeadorinfected.The twothenheadtowardsthe penthouse
to discoverthatthe ownerwasan agentof the Vaticanwho waschargedwithresearchingand
isolatinganenzyme believedtobe the biological cause of demonicpossession.Thiswasthenlaterto
be confirmedtoexistina younggirl namedTristanaMedeiroswhowasrapedby a group of priests.
The agent kidnappedthe girl andtookherstraightthe penthouse totryand conductresearchand
try to cure her.Duringthisthe enzyme mutatedandbecame viral.The agentthenhadno other
choice butto seal her off presumablytoletherdie of starvation. There isadoor leadingtothe attic
whichPabloopensandreachesupwithhis camera to recordaround inside.Aninfectedboythen
swipesatthe camera and breaksitslight.Pablothenactivatesthe nightvisionanddiscoversadoor
that the agentrefersto ina recordedtape.Tristana,now a blindandhorriblyemaciatedfigure,
emergesandbeginssearchingthe penthouse,holdingahammer.ÁngelaandPablotrytoescape but
the he dropsthe camera as he is viciouslyattacked. Ángelapicksitupandruns,onlyto fall anddrop
the camera as well.She searchesforitinthe dark but isunable tofindit.The camera continuesto
record as Ángelaisdraggedintothe darkness,screaming.
Thenthere isQuarantine whichwasofficiallyreleasedin2008 a yearafter Rec. Quarantine wasthe
Englishversionof RecdistributedbyScreenGemswhichisa part of Sony.Sonyboughtthe rightsfor
Rec fromFilmax sotheycouldre-produce itmore suitedtoEnglishspeakingaudience. Thisisan
example oa vertical integratedcompanydue toSonybuyingthe rightsof othercompanieswork.
The 2 filmsare basicallythe exactsame.The basicstoriesstructure isexactlythe same asRec’sthere
isjust the oddthingthat differslike the namesof some of the characters.There isalsoa little
variationof howmostof the characters inQuarantine die comparedtoRec,not a lot of difference
though.Obviouslyone of the mainchangesbetweenthe 2filmswasthatQuarantine isEnglishand
Rec isSpanish.Thiswasthe mainreasonSony bought the rightsto Rec as theyknew itwoulddo
reallywell inthe box office if itwasinEnglish.Recunexpectedlystormedthroughwhenitwas
releasedbutbecause itwasinSpanishitwasat a disadvantage.ThatiswhySonythenthoughtof
10. buyingthe rights sotheycouldre-release itsoitwoulddowell.Howevertome I thoughtRecwas
betterbecause itisthe original andunique.Butthe Quarantine completelycopieditbecausethey
had the rightto. It was easiertofollowQuarantinedue toitbeinginEnglishthanRecwhichhad
Englishsubtitles.AfterwatchingRec,Quarantine wastoopredictable.Intermsof box office takings
Quarantine didconsiderablybetterdue toithavingmore potential beinginEnglish.Butthe director
and producersof Rec would’ve made quite alotof moneywhentheysoldthe filmovertoSony.And
Rec wasn’tas expensivetomake whencomparedtoQuarantine asRec wasmade by students. It
was a massive moneyspinnerforSonythoughtdue toRec beingfairlypopulareventhoughitis
foreignsoSonywill have beenfullyaware afterre-releasingitinEnglishthatitwoulddowell.
Part 3
Lolitaisa filmoriginallyreleasedin1962 directedbyStanleyKubrick.Itisa filmbasedona novel by
VladimirNabokov.Itisabouta middle aged manbecomingobsessedandfallinginlove withhis
teenage stepdaughter.Atthe time of itsrelease itwasa little unheardof before.The ideaof incest
wasn’ttoleratedatall at the time of the film’srelease.Soitdidn’tdoaswell aswhat itcould’ve
done purelybecause of the wayitwas done andof the timingof it. Thisversionwasconsideredto
be quite comical inthe way itperceivedthe relationshipbetweenthe two.Atthe time the situations
and scenariosthathad to be dealtwithwere done in thisoddsortof surprisinglyupbeatway.AndI
thinkthat’swhatshockedthe audience alittle atthe time due to incestnotbeingcommonor
known. Kubrickhadseriousdifficultygettingcensorshipforthe Lolitaandsaidthatif he had of
knownjusthowproblematicthe censorshipissueswere goingtobe he wouldnothave made the
film.
Thenin 1997 there wasa remake made of LolitadirectedbyAdrianLyne whichsurprisinglydid
terrible inthe box office andwasconsideredaflop.Reallyyouwouldthink itwoulddobetterdue to
it beingslightlymore uptodate withthings.Andincestbeingslightlymore commonandIsuppose
acceptedto a certainextent. There wasnothingreallyenjoyableaboutLyne’sadaptationof the
novel due tothe relationshipbeinginyourface andactuallyquite disturbing.The relationship
betweenthe twoislabelledasbeingquitesexual andobsessive fromthe start.AndLolitaherself
exploitsthisaswell.The Lolitainthe 1997 versionseemsfrightenedcomparedtoKubrick’s version.
The remake featuresamore sort of intimate relationshipandexpressesmore of the desire and
activitypurelybecause Kubrick wouldn’thave beenable todothat in1962 because itwouldn’t have
beenacceptedatall.But Kubrick’s versiongivesof thatbitof witwhichisgoodin a filmlike Lolita.
So social wise the remake wasprobablydone inanot sogood way.Howeverthe factit variesfrom
the 1962 versionisgoodbecause itisthe same storybut justdone ina completelydifferentstyle.
Andto the time,the 1997was definitelymore suitedtothe time asmore people would’ve
understoodthe relationshipalittle more thantheywould’ve done in1962.
The War of the Worlds
1953:
Directed– BryonHaskin
Genre – American Technicolor science fiction
11. Production Studio – Paramount Pictures
The filmThe War of the Worldsisbasedon a novel byH.G Wellsandisabout large meteorites/
Spaceshipsthatcome crashingdownontoearth.It is an invasionfromplanetMars.The alientype
figurestrytheirhardesttobeginthe rout of humanitywherevertheymove.Theyhave fearsome
heat-raysandskeletonbeamenergyweaponstogetthemalong.
There wasthena remake done of The War of the Worldsin 2005
directed byStevenSpielberg. Thisversionhadhuge starsfeaturing
init to enhance toprogressionof it.TomCruise playedthe leading
role so thismusthave contributedtohow well the filmdid. The
productioncompanieswere Amblin Entertainment and Cruise/Wagner.
Andthe filmwasdistributedby ParamountPicturesand
DreamworksPictures.The budgetforthisfilmwas$132 million.And
it made inthe box office a staggering$591,745,540.
WhenSpielbergremadeWarof the Worldshe wantedthere tobe a
connectionbetweenthe eventsinWarof the Worldsto the tragic
9/11 Terror Attack onthe TwinTowers.Itseemsoddto compare a
Sci-Fi movie tosucheventsbuthe wantedtocreate the connection
himself. He wasaskedwhetherhe wouldhave done the remake if September11th
neverhappened.
He repliedbluntlytothe commentbysaying“probablynot”.He knew thatthe firstwar of the
world’s filmwasbasedonthe Americans’ ColdWar- erafearof nuclearwar.He statedthat his
versionalsocame withthatfeel asit wasa time where Americansfeltdeeplyvulnerable.Sowhen
Spielbergcreatedthisremake he wasdoingittoexpressthe eventsof 9/11 but incode so it isn’t
obvious.Itjustrelatesthroughthe disasterandfear.
Carrie
Carrie was originallyreleasedin1976 but there wasa remake in2013 whichwasn’t
amazing.Howevertheyusedreallywellknownactressesandactors.The 2013
remake wasdirectedbyKimberleyPierce.She got Chloë Grace Moretz to star as
the leadingrole;Chloë isareallywell knownchildactressrecentlyjustturning18
in2015. She has featuredinsomany bigfilmssoI feel thatKimberleyPierce
wantedherto feature inthe filmtopushthe box office salesbecause she isabig
star. Kimberlythoughthathavingsucha star wouldmake people trustthe remake
and wantto watch itbecause she isin it.