2. Introduction
• Remake: a redone film is based off of a
previous film and changed in some way, shape
or form.
• Remakes are a hot button topic
– Love/Hate
– Reasons differ
• Kill originality
• Made for money only
• Can introduce older films to a newer audience
• Updating can make a film’s age show less
3. • Highest grossing remake:
2010’s Alice in
Wonderland
($1,024,299,904 )
• Highest grossing film:
2009’s Avatar
($2,782,275,172 )
• 8 films are remakes on
top 100 grossing films of
all time list
• Average return:
$34,155,453
4. Public Opinion
• Using the IMDB Top 250
– 5 films are remakes:
• The Departed
• Scarface
• The Thing
• The Maltese Falcon
• Star Trek
– 11 films have been remade
• In most cases the remake is lower rated than the
original
– Exception: The Departed (8.5) to Infernal Affairs (8.0)
5. First Instances of Remakes
• Can be found in horror
– Novels such as Frankenstein and Dracula were
adapted many, many times
– Often remakes were made to either better the
technological aspects/graphic aspects of the film
or to stick closer to the source material
• Frankenstein
– 1910: Edison’s Frankenstein
– 1931: Frankenstein
– 1957-1972: Hammer Horror’s
Frankenstein series
– 1994: Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein
• Dracula
– 1922: Nosferatu
– 1931: Dracula
– 1958: Horror of Dracula
– 1992: Bram Stoker’s Dracula
6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
• Has been remade 3 times over the past 50 years
• Each time new themes are added that modernized the
plot
– 1978: leads now health department workers, self-
help scene of the late 70’s is present
– 1993: Invasion starts with government releasing
toxins into nature
– 2007: Invasion from crashed satellite, not pod
people, only film with a happy ending
7. The Ring
• Gore Verbenski’s 2002 remake of 1998’s
Ringu
• Pacing is different
• Plot remains nearly identical, most
changes are in the cultural execution
– Urban legend element more evident in
Ringu
– In Ringu, ex-husband has ESP
– Sprits of previous victims help out
protagonists in Ringu
• All this relates to spiritualism which is more
heavily evident in Japanese culture
8. Disturbia
• Remake of “Rear Window”
– Both protagonists are encumbered by
something that allows them to stay in
only one place
– Both take up casual voyeurism as a way
of escaping their environment
– Neighbor is a murderer
• Modernized
– Updates the setting to 21st
– Technology plays a crucial role in plot
development
• Ankle monitor
• Cell phones/Cameras
• Humor is more prevalent in Disturbia
9. Psycho
• Gus Van Sant’s 1998 remake
• One of the worst remakes of
all time
– Updates are unnecessary to
plot
– Some dialogue changed, some
is not (leads to a few awkward
moments)
– Shot for shot
– Nothing is honestly changed
• Why not just make the film
black and white?
10. Planet of the Apes
• Tim Burton’s 2001 remake of 1968
film
• Also regarded as one of the worst
remakes of all time
• Changes the tone and point of film
– Tone changed from serious science-
fiction thought piece to action
packed blockbuster
– Satire of religion within
government found in original film
no longer present in remake
– Ending changed to a ridiculous and
nonsensical twist
11. The Magnificant Seven
• Remake of Akira
Kurosawa’s “Seven
Samurai”
• Changed setting from
rural ancient Japan to
the wild west.
• Retained the original
theme of motives
• Added a new theme in
international
intervention
12. A Fistful of Dollars
• Remake of “Yojimbo”
• Also translated from
Japan to the West
• Tone of film is more
serious
• Hero is not
manipulating events
from behind the scenes;
motive is different
(money vs duty)
• Violence is toned down
13. The Departed
• Won 4 Academy Awards
(including Best Picture)
• Remake of “Infernal Affairs”
• Basic plot remains same,
small changes present that
add complexity
– Triad becomes Irish mob
– Romantic intrigue created
– Additional background for
characters
– New character added to
clear up complexity of plot
– New twist added to story
14. So why?
• Several reasons for remakes
– New generations
– Updating
– Improving original film
• Good remakes take the original idea and
expand upon it, retaining basic
elements, whilst adding
details/characters/themes
• Remakes reflect our current world
