Best/Worst Remake ever

[Celtics4ever]

Magnificient Seven was not a B movie by any standard.  It's film score alone is rated as number 8 in 100 years of Film Scores and got an academy nomination and won the Oscar.  Overall the film is rated as the 78th of all time by AFI.  You don't have stars of this caliber in a B movie, Yogi.

Kurosawa's is a alltime classic and a masterpiece.  But this is a good remake and no B movie.  Yojuimbo and Throne of Blood are pretty killer flicks too.

[BASS_THUMPER]

    

[paulcowens]

Most remakes are terrible, unwatchable.  Usually one wonders why they got made at all, though in the era of sequels, it's not hard to figure, after all.  The best ever is Judy Garland's Star is Born. 
She picked a movie that had already been done brilliantly for one of the best possible reasons;  that it was a perfect vehicle for her multiple talents.  Also, she clearly related personally to the story.  And she made the most of it.   Barbara Streisand has also taken a shot at what Garland turned into a Diva standard, and reportedly Beyonce is going down that road too, hand in hand with Clint Eastwood as director.  This might seem a foolish endeavor, but Beyonce certainly has the chops, and Eastwood actually starred in a musical before (not his best effort), so it could be interesting.

As for worst, my goodness, it's really impossible to say.  Coming from today's Hollywood, where most movies seem to be nothing more than stunningly vapid excuses for megaviolence, combined with the supposed splendors of CGI,   movies seem to achieve new standards of awfulness on a regular basis.

[Roy H.]

Best:   I really enjoyed Oceans 11, although Cape Fear is probably the better movie.  But yeah, Magnificent Seven is the best "re-imagining" of a movie, and it's far from "B Movie" status.

Worst:  I'll go with Willy Wonka, but there are a ton that fit.  Planet of the Apes was pretty bad, too, as was The Longest Yard.  I haven't seen the new Karate Kid, because I refuse to.

[Redz]

any word on how the new Conan is?

my wife would not be talked into going

[StartOrien]

any word on how the new Conan is?

my wife would not be talked into going

It's one of those movies where everyone I've talked to seems to either really love it or really hate it.

[dark_lord]

I haven't seen the new Karate Kid, because I refuse to.

u are missing out! it stands on its own, even though it is considered a "remake".  its a great movie. i havent met any1 who doesnt like it.

[soap07]

Ocean's 11 is a pretty [dang] good remake.

[mgent]

The Departed.

[Yogi]

Magnificient Seven was not a B movie by any standard.  It's film score alone is rated as number 8 in 100 years of Film Scores and got an academy nomination and won the Oscar.  Overall the film is rated as the 78th of all time by AFI.  You don't have stars of this caliber in a B movie, Yogi.

Kurosawa's is a alltime classic and a masterpiece.  But this is a good remake and no B movie.  Yojuimbo and Throne of Blood are pretty killer flicks too.

For me a B movie is one that doesn't create anything in its own.  It's an imitation of the real A movie (or genre).  It has nothing to do with who stars in it or what it's budget was.  Fist full of Dollars, and For a few Dollars more are excellent remakes because the dialogue, the distinct contrast in the camera cuts and depiction of nature, the christian influences and the general feeling for the movies were entirely original.  The magnificent seven was an enjoyable movie but basically added nothing new and did not re-imagine the story or tell it through a different medium.  It was quite mundane and the quality was far inferior to Seven Samurai. 

[Eja117]

Magnificient Seven was not a B movie by any standard.  It's film score alone is rated as number 8 in 100 years of Film Scores and got an academy nomination and won the Oscar.  Overall the film is rated as the 78th of all time by AFI.  You don't have stars of this caliber in a B movie, Yogi.

Kurosawa's is a alltime classic and a masterpiece.  But this is a good remake and no B movie.  Yojuimbo and Throne of Blood are pretty killer flicks too.

For me a B movie is one that doesn't create anything in its own.  It's an imitation of the real A movie (or genre).  It has nothing to do with who stars in it or what it's budget was.  Fist full of Dollars, and For a few Dollars more are excellent remakes because the dialogue, the distinct contrast in the camera cuts and depiction of nature, the christian influences and the general feeling for the movies were entirely original.  The magnificent seven was an enjoyable movie but basically added nothing new and did not re-imagine the story or tell it through a different medium.  It was quite mundane and the quality was far inferior to Seven Samurai. 

Well first there was the music that will be listened to as long as America is a country.

Then there's the fact that the movie doesn't waste lots of time with silence and grunts and head rubbing and weird lost virginity jokes and crazy facial expressions.

So essentially the film accomplished more with less time.   

I'm not saying 7 Samarai was worse than A Bugs Life, which was a remake of a remake, but to say the film didn't add anything or do anything different is like saying A Dark Knight was basically the same as the first Batman because all he did was fight the joker again.

You say the dialogue and Christian influence in FiEdited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.l of Dollars was different and excellent.  Did you miss the part about how the bandits in 7 Samurai didn't talk, whereas Eli Wallach had quite a bit of talking in Magnificent 7? Did you miss the Christianity in it?  They added a major character who lost his nerve.  There's far more individuality in Magnificent 7.

Also CBers voted Magnificent 7 better by a vote of 3-2

http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=43226.0

[Yogi]

****Spoiler Alert****
1) Kurosawa depicted the utter misery and base existence the actual farmers lived in. The Mexican villagers were nothing like that.  They were a bunch a guys that went to buy some guns to fight off bandits.  This was done not to anger Mexicans so they will go watch the movies.  That is a pretty blatant violation of artistic integrity.  
2) The Seven Samurai were chosen based on tactics and represented different aspects of war.  Innocence, Wisdom, Shame and Sorrow, Utility, Strength, Humor and Human bonds.  The Magnificent seven picked 7 interesting but arbitrary characters with no study of how war affects the human condition.  
3)  The Seven Samurai also each chose to join this almost suicidal fight with no reward for honorable pursuits of Samurai.  Compassion, Challenge, Loyalty, Ambition, Courage etc.  Magnificent Seven presented no such thread and some were just greedy after some money.
4)The brilliant war tactics and strategy employed in the Seven Samurai were significantly watered down.
5)The romance between Katsushiro and the farmer's daughter was a Romeo and Juliet tragedy of how love is unable to overcome the class struggles.  Chico simply becomes a "farmer and lives happily ever after." A happy ending tactic to please the audience is another betrayal of artistic integrity.
6)The wise elder refusing to abandoning his home despite facing certain death was one of the most touching scenes in the movie.  The elder escapes unharmed again making the movie more happy and less realistic.
7)When Mifune's character acted of his own accord he is severely rebuked by the other Samurai highlighting the importance of teamwork in war and how the pursuit of individual glory (personal vengance in another instance) costs lives.  Both of these are left out of the Magnificent Seven.  In fact Chico is thrilled and gains the respect of the Cowboys for his rash act of inexperience and impulse.
8 )  Most importantly the Seven Samurai all knew this was an impossible mission from the beginning.  They knew there would be no happy ending, no reward.  The ultimate tragedy that is war.  They act not for consequence but from character.  The Cowboys always planned to win and get away even when the fight escalates to all-out war ready to make sequels.  
Christian "influences" of Spaghetti Westerns (Italian Films) like Fist full of dollars are the comparison of Christ's sacrifice to the man with no name.  There are many crucifixion imagery and analysis of christian ethics in a world with no laws and survival of the fittest.  Just having a few christian and crosses doesn't add anything original to the movie.  
   Thus the Magnificent Seven was a feel-good shoot'em up with very little study of class struggles, Tactics and Tragedy of War, study of ethics or study of romance.  The camera work was unoriginal and boring.  The dialogue predictable and unrealistic.  The musical score was very good, but further reinforced the feel good heroics of the movie.  As a movie it doesn't compare to the Seven Samurai.  
   With all due respect to Celtics Bloggers, whose knowledge of basketball is the finest in the world , I don't think a vote is a good way to decide which is a better work of art.  Kesha, Katie Perry and Lady Gaga are more popular than Beethoven and Bach but that doesn't mean that they aren't in completely different levels.  

[Roy H.]

Seven Samurai is a spectacular movie, and really stands out in the medium.  Yogi highlighted a lot of the reasons why it's seen as a true classic.

At the same time, I don't think the Magnificent Seven needs to be downgraded.  As eja points out, it added a distinctly "American" feel to a classic story.  I don't think it's as good as the original, but it's still a very good movie.

[Roy H.]

Can we consider Avatar a remake of Dances With Wolves?  Because, we should.  That plot was about as derivative as you can possibly get in a movie that isn't technically a remake.

[Eja117]

Can we consider Avatar a remake of Dances With Wolves?  Because, we should.  That plot was about as derivative as you can possibly get in a movie that isn't technically a remake.

No. Avatar is remake of The Last Samurai, which is a remake of Dances with Wolves, which is a remake of Little Big Man, which was a remake of Lawrence of Arabia.

Hmmm. Maybe I stretched that last one.