Remake
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In film or television, a remake is a newer version of a previously released film or TV series.
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[edit] Film
The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source. For example, 2001's Ocean's Eleven is a remake of the 1960 film, while 1989's Batman is a re-interpretation of the comic book source material which also inspired 1966's Batman. Furthermore, the 2005 film Batman Begins would not be considered a remake, as it is still an adaptation of the comic book series.
With some exceptions, remakes make significant character, plot, and theme changes. For example, the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair is centered on a bank robbery, while its 1999 remake involves the theft of a valuable piece of artwork. Similarly, when the 1969 film The Italian Job was remade in 2003, few aspects were carried over. Another notable example is the 1932 film Scarface which was remade in 1983 starring Al Pacino; whereas the 1932 is centered around bootleg alcohol, the 1983 version is based around cocaine.
Not all remakes use the same title as the previously released version; 1983's Never Say Never Again, for instance, is a remake of the 1965 film Thunderball; the 1966 film Walk Don't Run is a remake of the World War II comedy The More the Merrier. This is particularly true for films that are remade from films produced in another language, such as: Point of No Return (from the French Nikita), Vanilla Sky (from the Spanish Abre los ojos), and A Fistful of Dollars (from the Japanese Yojimbo).
In the recent history of cinema, remakes have generally been considered inferior to earlier versions by film critics and cinema-goers alike, e.g., The Birdcage, To Be or Not to Be. See the list of film remakes for exceptions to the generalization.
Another noteworthy (and increasingly common) development is the use of a successful (usually older) television series to be remade as a feature film. Like other film remakes, these often fare badly at the box-office and/or are considered a poor reflection on the source material (e.g. The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, My Favorite Martian, Dudley Do-Right); however, some have gone on to become successful film franchises (e.g. Scooby-Doo, The Addams Family, Mission: Impossible, Transformers).
[edit] Not a remake
Some notable examples of films based on common material, but not considered remakes of each other:
- Any adaptation of classical works, such as the plays of William Shakespeare, epic poetry (e.g. Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, the works of Homer), stories from the Bible (except for the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille version of The Ten Commandments, which was a remake of the first half of DeMille's 1923 silent version), etc.
- Any adaptation of Alice in Wonderland: one important factor in this is that each adaptation either does or does not include sections from Through the Looking Glass.
- Any adaptation of the story of Peter Pan, including (but not limited to) the 1924 silent film, the 1953 Walt Disney animated version, the 2003 live-action version, and the 1991 Steven Spielberg film Hook (which, oddly enough, is a sequel to the J. M. Barrie story, but not a direct sequel to any previous film adaptation).
- The Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings films are adaptations of Tolkien's books, although they contain numerous homages to the 1978 Ralph Bakshi film. Neither Jackson's nor Bakshi's films bear any relation to the Rankin/Bass Hobbit and Return of the King.
- The 2003 film Hulk was not a remake of the 1978 TV series The Incredible Hulk, although it paid several homages to that adaptation. Similarly, the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk is neither a sequel nor a remake of the 2003 film, but owes much more to the TV series than its predecessor.
- The 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale is not a remake: the 1955 teleplay and 1967 satire aren't "official" Bond films (that is, made by EON Productions), and deviated sharply from the novel.
[edit] Television
Remakes occur less often on television than in film, but have happened from time to time. Examples include Battlestar Galactica (1978, 2003), He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983, 2002), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987, 2003)).
One area where television remakes are particularly common is trans-Atlantic ports, where US shows are remade for the UK (see List of U.S. television series remade for the British market) or more frequently, UK shows are remade for a US market (see List of British television series remade for the U.S. market). An interesting example is Three's Company, a US remake of the British Man About The House: not only was the original show re-created (with very few character or situation changes made, at least initially), but both series had spin-offs based on the Ropers (in the UK, George And Mildred, in the US, The Ropers), and both series were eventually re-tooled into series based on the male lead (in the UK, Robin's Nest, in the US, Three's A Crowd).
While television remakes of theatrical films have occurred (e.g. Highlander: The Series, The Odd Couple, F/X: The Series), far more common are TV series that are (more or less) direct spin-offs of successful films (e.g. M*A*S*H, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Stargate SG-1, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). See also List of films made into television programs.
[edit] Reimagining
Recently, the term "reimagining" has become popular to describe remakes that do not closely follow the original. The term is used by creators in the marketing of films and television shows to inform audiences that the new product is not the same as the old. Reimagining a franchise often leads to controversy within established fan communities as to which is more legitimate or more popular. Examples of remakes that are most associated with the reimagining term are Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes, Marcus Nispel's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Rob Zombie's Halloween, Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica, David Eick's Bionic Woman, and Nelson McCormick's Prom Night
