Now, there are a list of movies that other sites have brought up for movies that should not be rebooted or remade and most of them, I agree with. I mean, seriously, what can you do with a good movie or a classic if the original was done so well? While there are exceptions to this way of thinking, such as James Bond being rebooted with Daniel Craig portraying a younger and colder 007, or, Christian Bale setting the superhero standard as a more emotional, realistic Dark Knight; sometimes, remakes and reboots should not be done and the originals should be left alone.
So, with that being said, here is my top ten list of movies or series that should not be rebooted (these are in no particular order, by the way) :
1) Star Wars
Now, when I say Star Wars, I'm referring to the original trilogy. Not the prequel trilogy, even though they were alright in their own ways, but they don't hold a candle to the originals. No matter who they recast in the main roles or who directs, there is NO way that the original trilogy should be touched. Leave it as it is. Also, Good luck, J.J. Abrams. Don't let the Star Wars fans down.
2) Indiana Jones
Now, let's be serious. It's Harrison Ford. Indiana Jones IS Harrison Ford. There is no debate there. I mean, when Shia LaBeouf tried to put on the Fedora at the end of Crystal Skull, I was thinking, "No. Absolutely not." No one can redo and top the series, especially the first three, because of the magic that is generated by the trio of Harrison Ford, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg. Even Crystal Skull was decent enough, even after the disappointing ending. If you haven't seen it, I think you should because I don't want to spoil the ending.
3) Casablanca
It's Humphrey Bogart. Bogie. An American movie legend. Possibly his greatest movie and most iconic role. When you hear Bogart's name, the first movie that you think about is Casablanca. Some of this movie's quotes have appeared in AFI's list, ranked at number one for having the most lines on AFI's "100 years...100 movie quotes" list. This movie should not even be thought about as far as being rebooted, even having a sequel. If you haven't seen this movie, you are doing yourself a disservice.
4) The Godfather Series
I don't need to say anything here about this trilogy. You know that fans might send threatening e-mails to Hollywood if they announce The Godfather trilogy.
5) Back to the Future
Great Scott! Out of all of the movies and series on this list, this one is the most likely to be remade. But, honestly, what new additions could you make to it? Would the DeLorean make a reappearance? Honestly, the charm of Micheal J. Fox and wacky humor of Christopher Lloyd can't be replicated. There are some young actors that could fill the Nikes of Marty McFly but some more time should pass before ideas start floating around to reboot Back to the Future.
6) The Shawshank Redemption
Stephen King is a great author and the adaptations of his works have been adapted successfully to the silver screen (Carrie, The Shining, Misery, The Green Mile). But, the staying power of this movie about freedom, life, friendship, integrity, and hope in a hopeless situation stands above them all in my opinion. No one can recreate the close friendship chemistry that Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman generated in this movie. The realism of prison and what it can do to a man, even with the strongest fortitude. The uplifting theme in a terrible situation can't be duplicated. Plus, who else are you going to get to narrate the movie besides Morgan Freeman? Good luck with that.
7) The Breakfast Club...or any other John Hughes films.
John Hughes movies still have recognition and themes that can be applied to today's generation of teenagers. So, why tamper with a good thing? The Breakfast Club is, arguably, Hughes' most iconic film and put five actors on the fast track to stardom as "The Brat Pack." This movie shows that, despite how different someone might be, no matter their upbringings, you can still connect on some kind of level. A main theme that resonates even today, 28 years later. Do. Not. Touch. This. Film, Hollywood.
8) Jurassic Park
I thought long and hard about this and despite the fact that it has spawned two, soon to be three sequels, nothing can beat the original. CGI wasn't huge back in 1993 so Spielberg became very inventive and creative with his dinosaurs, making them more real. Now, CGI is used to create animals like dinosaurs and that's not a big problem. What would be the major challenge is to replicate Spielberg's fantastic directing. You could make the movie closer to the book and try to do the film better but the way Spielberg directed, that is something that can't be replaced.
9) Pulp Fiction
I'm a fan of Quentin Tarantino. I love his work because of how insane it is but he makes it all come together to create something wonderful. If you haven't seen Django Unchained, go to Redbox and watch it. Pulp Fiction was unconventional for its time as far as story-telling, originality, and closeness to neo-noir films makes it an original classic. With this movie, John Travolta reinvented his career after being in a slump but also launched the careers of Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson, especially Jackson, whose role as Jules made him a highly-sought after actor after completing work on this movie. This movie has proved to be an inspiration for various other films based on its style and opened the door for independent cinema to be taken more seriously and considered for contention for awards.
10) The Terminator
I was going to go with the whole series but it's best to start at the beginning. This movie has been deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" by the United States National Film Registry and I would agree. The fast pacing action, compelling story, and strong performances helped solidify Schwarzenegger as a solid, bankable action star and launched James Cameron's film career. This film really helped put science fiction action films into the mainstream and made cyborgs cool. The tension throughout the movie kept everyone on the edge of their seats and is still watched now. Hollywood has made many sequels to this movie, Terminator 2: Judgment Day surpasses the original in my opinion but this film or series does not need a reboot or a remake at all.
And there you have it, everyone. My top 10 list. I know there can be debates made that some of these movies can be remade but I think that these are the movies that should be left alone. Hollywood should look into new ideas from fresh minds before digging into the golden well of their classics. If anyone has any opinions or their own lists, I would like to hear from you.
I hope everyone is having a great summer and getting out there, despite the humidity, and enjoying the movies! I'll be back soon with another review! Until then, to quote Arnold: "I'll be back."
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