5 movies from the ’80s that should be remade
Have you ever wanted to see some of your favorite ’80s movies remade? Well, if you are like me, the answer is NO!
There have been so many remakes and reboots of ’80s movies that it’s starting to get out of hand. It also doesn’t say much about Hollywood writers, who can’t think of anything original. However, I think that, like most people, we feel nostalgic for the movies that we loved when we were children. And if you’re an 80s kid like me, then you know there are a lot of classics that just shouldn’t be touched. But on the other hand, there are also some movies that were not blockbusters, but remained popular, even to the point of gaining a cult following. These are the kind of movies that I think would be ready to choose from. The ones that could benefit from modern CGI effects. They are also the ones who will not have legions of fans in their arms, for having their favorite movie repeated. These are just 5 of my picks for movies that need the Hollywood makeover treatment. I tried to get something out of each genre, but as you will see, I tend to lean towards comedy.
5) Battle beyond the stars … 1980
This was one of the first in what would be a long line of films attempting to capitalize on the success of Star Wars. At best, it would have been considered a B-movie classic. The story goes like this. An evil Overlord decides that he wants a small planet called Akir, just for himself. Then the hero, (Shad) takes the spaceship from the planets and goes in search of others to help defend his planet. In his travels he meets 6 mercenaries to go to battle with him. The plot of this movie is very basic, but it’s the different aliens that Shad joins in that makes the movie interesting. There’s some humor and, given the time and budget, not-too-regrettable special effects. But I could see that this is a much better movie with updated CGI and some better actors.
4) House … 1986
With every other horror movie franchise rebooted. Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare On Elm Street. Why not find one that really wasn’t that great, but could be remade into something better? I personally liked House. Even the catchphrase … ding dong, you’re dead. It was not so much a horror movie as it was a comedy. And that would be the same direction they could go, in case it was remade. To watch now, House is pretty slow paced, and some of the effects are nothing more than rubber masks. The plot is as follows. A horror writer named Roger Cobb, who is concerned about the disappearance of his son and the recent suicide of his aunt, moves into the aunts’ house to write his latest novel, an account of his time in Vietnam. Naturally, the house is haunted and begins to use the writers’ inner demons to torture him. Now I’m not sure if this movie was really meant to be fun, but it was. A fact that did not go unnoticed by the people who made the sequel, which was definitely made to be a comedy. I could see that this movie was a surprise hit with the right actor and a little faster pacing.
3) Big Trouble in Little China … 1986
I really don’t know how to describe this movie to someone who hasn’t seen it yet, other than saying that it’s really, really, weird. It stars Kurt Russell and was directed by John Carpenter. The plot, if there is one, is that Jack Burton (Russell), a trucker, is found in the Chinatown section of San Francisco. After delivering his payload, he meets an old friend named Wang Chi. After winning a bet, he agrees to accompany his friend to the airport to pick up his girlfriend before cashing in. The bride is kidnapped at the airport. And so the fun and strangeness begins, as Jack and Wang try to get her back. Along the way they have to fight … Well this is a kung fu movie, with Mortal Kombat-like villains in it, so use your imagination. For me this movie is overdone with the weird and is best described on the fast-rewind.com website. An excellent 1980s movie for its kung fu action, memorable tongue in cheek, weird monsters, bloated people, and a 2000 year old man who laughs “Indeed.” Yes, it is better to see it when you are drunk. But this movie could be remade, and even more fun today.
2) Adventures in childcare … 1987
This was a great cheesy comedy that really defined the ’80s style. It came from writer / director Chirs Columbus, and starred Elizabeth Shue, as Chris Parker. This movie takes a very well used plot device and runs with it. Parker is the babysitter, who is forced to take the children she’s taking care of with her to downtown Chicago to try and rescue a friend in need, and of course she gets sidetracked at every turn and ends up in funny situations. Why should it be redone? Many people consider this to be one of their favorite ’80s movies, but it’s also one that many others haven’t even heard of. In today’s world of GPS, social media, and mobile phones, this story could be told as a high-tech game of tag. Add a great name to use as a running device, someone like Miley Cyrus maybe, and this old classic could be a gold mine.
1) The Running Man … 1987
Yeah, I’m dusting off an old Arnie classic. It’s hard to believe that this movie is over 20 years old already. For those of you who don’t know the plot of this one, it’s pretty simple. In the not too distant future, there is a reality show where criminals can fight for their freedom by competing on The Running Man, where they are put into a kind of glove. It is a large grid, or maze, that the Runners have to negotiate to win their freedom. But on the way, they have to pass, The Salkers. A colorful group of people with names like Subzero, Buzzsaw and Dynamo, who are trying to kill them. Of course there is more to this story, but I don’t want to delve into it. This is pretty much everything you need to know about Running Man. It was an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. Which means you can kill people, blow things up, and use short phrases. But why redo it? I think with reality TV being what it is, updating this movie could be fun. Add a little social commentary and a few more laughs, and who knows, it might be better than the original. And let’s face it, will anyone really cry over the remake of this Arnie movie? It’s not like I’m saying a Terminator remake here.
So those are my picks.