Ok, lets be honest here. Remakes really can go either way. Either they take a dump on the franchise or they revitalize it. There are some films out there that really need some kind of reboot. In these cases, like with last year's The Incredible Hulk, a director can take the best elements of a story and build on them. The following films in my opinion could be remade into absolute classics:


The Bone Collector

An intriguing story about a quadriplegic forensic inspector called in to help investigate a kidnapping and murder case, this film was based on the book by Jeffrey Deaver. Its a damn good book too, packed with twists and brilliant character profiles.

What was good: The performances from Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie are what really sold this story to me. The cinematography was really good in places, and there was some well adapted dialogue. The plot wasn't lacking overall.

What could be done better: The sense of atmosphere is really what was lacking in parts of this movie, especially in the main character's environment. Also, there were elements of his character, instrumental in the book, that were missing in the movie. I never got the sense that this guy was more qualified for the case than another person, because the film never really made a point to highlight how brilliant this man is. His relationship with Angelina Jolie's character lacked chemistry and conflict, and when they were together they both actually seemed pretty wooden. It was also pretty poorly paced and directed. They made a fair attempt at adapting the story but it seemed like they didn't take the right elements.

Suggested director: Someone like David Fincher would do a good job with this, but I would put it in the hands of Darren Aronofsky. He would do some really interesting things with the characters and I would like to see him out of his comfort zone with a thriller like this. I think he would really show how good he is.

Daredevil

There are a few out there who really hate this movie, and although I like it, I can see why it is hated so. This is the story of blind lawyer Matt Murdock and his vigilante alter ego, Daredevil, in his battle against the Kingpin. Along the way he meets Elektra, who is a love interest until she is turned against him by the death of her father at the hands of Bullseye, a prolific assassin who never misses. Many costumed hijinks and Evanescence songs ensue,

What was good: Colin Farrell was excellent as Bullseye, maniacal and full of twisted dark humor. The scene on the airplane with the old lady made me giggle in its morbidity. I also liked the relationships between some of the characters, namely Murdock and his law partner, played by John Favreau, and the priest. I liked the film's opening as it created a fair bit of tension, and the battles between Daredevil and Bullseye were pretty well executed, as were some of the "sonar" special effects.

What could be done better: Remove Elektra. She dragged the film down badly, slowing the pace to that of a limping snail. Ben Affleck played off of some of the other characters well, but there are several other times when he was just plain awful. The people who remake this need to have a good look at the source material before they go about knocking together a screenplay. The Kingpin needed a larger role in the story and needed to be played more menacing. Improved special effects in some of the action scenes also are needed, and a much better soundtrack, preferably orchestral.

Suggested Director: DJ Caruso is a pretty decent action director, and I would be curious to see how McG would fare with this story. Caruso had nothing to do with Terminator Salvation though, so I would be more tempted to go with him. Ah, and that brings me neatly on to...


Terminator Salvation

This is a clear case of good idea: bad execution. The potential this movie had was incredible, and what did it end up as? This laughable turd of a movie. This basically follows John Connor as he battles the machines, and a mysterious character named Marcus as he wakes in post-apocalyptia and meets with Kyle Reese. Reese is captured, placing humanity's fate in the balance.

What was good: The special effects are cool. The robots are cool, and actually pretty scary in some instances, which captures some of the essence of the first Terminator. Some of the action sequences and most of the fights are quite well paced. Anton Yelchin does a good job here as Reese, his character doesn't have a huge amount of depth but the is fairly interesting, with subtle echoes of Michael Biehn's portrayal way back in T1. Sam Worthington is also good, and his character, Marcus, is by far the best thing about the film.

What could be done better: This film was badly, laughably written. The script is peppered with shitty dialogue and references to the older movies that are crowbarred in. It took me out of the movie every time instead of flowing along naturally with the rest of the dialogue. The ending is awful,
At the beginning of this movie they introduce John Connor via text as this sort of warrior-prophet who has managed to predict the future correctly thus far, and some people believe him and some don't. This is actually an interesting angle to take on the character, which is never brought up in the whole movie. I'm not kidding here, at no point in this movie is John Connor anything but a guy with a gun, when he could have been and should have been so much more. Worse still, he's pretty much vacuous, there is no trace of the resourceful kid or the guy who had to listen as the world ended around him. Christian Bale is poor in the role, and whoever said to him, "no its fine, do the whole film in your Batman voice if you want," should go and sit in the corner, and think about what they've done.
I would really like to see Nick Stahl back in the role, or Edward Furlong. The rest of the characters are just a motley crew of blank and vacuous plot devices. From Common to the mute kid. They all suck.
The film should have taken place before there was any resistance, so John Connor could lead people against the machines. This was already established in the franchise and the writers killed it.
Oh, and don't hire a retard to do your advertising, as they will spoil the biggest twist and best character in your movie

Suggested Director: Give the franchise back to James Cameron where it belongs, and let him do what he does best.



Any more ideas? Go ahead and comment :)