Clash of the Remakes

Author: Jauretsi | Posted: November 20th, 2009 | Filed under: Film, TV | | 1 Comment »

(Behold the New Imitations)

I’m not sure if any classic movie or TV property is sacred anymore. I still have not recovered from the Taking of Pelham 123 remake. Prepare yourself for The Clash of the Titans from the same Director who brought you The Incredible Hulk to the big screen (don’t hold that against him).

Sure the old ones were grittier, rough, and not perfect in terms of special effects… but thats exactly what I liked about them. What would the Clash of the Titans golden owl be if it wasn’t that old-school stop animation? Same for the rudimentary monster battle at the end of the film?

(Ursula Andress as Aphrodite in 1981)

Altogether, I’d say the original Clash of the Titans is where I got an introduction to all my Greek mythology names. Seriously, I aced my mythology tests thanks to all the characters illuminated in this film. On top of the history lesson, the story is kinda deep. Basically, its a battle to the death for power, not only between men, but also between men and kings — and also kings against gods.

Ok. Here’s the new cast breakdown:

Perseus (Sam Worthington of “Terminator Salvation,”)
Hades (Ralph Fiennes)
Zeus (Liam Neeson)
Alexa Davalos (Andromeda of “Defiance”)
Acrisius (Jason Flemyng “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”)

The new film also stars Nicholas Hoult, Izabella Miko (one of the Cayote Ugly girls), Danny Huston, and Polly Walker. Behold the new trailer. Make your own decision.

Now for the second remake to consider. The Prisoner was originally a 1967 British TV show created by (and starring) the handsome Patrick McGoohan who plays an ex-spy. The premise of the show was a brilliant statement of totalitarianism. Imagine if James Bond had abruptly quit his job, and was captured by Big Brother figures, who forced him to live in a squeaky clean village. When he tries to leave the borders, the mysterious (and faceless) force returns him to his village, proving that he is ultimately stuck in a prison posing as paradise. There’s lots of deep themes here with police states, freedom issues, media control, and counterculture.

To see original production images, go to: archival photos of Prisoner.

(Patrick McGoohan as Prisoner #6)

Patrick’s character is not given a name. He merely goes by #6, as in Prisoner number 6. The old series has a loyal fan following, and was short-lived. If you can believe it, I was tipped off to this show by El-P of the hip hop band, Company Flow, so clearly, its fan base is wide and socially conscious. The whole original series can be found on Netflix.

(Village resident and #6)

This month, AMC launched their new series entitled The Prisoner which is a homage to the 60′s classic. Jim Caviezel plays the new British spy stuck in the Kafa-esque nightmare while Ian McKellen plays the older figure. I can’t front. I might have to check into this new show, and see how they reinterpreted each episode a second time around. It’s a nice cerebral ride.

(The new #6, Jim Caviezel)

(Jim Caviezel, Ian McKellen)

Watch for Clash of the Titans to hit theaters next year, March 26, 2010.

The Prisoner already premiered on AMC but for those that want to see the encore, tune in Nov 22 at 10pm/ 9C. For more details, go to: The Prisoner/AMC.

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