Rabid Fans Upset over ‘Rocky Horror’ Remake

Fanboys are incredibly retarded sometimes (or most of times?). And what Keanu has to do with it? The TDTESS remake is looking very interesting to say the least.

When I first heard of the potential for a remake I admitedly shuddered. There is a visceral reaction to the word remake because so many of them were done poorly. After mulling it over I think a remake could be done well - the original source material for Rocky is a play that is still being put on regularly. Each producion is essentially a remake of the same story. Some of them are cookie cutter restagings of the movie, or worse of the 2001 broadway production. But some of them are original, innovative and really impressive. So why couldn't the same be said of a filmic reinvention?

The answer is simple - Hollywood's track record. I don't trust hollywood, and especially MTV, to create a good final product. Good remakes are so few and far between. The list of the good ones is miniscule in comparision to the mountains of bad remakes there are out there - even more so when you take into account the ones where the original had a solid following. (Godzilla, Posiedon Adventure, Planet of The Apes, Psycho, War of The Worlds, The Pink Panther, House of Wax - man I only meant to name like 3, but I can keep going!) The fear is that the remake of something beloved is going to wind up to be a lot of glits, with lots of pretty people playing parts they can't live up to and giving a vacant performances, on top of a ton of flashy special effects and a disregard for the original source matrial. Its not unreasonable that the word remake evokes that response - we've been conditioned to it.

My last concern is lets say you find some diamonds in the rough in past history. Of the good ones - and there are a few out there - how many were musicals? I don't mean how many were remade into musicals, I mean how many movie remakes where the original was a musical, did the remake live up to the task at hand? The only thing that comes to mind is Willie Wonka. But they ditched the music for that remake (and added a bizare story line about Wonka's father). But of staged musicals that were remade twice on the big screen? Annie was redone for TV. i suppose that might count. But Annie certainly didn't have the same following Rocky Horror does

Finally - there is one other point missing in all of this. The origianl Rocky Horror is still playing in theatres around the world these days. Every saturday at midnight. and its still attracting crowds. If it ain't broke why try to fix it? Oh thats right - the allmighty dollar. Those same people who go to see the original weekly are going to pay to see the remake too. Even if its out of morbid curiosity, under protest and there is no way they'd like it. And even if they don't like, theres still probably enough collectors out there that would pay for any associated merchandise or DVDs. Its just money waiting to be made - regardless of the actual product. Well thats just plain exploitive!

Perhaps I am wrong, perhaps the remake will be very well done and it will be innovative and refreshing. With the right director and actors and production it might very well be BETTER than the original. I'd love to see that happen. And if theres anything I can do to ensure that happens I will gladly do just that. But I'm not holding my breath.

Larry

PS - Keanu Reves doesn't quite have the voice to pull off Dr. Frank N Furter. My money is on someone like Jack White.

I think a remake would be alright as long as Tim Curry played the role of Franknfurter. But seriously, if they did it right and pulled some young, no-name actors/singers and threw them into the mix, this could do the same for their career as it did for Curry, Sarandon, and Meatloaf (okay Sarandon and Curry).

C'mon, Rocky Horror is fun because of the audience participation, not so much the film itself... People like to see it over and over again because of its cheezyness and yell out lines about the subtle details of the film: a long pause here, a costume malfunction there... all those elements of the film version itself are what make it fun!

A remake just becomes a silly big budget musical about transvestites from outer space! where's the market for that?!?

(unless they do a shot per shot remake of the original and then, what's the point?)

The reason it won't be remade well is simple. The original was a labor of love. The remake will be too polished. It will be cleaned up by the studio, art-directed within an inch of its life, and watered down by test screening audiences.

Bottom line, in fifty years the original will still be remembered and played at midnight showings all over the place - the remake will be totally forgotten, a footnote in the history of the production.

And Seth, how dare you disrepect The Loaf?? Just kidding. OR AM I?

I am.

"Hairspray" was a stage play and had two musical film versions, although the music in the first was completely different, being records from the era (early 60s). "South Pacific" had a TV film remake, basically note-for-note, and somewhat pointless for an audience, but was more a venue for current Hollywood actors/singers a chance to perform in it.

If a remade Rocky Horror were more of a spoof, starring the guys from Flight of the Conchords and other parody musicians -- Weird Al anyone? ..... it *might* work.

This discussion of Rocky Horror & the Day the Earth Stood Still remake with Keanu brings to mind extreme cheese-factor images of Keanu, as a Frank-n-Klaatu, leaving the ship (after the landing in Capitol lawn) in a corset and breaking out into song.....doing the Time Warp mash-uped with Klaatu's Anus of Uranus. Our Earth may never survive.

I don't really want to see a remake. Remakes which are worthwhile can be counted probably on one finger, let alone one hand. The only ones which really work are non-musical to musical, where there is at least some good reason. Rocky Horror is a cult for good reason and the cast was perfect first time. Why change it, as I'm sure it will be, by dumbing it down and losing the black charm of the original?

please people stop messing with the classics, seriously who do MTV think they are this film needs to be left alone WE DONT WANT A REMAKE no one does.

I'd be very "interested" in a RHPS remake. Nothing, I believe, would ever compare with the original, but it's been 35 years. What if it were fantastic, in its own way, and lit the fire of a whole new generation of Rocky lovers?

I bite my tongue as I suggest ~ Perhaps its time to pass a torch to them and see what they do with it?

WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE what we've got, no one can ever take it away, so why feel threatened?

(Playing my own devil's advocate position, here, folks.) RHPS Rules.

well, I guessit would be ok to remake it but hopefully they won't messup on redoing
the music or the cast! Thats all I'm worried about! And that who ever they get as
frank n furter doesnt try and copy tim curry's performance (as if that was possible!) oh
and that they get a super super delicous guy to play rocky!!!!! Oh and that ALL of the
actors can SING!!!