Planet of the Apes, The Crazies, Friday the 13th, The Pink Panther, The Last House on the Left, Footloose, The Karate Kid; most teenagers today would recognize these movies, but it depends on which ones they’re talking about. Most of these movies, along with many others have been remade. With the remake of Footloose coming out in theatres Oct. 14, speculation rises about whether this is truly beneficial to the history of movie culture.
These are originals, movies most of our parents knew when they were teenagers and sadly, many teens today don’t even know of the originals, but the remakes instead. We’re lucky if we’ve been exposed to the cut and dry originals. They have history. They have meaning. History is lost if we replace them. God forbid, the generation that awaits our place, will never even know the legend of Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer in the 1984 version of Footloose.
Sure, it’s good to move on and adjust to appeal to a more modern crowd, which can agreeably pertain to our youth today, but replacing the history of movie making and the generation before us and their social culture is absolutely absurd. What is it saying when there are remakes? To some, it might portray that we’re moving on to a new modern culture. That may be a good thing, but fear rises in many that not only is it a sign of growth, but perhaps an embarrassment and rejection of the culture that once was.
Movie
Original Release Date
Remake Release Date
Footloose
1984
2011
Friday the 13th
1980
2009
The Karate Kid
1984
2010
The Pink Panther
1963
2006
Planet of the Apes
1968
2001
The Last House on the Left
1972
2009
The Crazies
1973
2010