Are Remakes a Good or Bad Idea?

In an age of remakes, reboots and spin-offs, almost no stone has been left unturned by Hollywood. Some become classics such as The Thing (1982) and The Magnificent Seven (1960), some are generally hated like Ghostbusters (2015) and Ben-Hur (2016), but all of them are met with scepticism and debate before release. Some fans get angry that their favourite films are being reprised, some get excited. I'm curious, what are your opinions?

It's a tricky subject for me. I've been a fan of some remakes recently, particularly the Disney-funded Star Wars reprise and Godzilla (2014) (Apologies, it's a guilty pleasure of mine), but can't help but feel sceptical to some degree every time I hear of a series being rebooted. I often find the marketing of these remakes to be very obnoxious, sometimes inescapable, which does no good for my expectations. The problem with the marketing of remakes is it becomes very hard to distinguish between what will be a good-hearted crowd-pleaser, and what will be a cynical cash grab for the sake of a studio executive's mortgage.

I do appreciate it however, when effort and passion is put in to a remake. When your film is guaranteed colossal success at the box office, there is almost no need to make it worth people's time. Therefore, I am eternally grateful to those who give every ounce of effort to make a high-quality, entertaining film for the sake of the audience. Examples of this would be Scorsese's The Departed (2006), and Casino Royale (2006).

Overall, I think remakes are a good idea, there is nothing wrong with pleasing a large crowd with what they want to see. I do have a hatred however, of the shallow and heartless remakes pushed out in the summer for an easy profit.

For me it all depends on what is being remade. When I hear Blade Runner (1982) is being remade by one of the best directiors of our time, I am all for it. But when I hear someone like Kevin Hart, who plays the exact same character in every movie, is remaking The Great Outdoors (1988), I hate it.

So, I am mixed on this topic.

I feel the same way. Older movies that perhaps could not do certain things because of the technology at the time; can now be remade even better. But it's definitely starting to get too much, and it's hindering directors from conntributing more original ideas @Chris

@Chris I agree with Blade Runner, that is by far my most anticipated film of 2017. But Jumanji and Baywatch, really?