Pete's Dragon, circa 1977, is the first movie I ever remember seeing in the movie theater. According to my Mom, this is not the first movie I ever went to. That one was Where The Red Fern Grows. I was two when that movie came out, five when Pete's Dragon did.
Last weekend, I brought my two daughters to see the remake of Pete's Dragon. I loved it. So did my daughters. We laughed and cried. Don't worry, I won't spoil anything.
Which brings me to the subject of remakes. Yes, Pete's Dragon is a remake . . . in name only. There is absolutely no comparison to the original. Treat it like a brand new movie for a brand new generation.
The same goes when books get made into movies. Treat them as separate works of art. Critics who feel they should all be the same have, what I call, the "Clear and Present Danger Syndrome." Please see my blog post from a few years ago where I explain this.
I've also watched the recent movie Suicide Squad and Batman v. Superman, the latter of course on DVD. I loved both movies--I know, I know, it doesn't take much to make me love something. I give both movies two thumbs up, five stars all the way.
Despite what the critics say.
When Batman v. Superman came out in the theater, my oldest daughter saw it and said it was great. I wasn't able to see it in the theaters. It obviously did well at the box office. I have a co-worker who also saw it and agreed with the critics. He hated it. His basis for criticism seemed to stem from it being like the comics and the canon it presented. Once again, another victim of the "Clear and Present Danger Syndrome."
Treat each piece of art as a separate piece of art. Work hard not to compare. Rarely are books as good as movies, and vice versa.
No comments:
Post a Comment