New Remake In The Works: "Flight Of The Navigator"
Okay, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I have posted about my love for "Flight Of The Navigator" once before. To my mind it wipes the floor with both of Spielberg's schmaltzy efforts and succeeds where both John Carpenter's efforts (Star Man) and Joe Dante's efforts (Explorers) came up short.
It turns out that Disney have started moves towards a remake. There were rumours that the writers of "Safety Not Guaranteed" were being employed to work on new Star Wars sequels, but it turns out they were actually put on the job of writing this remake. I'm really excited about "Safety Not Guaranteed", which may actually be in cinemas before the year comes to a close. The poster for "Safety Not Guaranteed" reveals that the title comes from an advert by a time traveller for potential companions on the next foray into other time periods.
"Flight Of The Navigator" does admittedly feel pretty dated, but there's something about it that still stirs emotions in me the way it did when I first saw it. The first half is pretty creepy and helps the film to hold on to a sense of wonder when the film goes more typically light-hearted and child-friendly in the second half.
Perhaps the child actor could have been better, but child actors are always a tough call. How about that kid from "Looper"? He's a bit young, but in "Looper" Pierce Gagnon proved himself to be a pretty awesome little actor. Perhaps he could pull it off? Most people I think of as child actors are in their 20s by now. Remember that little kid from Harry Potter? He played a 30 year old widower recently. *stunned*
Remakes CAN be good. John Carpenter's "The Thing" and David Cronenberg's "The Fly" are the most obvious picks. I was pretty forgiving of the "Nightmare On Elm Street" remake, but mainly because I wasn't so keen on Wes Craven's original (particularly the acting). I still wouldn't rate it higher than parts 3 and 4 in the franchise. Presumably we can't count cases like "The White Ribbon" which I, perhaps controversially, consider to be a remake of "Village Of The Damned", or "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" which I view as a pretty faithful remake of "Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes"? So perhaps the most recent stab at a remake that most people would say was vaguely successful was Peter Jackson's "King Kong" (and that definitely had its flaws). Perhaps the reason why "reboots" have caught on so well is because they ensure that people don't feel like they have to choose between the original or the remake. I mentioned ROTPOTA just now and while that definitely feels like its reshaping the franchise, it still has nods and winks to the series as a whole and if you look at it at just the right angle it almost feels like it could fit in as just another entry in the same timeline.
Until I see "Safety Not Guaranteed" I really cannot judge the likelihood that a remake of "Flight of the Navigator" will be a success. However, I think they'll probably need more than a half-hearted wink to the fans of the original if I'm to accept this new incarnation of my childhood favourite. I'll be keeping my eye on this project to see what comes of it...
It turns out that Disney have started moves towards a remake. There were rumours that the writers of "Safety Not Guaranteed" were being employed to work on new Star Wars sequels, but it turns out they were actually put on the job of writing this remake. I'm really excited about "Safety Not Guaranteed", which may actually be in cinemas before the year comes to a close. The poster for "Safety Not Guaranteed" reveals that the title comes from an advert by a time traveller for potential companions on the next foray into other time periods.
"Flight Of The Navigator" does admittedly feel pretty dated, but there's something about it that still stirs emotions in me the way it did when I first saw it. The first half is pretty creepy and helps the film to hold on to a sense of wonder when the film goes more typically light-hearted and child-friendly in the second half.
Perhaps the child actor could have been better, but child actors are always a tough call. How about that kid from "Looper"? He's a bit young, but in "Looper" Pierce Gagnon proved himself to be a pretty awesome little actor. Perhaps he could pull it off? Most people I think of as child actors are in their 20s by now. Remember that little kid from Harry Potter? He played a 30 year old widower recently. *stunned*
Remakes CAN be good. John Carpenter's "The Thing" and David Cronenberg's "The Fly" are the most obvious picks. I was pretty forgiving of the "Nightmare On Elm Street" remake, but mainly because I wasn't so keen on Wes Craven's original (particularly the acting). I still wouldn't rate it higher than parts 3 and 4 in the franchise. Presumably we can't count cases like "The White Ribbon" which I, perhaps controversially, consider to be a remake of "Village Of The Damned", or "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" which I view as a pretty faithful remake of "Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes"? So perhaps the most recent stab at a remake that most people would say was vaguely successful was Peter Jackson's "King Kong" (and that definitely had its flaws). Perhaps the reason why "reboots" have caught on so well is because they ensure that people don't feel like they have to choose between the original or the remake. I mentioned ROTPOTA just now and while that definitely feels like its reshaping the franchise, it still has nods and winks to the series as a whole and if you look at it at just the right angle it almost feels like it could fit in as just another entry in the same timeline.
Until I see "Safety Not Guaranteed" I really cannot judge the likelihood that a remake of "Flight of the Navigator" will be a success. However, I think they'll probably need more than a half-hearted wink to the fans of the original if I'm to accept this new incarnation of my childhood favourite. I'll be keeping my eye on this project to see what comes of it...