This Island Earth needs to be remade now!

[RAMA]

Having had some extra time with the bad weather, I've re-read some SF novels/stories I have laying around before getting into some newer material...and I have to say, with all these remakes happening, THIS ISLAND EARTH's original story by Raymond F. Jones is simply crying out to be given its proper scope in a modern film! Its true that a lot of the elements have made it into other movies and tv shows since, but if you're going to have remakes...and the original exists in this truncated form, I think its inevitable that someone will make it! I fully expect that a new movie will give it a "visual" treatment, with possibly the one big difference to the original novel would be showing the battle to come at the end of the story.

How many people here have actually read the original story?
RAMA

 

[Mistral]

maybe 30 years ago...

 

[Myasishchev]

Oh, so that's the "SCIENCE-FICTION" version of This Island Earth.

 

[gastrof]

This Island Earth needs to be remade now!

Absolutely. I mean, Hollywood did so well with the remake of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.

Not.

When a film is a classic, I don't know what you can do with it in the way of a remake without ruining it.

The only possibility is to just do what they did in the attempted PSYCHO remake, namely just refilm the movie with a new cast, and try to leave the story and presentation alone.

Thing is, then you sort of say "Umm...why did they do this? We still have the original which is identical to this."

The only point would be to see new, currently known actors in the roles.

...And to see what they do with the giant insect-servant monster.

 

[payndz201]

We could also get a remake of MST3K: The Movie out of it!

"Dr Meachum..."
"...we're not hiring."

"Are you boys cooking up there?"
"No."
"Are you making an interociter?"
"No!"

 

[Harvey]

Hollywood did so well with the remake of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.

Not.

When a film is a classic, I don't know what you can do with it in the way of a remake without ruining it.

Since when is This Island Earth, a movie deemed worthy of the MSTK-3000 treatment, considered to be a classic of the genre?

Which doesn't mean that the Hollywood sytstem of today would do any better with a remake, of course.

 

[gastrof]

Since when is This Island Earth, a movie deemed worthy of the MSTK-3000 treatment, considered to be a classic of the genre?...

And you're from what reality?

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=92973&atid=51689&category=User%20Reviews

http://www.wikipedia.org/search-redirect.php?search=This+Island+Earth&language=en&go=Go

 

[Gepard]

The reality that This Island Earth is not a very good movie?

 

[gastrof]

See my edit, Geppie.

From the Wikipedia page-

This Island, Earth is a 1955 American science fiction film directed by Joseph M. Newman. It is based on the novel of the same name by Raymond F. Jones. The film stars Jeff Morrow as the alien Exeter, Faith Domergue as Dr. Ruth Adams, and Rex Reason as Dr. Cal Meacham. The film was one of the first major science fiction films to be made in Technicolor. In 1996, This Island Earth was also edited down and lampooned in the film Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie.

When initially released, the film was praised by most critics, many citing the special effects, well-written script and eye-popping color (prints by Technicolor) as being its major assets.

Many critics cite the special effects as the strongest element in This Island Earth, which were ground breaking for their time and are considered by many film buffs to be comparable to modern special effects...

 

[Psion]

Hell, I'm game. It's not a Hollywood rule that every remake needs to be worse than the original, just a guideline. And I didn't even know about the original novel, let alone actually read it.

Hi-ho! Hi-ho! It's off to Google we go!

 

[Harvey]

So, your argument that This Island Earth is considered by many to be not only a good movie but a classic amounts to a couple of user reviews on a TCM page and a Wikipedia article? I'm not about to tell you that you shouldn't like the film, but a classic? I don't see any sort of critical consesus supporting that claim. Forbidden Planet, The Day The Earth Stood Still, and The Thing From Another World are the science fiction films from that period much more likely to be held up over This Island Earth.

 

[Jetfire]

I think Rob Zombie needs to remake "White Zombie" the movie his band was named for.



White Zombie (1932)

 

[Haggis and tatties]

I always wanted a interossiter, and a interesting piece of trivia, this was Robin Williams first ever movie roll.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Since when is This Island Earth, a movie deemed worthy of the MSTK-3000 treatment, considered to be a classic of the genre?

Exactly. Despite being full of the kind of skiffy goodness that makes a movie a fan favorite, this is not a very good movie. Hell, even a "SyFy made-for-TV" remake would be worth a look.

It should star Bruce Campbell.

 

[Psion]

Since when is This Island Earth, a movie deemed worthy of the MSTK-3000 treatment, considered to be a classic of the genre?

Exactly. Despite being full of the kind of skiffy goodness that makes a movie a fan favorite, this is not a very good movie. Hell, even a "SyFy made-for-TV" remake would be worth a look.

It should star Bruce Campbell.

Quit talking about it, Bailey! Get your team together and make it! I volunteer to do the prosthetics makeup if I can get a small part.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Bruce don't return my calls. The Old Spice gig went to his head.

Speaking of which:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE&feature=channel[/yt]

 

[Trekker4747]

We could also get a remake of MST3K: The Movie out of it!

"Dr Meachum..."
"...we're not hiring."

"Are you boys cooking up there?"
"No."
"Are you making an interociter?"
"No!"

"Look at this book! This isn't paper it's some-kind-of metal."
"No, sir, that's paper."

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

The film's entertaining first half was let down by the second half despite the (for the time) excellent effects work. I like the premise in the novel that Earth is caught up in the middle of a vast intergalactic war in the same way that the natives on Pacific islands were caught up in the conflict between the US and Japan during WW2. I think there's a lot of scope there for a remake.

ETA: but not by McG or Michael Bay.

 

[stj]

Being deemed worthy of MST3K treatment merely means it wasn't popularly regarded as "good" SF, insofar as anyone conventionally minded can accept SF as good. I watched the MST3K version too and noted that the commentary was juvenile. This Island Earth as it happens isn't very good, but it is bad in a particular way. It was in many respects a very well made movie that forgot to have a climax! A random mutant running around and everybody else suddenly dying, as hero and heroine merely watch, just doesn't qualify as a dramatic climax. This may be a trifling omission to some. But honestly it seems just too big an oversight to qualify This Island Earth as a good movie.

 

[JustAFriend]

Leave the classics alone.

Just 'cause they can make it 'shiny' does not mean its better or needs to be done.

Enjoy what was made, and pray they go to work on the 100,000 OTHER sci-fi books sitting there in every bookstore that hasn't been made and NEEDS to be made....