When it comes to movies, there are no film genres that I enjoy more than the fantasy and sci-fi genres. I feel that there is so much that you can do with either genre that it leaves the stories open to huge possibilities. There is so much potential with these genres that I eagerly anticipate almost all films that come out from this genre, even if my instincts as a moviegoer are telling at me that a certain film is going to suck. Even with that inner dialog warning me of certain fantasy and sci-fi films, I still look forward to films of these genres with high anticipation.
That being said, there are some films of these genres that I would consider to be classics and amongst some of my favorites of all time. Films that I love watching again and again and that I have become emotionally invested in because of how much I revere them. That doesn’t mean, however, that all of these films have aged beautifully with time. As is evident in the sci-fi and fantasy genres of film, more so than with others, sometimes the special effects that were used in these films to make them the spectacles that they are were not of the greatest quality at the time that these films were made.
As such, as a fan of these films, I actually wouldn’t mind it if some creative team and film company would take a stab at remaking or rebooting these films – well, at least if they are going to do it right I wouldn’t mind them trying their hands at these. I mean, we all know how respectful the Hollywood machine can be of properties. That is why if a team is willing to try and do these films any kind of justice, it would have to be teams that have a great deal of respect for these films as I and their fans do. I am hoping that there are teams out there who can do these films right, but I would be grateful of any studio that would like to take a crack at remaking/rebooting the following ten films.
The Black Hole
Genre(s): Space Opera
Originally Released (US): December 21, 1979
I completely loved this movie when I was growing up. Sure, watching The Black Hole knowing what I know now about space, black holes, and physics, it really misses the mark on what the film should have been – but therein lies the potential in a remake of this film: imagine if they took the drama present in the 1979 film and added in the realistic physics of that of a black hole as they approach it and experiment and you have the potential for a film on par with that of another, current sci-fi film I love, Interstellar. If some team were to go back and try their hands at The Black Hole and really try to bring the drama, action, and epic scale the original film missed out on, I think it would be a great modern sci-fi film.
Dune
Genre(s): Epic Science Fiction
Originally Released (US): December 14, 1984
I can only imagine what David Lynch had in mind when he first made Dune back in the early 1980s. At least before the producers and the studio got involved and whittled away the film he had made into a confounded mess of a film that scarcely resembles anything that the original novel by Frank Herbert. Of all the films I have listed here, Dune would be the film remake/reboot that would require the most dedication to make because I don’t think that you can properly tell the tale of the novels in one film, even a film that would be three hours long. No, I think this is a film that do would do better as a trilogy of films, and one that I would be invested in seeing through to the end.
Forbidden Planet
Genre(s): Space Science Fiction
Originally Released (US): March 15, 1956
This is the oldest film you are going to find on this list, but I am still a huge fan of it nonetheless. I used to watch Forbidden Planet with my dad almost monthly because we both loved the story of the film and how vividly detailed the special effects utilized in the film were, especially considered that the film was released in 1956. I can only imagine what I modern remake of this film would look like with all the advancements in the field of special effects have made. Very little of the story needs to be changed as the story holds up well even sixty plus years later, but an upgrade to the visual effects would certainly be sight to behold for fans of this classic sci-fi film.
Highlander
Genre(s): Action Adventure Fantasy
Originally Released (US): March 7, 1986
It is because my wife and I watched Highlander late last week that I had the idea in making this list. As we were watching Highlander and fondly remembering the story, we got to wondering how different this film would be if it was made today. The action and sword fighting scenes would be so much better. The special effects would be infinitely better, especially when it comes to showing the act of “the Quickening”. And, with the name recognition of the series, it could potentially attract better actors to the project that would perhaps take the material more seriously. Hell, I would even be happy if they remade or rebooted this series as a television show as well. There is so much potential in this series that it is easily the biggest draw on this list.
The Last Starfighter
Genre(s): Space Opera
Originally Released (US): July 13, 1984
I absolutely loved this film when I first saw in back in the day. After watching The Last Starfighter, I always had this hope that when I would get a high score at Galaga, Xevious, or Star Force that some benevolent alien recruiter would come down and ask me to help them save their planet from fiendish invaders. That same premise could still work in a reboot of the film; hell, you could even have Lance Guest reprise his role as Alex Rogan and act as a mentor/trainer to those new recruits that have been selected in this film. I would love to see a film continue this story for so many reason, but especially as a gamer to see this film come back and shine a positive light on gaming in film.
Masters of the Universe
Genre(s): Science Fantasy Action
Originally Released (US): August 7, 1987
Come on, let’s be honest: who wouldn’t want to see the characters of the He-Man franchise return to the silver screen. It’s not like this film was a complete masterpiece, as entertaining as it was, it left a lot to be desired. With a reboot of The Masters of the Universe, a team could go back and correct the wrongs of the original film and even include a character that was sorely missing from the original film – She-Ra, the princess of power. This would be an especially satisfying inclusion given the current climate in Hollywood, adding in some much needed “girl power” to the Master of the Universe and adding in a role for the lead role for a woman to take up as a character who is not a love interest for the hero but his equal in strength and prominence.
The NeverEnding Story
Genre(s): Epic Fantasy
Originally Released (US): July 20, 1984
Given that the original writer of the fantasy novel that this film took its source from, Michael Ende, hated the film adaptation, and that the film itself only used the first half of the book as inspiration, I would love to see a remake of this film go in and try to really live up to the spirit of the novel and convey the message that was originally in the novel. To do so, I would also like to see this done as a pair of films that completely cover what The NeverEnding Story was supposed to be about. I know the original film also had a sequel, which I am not a fan of; but this would be a chance to go back and do this story the justice it deserves.
Serenity
Genre(s): Science Fiction Action
Originally Released (US): September 30, 2005
I honestly feel that I would be happy as this being redone as a new Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon original series to better convey the massive story that the original series Firefly was trying to convey. But if that is too massive a project for anyone to undertake, then I believe a series of films would do this story well – bringing back the characters we all love and finally able to fully flesh out the characters and world that Joss Whedon had originally envisioned. But I also realize that this may be the hardest project to get off the ground, mainly because the rights to the series don’t belong to Whedon. Last I knew, Fox still owned the rights to the franchise despite the film Serenity being distributed by Universal. And now that Disney owns Fox, where do these rights really fall now. But man, it would be awesome if this series could get done.
Spawn
Genre(s): Supernatural Superhero Horror
Originally Released (US): August 1, 1997
The character of Spawn deserved a much better film than it received back in 1997. Michael Jai White was great as Al Simmons/Spawn, but we needed better actors than John Leguizamo as The Clown/Violator and a dialing-it-in Martin Sheen as Jason Wynn. The film also needs to focus more on the struggle of Spawn trying to reintegrate himself to the world five years after his death. It needs to focus more on his life in “Rat City” and his dealings with the pair of detectives, Sam and Twitch, and even more of his struggles with the mob boss Tony Twist, the evil child killer Billy Kinkaid, and stray away from his confrontation with the Violator, at least for the first film… with more films being made if this reboot is a success. You can’t have Spawn face the Violator and Malebolgia right off the bat, it needs to be teased and worked up to. Maybe even have Spawn face his killer before fully going after the pair of hellish demons.
Starship Troopers
Genre(s): Military Science Fiction Action
Originally Released (US): November 7, 1997
Okay, I really enjoy the 1997 film Starship Troopers because I like the violence, the action, and the cheesiness of the story, presentation, and acting featured in the film. However, as a fan of the original novel by Robert A. Heinlein, I wish we would have seen more of the aspects that were featured in the book presented in the film. There were a lot of themes and even other factors that sci-fi fans would appreciate that were never included in the film. That the one world government was presented in a more negative light than in the book, that the mech suits were left out of the film, and some interpersonal relationships left out – not to mention the white-washing of the majority of the characters found in the novel – that there really is very little similarity between the novel and film. I would like to see a complete reboot of this film made if only to more accurately represent the story of the book more so than the first film did.
NO to most of this list. You can’t top classics. You can expound and expand on some, depending on if they are created with care and understanding of what the fanbase wants and expects……or is just created because the movie company can’t be bothered to create any new movies based on the THOUSANDS of awesome stories already in existence.
I would have to say the front runner to any and all of these is Forbidden Planet. Lord on High of the first scifi “big budget” movies done in color, and with a nemesis that is not a psychotically deranged alien. Thin ice on recreating this one……….VERY thin ice.
I would think that Logans Run would be on this list, as even it was futuristically appropriate now as it was in the 70’s, there could be more depth put into the story line and more “tech” added to the dome city scenes.
The Time Machine has been remade, but not to the extent of really delving into the story or the tech. With the current movie tech they have now and some of the best scifi writers that are available now……..this could be a winner.
A personal favorite I’d love to see reinvented……Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Again, THIN ICE. They would have to be very careful that they didn’t turn it into a Knight Rider ripoff.
Speaking of Knight Rider………….one tv show that could definitely be reinvented for the big screen.
Soylent Green could probably fit any alternate time line, reboot, or remake. The story line is one that could really be from any era of humanity, depending on how the writers use the basics. Soylent Green could also be a comedy or a horror movie, as well as scifi or fantasy.
There are some old black and white scifi movies that would be awesome if they were updated and packed with new scifi tech and action sequences.