Yeah. I generally defend remakes, because great stories can be retold, and I like to give the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt. But ROCKY HORROR was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You can't create a cult film, and SHOCK TREATMENT (the sequel to the original) proved definitively that even the makers of a cult film are unlikely to catch lightning in a bottle twice. The original RHPS was a perfect mixture of the mood and sensibilities of the time, the catchy but twisted musical numbers, and the unforgettable performances of the leads (particularly Tim Curry). Remaking it means updating the music and themes for modern audiences, which means hip-hop and pop tunes that fly right in the face of the kind of outlaw rock and roll weirdness that made the original so perversely enjoyable. Society is far more permissive about sexuality nowadays, so the core themes will either have to be tweaked or homogenized for contemporary audiences, and the involvement of MTV tells me which approach is most likely. Finally, RHPS was ostensibly a parody of classic horror and sci-fi cliches, motifs that mean little to modern audiences who've grown up thinking "classic horror" means SCREAM, SAW, and the RESIDENT EVIL films. This figures to be, at best, a watered-down version of the original ala the recent HAIRSPRAY remake or, at worst, a HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL knockoff with a chronic and fatal case of faux-hipness. Very, very bad idea...
Print Story
Send to a Friend
