Oldboy (2013)

The Park Chan-wook original is arguably my favorite foreign film of all time, so when I first saw this trailer, I was 60% apprehensive and 40% interested. The original is a masterpiece because it's beautiful, sad, thought-provoking, and has a slightly ambiguous ending. This, however, changes what it shouldn't and keeps what ends up making it slightly awkward as an American film. There are small plot changes that are actually more graphic, and needlessly at that, but they also make the film shallower. There were people in my audience laughing because it was so odd at times, but that really isn't anyone's fault; cultural differences elicit different reactions, and this will definitely not work for the mainstream. If they did want the film to play better for others, then they should have revised the script. This version, even standing as itself without it being a remake, feels empty and woefully unnecessary. It just doesn't work at times. The main example is the recreation of the legendary hallway fight scene, which here feels suddenly cartoony and tongue in cheek, like something out of Kick-Ass. The ending and its reveal are skimmed over and changed a bit, making it seem more tasteless since it isn't handled as well, and just cementing its forgettable nature. The original's visual style and symbolism are lost, and there are very little thrills, no great characters, and no good dialogue.