This rat turd has nothing to do with Harrison's story or Jewison's 1975 SF classic, and using their title this way should be criminally prosecutable.
The director, fearing (perhaps rightly) that today's relatively illiterate and dense younger audiences couldn't follow the subtle plot and story arcs of the original, settled for a limp cartoon featuring a grinning plastic hero (Keanu Reeves without the dramatic flair) and a fast whiz-bang pace to make sure no one notices that this emperor has no clothes. I noticed, thank you.
Don't waste your time; rent the original and see why it's been a cult classic for 30 years, whereas this one was forgotten in 30 days.
The original Jonathan E's search for how the status quo came to be, and why man had lost control of his destiny, was central to the theme -- completely ignored in the 2002 cheap Chinese knockoff. HIs quote, "It is as though at some time in the past we were given a choice to trade our freedom for comfort...." wouldn't even make sense in the remake, and the original ending -- affirming the ascendancy of the individual and (my interpretation) sounding the death knell for the Corporations -- had to be scrapped.
Comparing the two versions: Compare the magnificent organ intro of the original (Bach's Toccata und Fugue in D-Minor) with the trashy barking of the 2002 sound track -- that says it all. It's like picking up two tools, one by Snap-On and the other by Chinese-made "Buffalo tools: the difference is instantly apparent.
For those who have seen both and prefer the newer version, I have naught but contempt, or perhaps pity. It's those feeble souls that in Jewison's future world would willingly trade the gold of freedom for the dross of comfort.
The director, fearing (perhaps rightly) that today's relatively illiterate and dense younger audiences couldn't follow the subtle plot and story arcs of the original, settled for a limp cartoon featuring a grinning plastic hero (Keanu Reeves without the dramatic flair) and a fast whiz-bang pace to make sure no one notices that this emperor has no clothes. I noticed, thank you.
Don't waste your time; rent the original and see why it's been a cult classic for 30 years, whereas this one was forgotten in 30 days.
The original Jonathan E's search for how the status quo came to be, and why man had lost control of his destiny, was central to the theme -- completely ignored in the 2002 cheap Chinese knockoff. HIs quote, "It is as though at some time in the past we were given a choice to trade our freedom for comfort...." wouldn't even make sense in the remake, and the original ending -- affirming the ascendancy of the individual and (my interpretation) sounding the death knell for the Corporations -- had to be scrapped.
Comparing the two versions: Compare the magnificent organ intro of the original (Bach's Toccata und Fugue in D-Minor) with the trashy barking of the 2002 sound track -- that says it all. It's like picking up two tools, one by Snap-On and the other by Chinese-made "Buffalo tools: the difference is instantly apparent.
For those who have seen both and prefer the newer version, I have naught but contempt, or perhaps pity. It's those feeble souls that in Jewison's future world would willingly trade the gold of freedom for the dross of comfort.