80's movies would have more longevity...if they could change the music!

[Too Much Garlic]

Not an 80's movie, but I had the same thought when watching Forbidden Planet lately. It's a cool, somewhat serious sci-fi movie that is just cheapened by the music, some of the sound effects and some of the optical effects, such as the weapons firing. Though, changing things in that one... well... it just feels like committing a George Lucas.

The Brad Fiedel Terminator scores are some of my favorites. Something the other sequels lacked.

The Tangerine Dream soundtrack in Legend isn't even the original soundtrack - I never heard it until when I bought the special edition dvd that had both versions and man the American cut was weird, lifeless and bland.

 

[Deric]

Watch the cartoon Movie of Transformers. I hated the music of that thing when the movie came out. Watching it now is painful in some spots especially the opening credits.

 

[Angelus Lupus]

You can't criticise the music for Forbidden Planet. It was entirely created electronically, in an age before it was easy to do that sort of thing. It's meant to evoke the sounds of the vast alien machinery, etc.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

You can't criticise the music for Forbidden Planet. It was entirely created electronically, in an age before it was easy to do that sort of thing. It's meant to evoke the sounds of the vast alien machinery, etc.

Of course I can. Many things that were/are difficult to create still look and sound like ****. How hard it was to create just gives a point of recognition to the effort put into it, but the end result can be judged on its own and if it sounds like **** to me... it sounds like ****.

 

[cayman shen]

I'm not trying to be a dick (I seem to have to say that every time I post here), but Shen - I hope you NEVER complain about remakes - 'cause you are WHY they exist. Studios remake these films to exploit a brand - but also to eliminate real or imagined "hokiness" some people get from dated music, performances, and effects.

Highlander could be better with new effects? Enjoy the remake!

And it CERTAINLY would be better without all that cheesy '80s music. Instead of all that, let's get Gaga - she's today's Freddie Mercury-style flamboyant performer - she could do COVERS of all of those Queen songs! She could add REAL emotion to something like "Who Wants to Live Forever!"

And if you think music was bad in the '80s, you weren't listening to the right music. There's a reason all of the bands today are trying to emulate that sound - they've got nothing going on NOW. People up on their hind-legs over the soundtrack for Refn's Drive - it's ALL '80s STYLE - and it's being used in the film THE EXACT SAME WAY MOVIES IN THE '80s used it - it's played over Miami Vice-style DRIVING MONTAGES.

And Drive would be a standard-issue revenger if not for that feel.

Film lives in the time in which it was made. Removing it from that time is murdering it.

How the **** am I why they exist? I said they shouldn't remake it. Let history stand. If you'd been around awhile you'd see that I vehemently oppose most remakes, special editions, etc. ALL I was saying was Terminator music was cheesy and dated. IMMEDIATELY followed by saying leave it be. *****. PARLAY VOO ANGLAYS?

 

[Wes R]

I'm totally against any modifying of old movies other than cleaning them up if they're older and the footage is getting rough. The Transformers 1986 music isn't that bad, i have that soundtrack and all the other albums from Stan Bush and Vince Dicola.

 

[Deathstalker II]

OHHHHHHHH SHEN!!!!

DUDE - I am SO sorry!!!!! Obviously, I posted in the wee hours, and attributed to you the ENTIRLY WRONG viewpoint. My post was directed at those who say the films SHOULD be whitewashed (The Dude's perspective, not yours). I obviously got some handles mixed up.

Again - I truly apologize. Chalk it up to an all-nighter/posting at 6:00am.

 

[cayman shen]

Not a problem

 

[Too Much Garlic]

ALL I was saying was Terminator music was cheesy and dated.

The score or the songs?

The songs make sense seeing as the movie takes place in the 80's after all.

The score... hmm... simply not following you there, but I guess that may be because I like the music Brad Fiedel created for those two movies.

 

[cayman shen]

The score I meant. Not the main theme (which is great), and not all of it, but some parts like from about 1:15 on in this scene: The Terminator Truck chase - YouTube

But dated isn't always bad. I mean, you can tell movies from the 40s when they bust out the overblown harp music during romantic scenes. Doesn't mean I'd "update" it or it's bad. There is just some music from the 70s and 80s scores that are older but still recent enough to feel cheesy. Like in the 80s the 70s seemed cheesy but now they're cool. Right now, the 90s seem cheesy. It's a cycle of looking down on the styles of recent decades. "Oh thank god we're not doing THAT anymore!" In ten years what's cheesy now will seem retro and cool. In twenty, it'll be classic.

 

[CB2001]

The score I meant. Not the main theme (which is great), and not all of it, but some parts like from about 1:15 on in this scene: The Terminator Truck chase - YouTube

Are you kidding? The whole chase scene's of the best tracks in the film! In fact, I appreciate it more because of the difficulty that Brad Fiedel had just to get the sequencers to play correctly at the same pacing that he wanted them to do. He talks about it on one of the making-of featurettes on The Terminator DVD).

 

[ShadowX81]

Actually I think the 90s had far worse music in movies.

90s movies had this annoying habbit of using classic songs in them re-recorded as punk/scream rock covers. It got to me then, and does even more now that it is dated.

 

[jcoffman99]

80's movie music ROCKS. Like totally. Anything else would be groady to the max. I couldn't imagine living in a world where the music from Rocky IV was modern. I had the cassette tape as a kid (look it up young folk) and wore it out. Same thing with the Huey Lewis heavy BTTF soundtrack. The Karate Kid was already mentioned for its awesomeness. Might have to have a rockin' 80s movie marathon now.

John

 

[Too Much Garlic]

I think movies that actually takes place in and is supposed to be centered around the eighties would be insane to start changing out tunes. It's sorta meshed together. Science fiction or other such kind of movies from the eighties that are supposed to be taking place in the future seems more quickly dated because, they are not really linked to the eighties in that sense within the storyline or settings, so having eighties music just feels out of place in the long run.

Star Wars was mentioned. A seventies movie, but still relevant to the discussion in some way. It would have been absolutely HORRIBLE with a disco score and would maybe not have become as timeless as it is. Though, they get bastardized in other ways and no longer exist... so... perhaps a bad example.

 

[Jet Beetle]

You don't know fun unless you were a teen in the 80's. Everything from that era was geared toward us kids - video games, Mtv, Thanks to Michael Jackson - Dance Clubs, Breakdancing replaced gangfights. - The 80's were - well, AWESOME - AWESOME TO THE MAX!

I remember going to see Zapped with this hot girl from Junior High and this scene was all we needed to mess around in a storage closet
Zapped! [1982] - Got to Believe in Magic - David Pomeranz - YouTube
I won't post Princes of the Universe - not when this was just as bad ass
Highlander Music Video: Queen - Gimme the Prize - YouTube

I also find it funny the example you use as "bad" being the Karate Kid - did you know there was a remake?- cause most people forgot.