Oldboy (2013) (Post-release)

[infymys]

Another pointless remake of an Asian cult classic. Spike Lee ran out of ideas years ago and I guess is trying to shock the anticipated viewers who haven't seen the original Korean film.

Trailer is slightly NFSW since it is the Red Band version:

Only good thing I see out of the trailer is the epic hammer fight will be incorporated. For those who are considering seeing the remake, do yourself a favor and watch the original first.

 

[Sundowner]

I'll see it but I'm curious if Spike Lee is going to actually use the same motive as in the classic.

 

[infymys]

I'll see it but I'm curious if Spike Lee is going to actually use the same motive as in the classic.

Cultural differences and the overly politically correct nature of the US these days will most likely result in a different motive. And judging from the trailer, I think the twist ending from the original will not be a part of the remake.

 

[CB2001]

One of my Full Sail classmates worked on this film as a PA. I remember him posting a picture of his call sheet with his name on it.

 

[Werstrooper]

After watching the trailer, this looks boring compared to the original, and I'm a fan of remakes.

 

[CB2001]

And judging from the trailer, I think the twist ending from the original will not be a part of the remake.

Spoiler

Actually, the twist could still be there. Keep in mind, in the original adaptation, people thought his daughter was overseas (as one of them gave Mi-do the forwarding address and phone number, talking about having to had last talking with her on the phone and how poor her Korean had gotten), which suggested that Lee Woo-jin hired someone to play as Oh Dae-su's daughter. Not only that, Mi-do met No Joo-hwan, who knew her when she was little, so he clearly wouldn't be able to recognize that her as Oh Dae-su's daughter (before anyone says it, remember there was the scene at the Internet Cafe where Mi-do is listing off results from a search for the term "Evergreen", so they had to have met just moments before she sat down at the computer and did the search). In the trailer, Joe Doucett clearly sees a woman on TV and its implied that it could be his daughter, but again, for the remake, there's a possibility that she's an actress hired to psyche out Joe like how Lee Woo-jin did to everyone including Oh Dae-su.

Not to mention, Spike Lee is not the kind of guy to shy away from something. Do The Right Thing dealt with racism, Jungle Fever dealt with an interracial couple, Bamboozled involved a modern-day minstrel show, She Hate Me dealt with a guy selling himself to get lesbians knocked up in order to maintain his lifestyle. And those are just some out of the many he's done that have had controversy in modern America, dealing with materials that not many would feature these days. I think he wouldn't back down from doing the twist.

 

[Sandman0077]

The original cannot be topped for the sheer fact that I'd never seen twists like that before. Shocking to say the least. I'll probably watch this but my wife was getting irritated because I kept telling her the differences between the original and the trailer, so I might hate it.

This will probably be like Shutter and The Ring remakes. Original was amazing and didn't need a remake. American film makers make stupid changes for no reason and refuse to push the limits (the right way) the way the originals do.

 

[CB2001]

American film makers make stupid changes for no reason and refuse to push the limits (the right way) the way the originals do.

I think Spike Lee has pushed the limits when it has come to some of his body of work, so there's no reason to worry at this point (we'll have to see how far he goes when this one comes out).

 

[infymys]

Now in theaters. Kind of crept up really quick and eerie since I felt nostalgic and watched the original a few days ago. Reviews have been less than favorable thus far and I really don't think it will ever come close to the awesomeness of the original. I'm probably going to wait until it hits the dollar theater near me or Netflix. Whichever comes first. So who's going to watch it on the big screen?

 

[JD]

I don't mind remakes. I don't buy the 'original was better' argument - for the most part (if someone touches Star Wars, Indy... it might be a different story. As much as I loved Let the Right One In (in subtitled and dubbed glory), I honestly think that Let Me In is an improvement (on an already great film).

I heard about the original Oldboy quite some time ago... friends raved about it; but, for whatever I reason, I never saw it. It really just didn't look like my kinda movie.

I saw the remake tonight... and I guess I was right, if the plots are the same (or close), it's just not really my kinda movie. Not that it's bad (and this might be just the remake), I just didn't care about these characters and I just never felt closure or that it all came together in the end (and sometimes, this is a good thing for a movie to me - but, like I said I just didn't care about anyone in the film).

I do believe the twist everyone speaks of was included in this.... I'm not sure because IMdb seems to be down at the moment and I can't check.

But, I'd probably pay to watch Elizabeth Olsen read the Yellow Pages.

 

[crabra comander]

Well the twist was a bit nastier...and the game was more clear cut and less a matter of luck. In the original Oldboy, Dae Su was lucky he wasn't killed. Here Joe is lucky he has someone watching his every move. Also, how convenient is it that every place is wired with cameras, even seedy motels that you check into (I'm assuming) randomly...

And the jailer torture scene in this one definitely tops the old films. Nasty use of a box cutter and salt!opcorn

 

[Sandman0077]

How did I not know this is out already? Must be limited release because I didn't see the option at the theater last night. I'll wait for RedBox if I do get it. It will probably be one of those movies I forget about until I see it in the $5 bin at Walmart.

 

[crabra comander]

Watched this again last night for Valentine's...:devil

My wife said it kept her interested. She would never watch a subtitled flick, so that was a good thing.

I noted some things I liked and disliked about this film:

1. The very first fight felt very raw and visceral. I quite enjoyed it.
2. The hammer fight felt too unbelievable...especially toward the end. Although looking back, Oh Dae Su was severly surrounded and still managed to kick ass.
3. The
4. A few things Joe did kept the character feeling real. "Where are all the payphones?" Throwing up. Being a straight up alcoholic.
5. The Ending was much more relatable. I could understand why Joe decided to do what he did. Oh Dae Su really became a monster in the end, in a high art sort of way. Not relatable though...:sick