MovieChat Forums > The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) Discussion > Remake?

Remake?

posted 21 years ago by crawfrordboon
8 replies | jump to latest

Just read that a new movie named 'the Flight of the Phoenix' is being released next year, its being filmed from Monday. Is this going to be a remake of the famous old movie with Dickie Attenborough, Jimmy Stewart, Ernest Borgnine, and Hardy Kruger? If it is I hope that its not a total stinker, remakes are usually pointless and almost never as good as the original, lets hope that if its rubbish it will contribute to the huge fan base of the original, rather than detract from its memory.

[–] 21 years ago

[deleted]

[–] R_C_Olson 20 years ago

Seems to be. The new film is listed on IMDB.com already--they've relocated the crash scene to the Mongolian Gobi Desert, and Yahoo.com says they're going for an Oct. 22, 2004 release.

I hope you're right; I met Jimmy, er, Mr. Stewart, and got to tell him..."The Flight of the Phoenix is one of my favorite films," "inspiring," "great" ...all of which were true, of course.==8^)

Keep smiling. ===8^)

[–] drastic_quench 20 years ago

Yep. It looks good special effects-wise, but otherwise, it's entirely pointless, and its actors can't possibly live up to the original performances.

[–] TuppenceBeresford 20 years ago

I've seen the original; it's a great movie and Jimmy is my fav actor!
Has anyone seen the trailer for the remake?
I did and the trailer gave away 95% of the plot. Giovanni Ribisi's make-up and costume make him look like Hardy Kruger.

What a dream I was having! Louis Armstrong was trying to kill me!
-ThrowMommaFromTheTrain

[–] rpjc2003 20 years ago

The new version will have a lot to live up the original was and is still superb

[–] Sabrejetp 20 years ago

The remake has some merit and in some ways is a more plausible.

The oilworkers have a Honda generator, electric welders and powered grinders, gear that just wasn't available in the mid-sixties.

The finished Phoenix, (which is asymetric because they detach the inner wing from the hull and join the outer wing to it) looks more convincingly made from parts than in the original.

The opening number, which shows the old transport plane trucking over some amazing wilderness terrain, to the sound of Johnny Cash, 'I've been everywhere' is pretty terrific. It sets up their plight, points up that their absolute isolation very well and tells you what you need to know about the plane.

I also liked a scene with the finished Phoenix being blasted by the winds, tethered but hopping off the ground, ready to go.

But we don't have the wonderful supporting characters provided by Ian Bannen and Ronald Frazer.

And there's no monkey!

[–] fanaticita 20 years ago

The remake was not bad! In fact, I liked Giovanni Ribisi as the Elliot/Dorfmann character much better than Hardy Kruger, and I really like Kruger. Ribisi just added another dimension to the character.

[–] tomcat69w 19 years ago

I must be one of the few who feel the remake not only stinks, it was a waste of money and time. Ribisi's character was laughable,...but not near as bad as that of Dennis Quaid as Frank Towns. I just watched the original again last night on amc and it still holds up as a classic. Great acting, cinematography,
storyline etc. etc. The remake looks like a group of 'middleschool' student's slapped it together. The acting is hideous, the music overbearing and the CGI ridiculous. Stick with the original for pure entertainment. And if you have any doubt's,...watch them back to back. The original rocks!

The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get!