"Manchurian Candidate" remake trailer
Meant to post this earlier, as I saw the trailer myself before "The Alamo." Here's a direct link to the Quicktime versions courtesy Garth at "Dark Horizons":
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news04/040410c.php
Among all the recent remakes since the late 90s, this is probably the one that has the potential to provoke reactions of shock and anger to casual film fans as opposed to only the Movie Geek community. It's a bitter pill to swallow, fellows, but it's true: When the "mass culture" hears that Godzilla or Dawn of the Dead are on the remake trail, we're the only ones crying "blasphemy;" the rest of the world's reaction is "who cares? they weren't 'good' in the first place, man!"
But if you remake a widely-known political thriller that starred Frank Sinatra, the "public" will stand up and take notice. Look for this to be a big story on a bunch of levels.
That being said, the trailer has me intrigued. Johnathan Demme is not a director to be taken lightly for the most part, and Denzel Washington is usually pretty wise about his choice of roles. The film's visual style is, at least, interesting looking. Details about the new film have been kept a close secret, even down to broad details like what the "new" storyline will be (the original involved American soldiers brainwashed into pulling the trigger as part of large-scale asassination conspiracy by communist China,) but here's what "jumps out" from the trailer about for me. I'd love to hear some comments about it from y'all visitors.
Firstly, the setting certainly looks contemporary, so one wonder what "Manchurian" will now refer to (the trailer seems to intimate that it's now the "Manchurian Corporation" behind the bad-doings. So, then, whats the angle? Who are the new bad guys? Evil corporation? Terrorism?
Secondly, all the scenes of labs and scientists... anyone else getting the vibe that this one will tip from the original's "outlandish" premise into outright science fiction? If so, am I the only one who finds that pretty potentially cool?
Thirdly, how much do y'wanna bet that as opposed to discussing the SUBSTANCE of the film, 90% of the "buzz" leading up to this will be lame non-news shouting from BOTH sides of the non-issue about the "significance" of changing the lead character's ethnicity?
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