Eager to avoid typecasting so early in their careers, Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski and producer Sean Bailey have moved from the Disney sci-fi remake to… well, to another Disney sci-fi remake.
The studio’s 1979 classic The Black Hole is remembered for being both very expensive to make and very, very creepy. It follows the crew of a spaceship who stumble upon a seemingly dead ship hovering in a gravity field just outside a black hole. The only one aboard is a doctor, seemingly driven mad by solitude and accompanied only by his army of faceless robots (no, I didn’t make any of that up). It’s also notable as the studio’s very first PG-rated release. And now, it will be remembered as one of today’s many, many, many movie reboots (OK, so that’s not such a rare distinction). That said, at least Disney is tackling movies that could actually benefit from a retooling. Tron is one of the most beloved films of all time, and The Black Hole has a creepy plot that would stand up today, and a twist that sends the perfect cold feeling through your gut. But, let’s face it: neither 1979 nor 1982 had the kind of special effects we can pull off today – or anywhere near them – and both films come off as pretty cheesy when you pop a DVD in now.
The script will come from Travis Beacham, who penned the script for another upcoming remake that’s worth doing for effects’ sake: Clash of the Titans. I could go off on a “back in my day…”-style rant about how these dang kids should make their own dad-gum movies… but I won’t. Instead, I’ll say that you’ve probably already seen the Titans trailer, which looks awesome. You’ve doubtless already seen some Tron footage, which looks similarly awesome. And if you were born after, say, 1990, there’s a chance you’ve never seen any of these movies. And yes, you should go back and see the originals – but hey, what’s wrong with bringing a beloved story to a new generation? Especially when you can make the explosions look so much prettier now!
I’m no fan of remakes, but “The Black Hole” sure could use one. The “Vincent” and “Bob” bots are among the most ridiculous ever – obviously & childishly ripped off from Star Wars. They look like rejects from Sesame Street. Although BH got a PG rating, Disney didn’t seem to know whether to “upscale” it for older audiences or dumb it down for the kiddies. They settled for the latter, resulting in a confused mishmash lurching from compelling to idiotic.
Replacing those dumb bots with Tom Servo & Crow would be a vast improvement.
“…neither 1979 nor 1982 had the kind of special effects we can pull off today…”
Huh? What about Close Encounters, Alien, 2001 and the original Planet of the Apes for starters?
CGI has ruined “special effects” – they’re just not special anymore. Just flip the channel and you’ll see talking toilets, insurance lizards and other impossibles…
I’m a fan of the original and I think a remake could be a very good thing. Like “Battlestar Galactica” there are a wealth of good attributes from the original that could truly benefit from a 2010 sensibility. I mean the design, especially the Cygnus is amazing, and the ambiguous ending is both intriguing and frightening. I’m excited.