If you were born between the years 1975 and 1985, congratulations. Your childhood spanned the most culturally interesting period in human history. How else to explain contemporary Hollywood’s ruthless pillaging of cherished shows from this era? Transformers, GI Joe, Thundercats and now…Flight of the Navigator.
Walt Disney Pictures has announced plans to remake the 1986 children’s sci-fi flick. For the uninitiated, it’s a timeless tale of a boy who gets abducted by an alien probe, loses eight years due to the relativistic effects of faster-than-light travel, gets re-abducted by the same probe that needs a map contained within the boy’s brain to get home, and then has a series of wacky and heartwarming adventures. Here’s the original trailer:
As a kid, I was variously fascinated and terrified by the movie. I found the idea of getting abducted by a giant talking robo-eye in a ravine behind your house vaguely unsettling, mostly because there was a ravine behind my house. On the other hand, the idea of blasting around in shape-shifting spaceship that could also turn invisible was pretty cool. It may have also taught me to believe in myself, but in 1986 I was so inundated with that message by a variety of programs and books it’s hard to establish a causal relationship.
No doubt, the remake will probably grossly pervert the spirit of the original, and will no doubt star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the alien ship. Also, the guy writing it’s only other contribution to the world of film is the Tim Allen/John Travolta “we’re old!” vehicle, Wild Hogs. Nunc Scio is not optimistic.
That is one of my favourite movies – yes, even as an adult. Agree with you that the remake is likely to disappoint. Don’t know how they could quite capture the innocence and wonderful sense of adventure the old movie portrayed.
Oh DAMMIT Hollywood, is nothing sacred? How long before there are no childhood treasures left? What’s next, The Goonies remake? You gonna build a time machine to steal my 5-year-old self’s Christmas presents and sell them on ebay?
This shameless exploitation of my memories cannot go on, and worst of all is that there are thousands of aspiring writers out there with fantastic new plots, characters and scripts to be created who are ignored so that cowardly execs can present more powerpoint profits.
Truly this is the reconstituted ham of film recipes, and by God you will leave the Truffle Shuffle alone.
I’m going to Burbank tomorrow to pitch a new movie idea. The Jackson Five save Detroit from Fuzzbucket, now full grown, gloaming with male goo, and bent on copulating with every 3-8 story building in town. I am trying to develop the “edgy children” market.
I, good sir, would watch that. Sure some old favourites in the character sections, but now fully developed and with a definite reworking of format and tone that promises a whole new perspective.
May I suggest clinching the deal by offering ground floor shares in the therapy sideline that will take off once Little Timmy sexually assualts Winnie the Pooh with a Fisher Price power drill?
If my childhood memories are to be raped, I don’t want half measures!
“Nunc Scio is not optimistic.”
I think that’s a fairly accurate statement.
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!