Tim BurtonJames’s career, which has included a few remakes, has reached many highs and some wonderfully inventive lows. From ghosts and superheroes to talking animals and magical beings, Tim Burton has one of the most distinctive styles in Hollywood. The fact that some stars are often described as “Tim Burton actors” due to the number of times they worked with him is just one of many examples of how Burton has become a genre of its own.
However, for every great original film he has directed over the years, since Beetle juice to Ed Wood and Eduardo Scissorhandshe also served as director of a series of remakes that differ in quality. Taking on a film that already has an expectant fan base is never an easy task, but when done correctly, it can be a wonderful reimagining of a beloved existing IP. Tim Burton’s filmography consists of hits and misses, and it’s no different when it comes to remakes.
However, Burton has never been afraid to tackle a beloved IP. One of the first successes of his career was precisely Batman (1989), a film that changed the general public’s perception of the character and brought the darkness and complexity of the famous comic book superhero to the screen in a way that had never been done before. While Batman wasn’t a remake, it showed that Burton was more than capable of recreating characters and stories that had already existed for years.
5
Planet of the Apes
Burton remakes a science fiction classic
Tim Burton was a great choice to direct a remake of Planet of the Apes. His visual style and humor seemed to have been the perfect combination to bring Pierre Boulle’s novel to the screen, especially considering how adept Tim Burton is at bringing the strange and wonderful to life. The original film series had a distinct charm that resulted in some of the most iconic images in late 1960s cinema.
A film featuring talking chimpanzees who are going to take over the world should have been the perfect canvas for Burton to unleash his creativity in inventive ways, but unfortunately, his version flopped for several reasons. Unfortunately, it lacked depth and lacked the sociopolitical parallels of the original film series. Burton’s Planet of the Apes wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t feel like a Tim Burton film, which is the most scathing criticism of the film, given the power of its visual storytelling typically.
Additionally, the film came before motion capture techniques and visual effects in general, at a point where an entire set of main characters could be created through CG, unlike what happened in 2011. Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Burton’s reimagining, a phrase he helped coin thanks to the film, featured great prosthetics and makeup to bring the apes to life. They look decent overall, but the less said about the awkward kiss scene, the better.
4
Dumbo
Tim Burton remakes Disney’s animated classic
One of the best elements of the original Dumbo cartoon of 1941 was that its limited narrative was handled well by the film’s equally conservative running time of one hour and four minutes. It had its wonderful charm and emotion in the story of an elephant who was ridiculed because of the size of his ears and treated with great care. Unfortunately, Tim Burton’s announcement that he might have retired after his remake speaks volumes.
However, taking on any Disney property is not for the faint of heart, plus Burton had to somehow extend the narrative from a one-hour children’s film to a two-hour remake, while still channeling what made the first such a timeless film. In doing so, the production lost sight of what it was trying to be and became a strange mix of Burton-style gothic adventure with an overly complicated plot. Plus star Michael Keaton admitted it was “terrible” Dumbo.
While Tim Burton Dumbo It’s not a terrible film, it’s, unfortunately, a predictable mess. There are moments where the film almost soars, but they are few and far between to elevate it beyond a disappointing remake. At least it made Burton realize he needed to be re-energized, meaning audiences finally got the fun sequel, Beetle juice, beetle juice.
3
Dark Shadows
Remaking the classic supernatural soap opera
Dark Shadows saw Tim Burton casting an actor who had already been in some of his best films, including Eduardo Scissorhands, Ed Woodand Sleepy hollow; Johnny Depp. Burton admitted (via the New York Times) that the 1960s Dark Shadows The TV show had a huge influence on him as a child, saying: “I should probably be doing homework or playing sports after school instead of watching Dark Shadows.”
It’s not a stretch to see why Burton would be drawn to the world of Dark Shadows as a child. It had a genuinely spooky atmosphere, and although the pacing was slow and some of the acting questionable to say the least, it had a nostalgic charm of its own regardless. Unfortunately for Burton, his adaptation may have a wonderful cast, including Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Burton’s own Catwoman, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Johnny Depp.
The film’s saving grace is Eva Green’s antagonist Angelique, who delves into her role as the witch that Depp’s Barnabas rejected. She’s great, but her obsession with Barnabas makes no sense. Depp’s performance, as is typically the case in Burton’s films, is suitably quirky, but his various tics and scenery-chewing don’t lend themselves well to a character that a domineering witch like Angelique would obsess over. The film, however, has a strange tone and, although it is fun, it doesn’t feel like a Tim Burton film.
2
Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Caroll’s fantasy classic gets a remake
Tim Burton’s best films are the ones where he has creative control over the project, especially when he can conjure bizarre images from his wonderful mind. This is why many of its remakes don’t measure up in terms of overall quality. He has the talent to turn any story into cinematic gold, but he’s best when he can focus his attention on original stories. Its adaptation of Alice in Wonderland is a great example of that.
In theory, the combination of Lewis Carroll’s iconic children’s novel and Burton’s extremely vivid imagination should have been a perfect match. For the most part, the film works, and Burton brings to the screen some superbly realized images. Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter is one of his best roles in Burton’s later output, Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen is very Burton-esq in its design, and the visuals pop off the screen wonderfully.
Alice in Wonderland It was a huge box office success, earning more than a billion dollars for the Disney studio, which nailed the film’s marketing campaign. Despite having a low rating of 6.4/10 on IMDb, the film is very entertaining and impressed the audience. Unfortunately, however, Burton’s experience with Alice in Wonderlandand also later with DumboThat’s why he considered leaving directing behind. Fortunately, this didn’t last long.
1
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Willie Wonka gets a Tim Burton makeover
Gene Wilder’s performance as the titular character in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory from 1971 is so iconic, and one of his best roles, that anyone who took on the role in Tim Burton’s 2005 remake would have big shoes to fill. If a team, consisting of a visionary director like Burton and a great actor like Johnny Depp, could pull it off, it would be them. The duo brought audiences some of the best films from Burton’s impressive catalogue, but although Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a lot of fun, Depp’s protagonist is its weakest element.
One person who was not impressed with Burton’s remake was Gene Wilder, who said that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory it was “an insult”. Wilder felt that there was no need for Hollywood to go back and remake the film and that the reasons behind this were mainly financial. There’s no doubt there’s some truth to this, but when you have a talented creative team behind a project and a studio supporting it with a compelling marketing campaign, there’s always hope that they can get it right.
In the end, Tim Burton and Disney largely got the Willy Wonka remake right. Depp’s protagonist was designed not to look like a pale imitation of Gene Wilder’s classic Wonka. However, he was such a cartoonish version of the character that he almost became a caricature. Burton and Depp brought the character of Willy Wonka to life in a vivid setting, but their main protagonist’s personality is very divided.
One minute the audience is supposed to feel sorry for the injured son, while at the same time he doesn’t seem to care if the children he invites to the chocolate factory make it out alive. It’s a shame, as the rest of the film works brilliantly; the production design is exactly what you would expect Tim Burtonand the chocolate factory looks deliciously good to eat. Also, the squirrel scene is a joke.
Sources: The New York Times