Why remake it to begin with? Particularly when you then cast someone who isn't all that much younger than Robert Englund anyway. That'd be my first question. Just because you can do something, that doesn't mean that you should.
Thing is, if you are going to go down that path then they could have relaunched the series without the need to retell the same exact story (only worse) all over again, but much like the wretched Halloween remake, they screwed the pooch in pretty much every concievable way on this one. And the result is truly horrific, and not in a good way.
Now I'm not actually against our modern horror icons being re-invented to freshen them for a new audience, I actually think that it can be done, and if done right and with respect and care it can even be a healthy thing over the long term. But it has to be done with care and attention and both a respect for the originals, as well as a true vision in making those character live and breath and be relevant again in the world we live in today.
Hammer managed to do that with the Universal monsters back in the day, giving us fresh but worthy new versions of Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman, Phantom of the Opera and The Mummy, and so on, and in the right hands the torch can be passed, and we could do something similar with out modern horror icons in order to ensure that they remain alive and vibrant and iconic for just as long as the classic monsters have.
Problem is, the people making all these ____ty remakes are purely in it for the money, and see these characters as little more than brand names they can exploit and quickly profit on, then move along to the next, rinse and repeat, all the while taking the easiest cut 'n paste approach possible in order to maximise hype and short term profits, without ever bothering to really take the time to create anything of worth, that can give fans a new experience, while also respecting the originals. There is no artistry or creativity or respect or integrity involved, it is all a very calculated money making exercise. Take a character, follow the formula, dispose of when audiences no longer make crappy remake sequels viable, then move on to the next and start all over again. These people are a plague on horror and horror fans.
With the right people in charge we should be getting remakes along the lines of Carpenter's The Thing, Cronenberg's The Fly, Kaufman's Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, and those Hammer Horrors that I mentioned. Because the characters are iconic and interesting, the stories that can be told with them can be mythic and scary and relevant. But instead we are getting lazy crap made by hacks who care little about the charcters and even less about audiences. It's nothing but a cinematic rape and pillage act, as it has gotten really fricken old.
Do something worthwhile, or leave these iconic characters and properties in peace. Sorry about the rant.
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Where has the love gone.
