King Kong (1976)

The remake of the 1933 classic , I watched this straight after seeing the original and have to say that I liked where it decided to go, they update the story to what is present day so the 1970's they stretch a bit with the idea that there is an island on earth that has not been discovered in an age when we have walked on the moon but you can let them away with it.

Jeff Bridges plays a hippy photographer and this plays in to the moral of the story when he sneaks on board a petrol explorer boat that believes that if they go to the island which is hidden by fog, the believe it is hidden because of fumes from a massive petrol field that is undiscovered. Ultimately this follows the same basic story as the original but has a moral story about the rape of the natural world and the impact that mankind can have on the world if they do not stop and think about what is best rather than what is best for themselves, quite blatant and not very subtle but does not overly bother me.

This is a solid 3 star film, possibly edging almost to 4 but being a remake it just loses out, if you enjoy watching films and seeing the same story told in different ways then this is well worth a watch.

Tron Legacy (2010)

I enjoy the original Tron, I think that it was probably due to nostalgia as I re-watched it before going to see Tron Legacy. I realised there is an awful large suspension of disbelief required to actually enjoy it. I am sure when it came out originally it was visually stunning and what was known of computers what it portrayed was possible if a bit far fetched. Then they decide that nearly 30 years later a sequel is needed, I was anticipating much from this film, the graphic and effects have moved on so much I wondered what they could do with it. 

They failed to achieve anything, I saw this in 2D so I think a lot of the effects were lost on me, a film should not have to rely on 3D to be spectacular but the story itself lacked any real drive or engagement. It was predictable and the only highlight was Michael Sheen in a Cameo role. Jeff Bridges seemed to have decided to come back to get paid, the story had him as some sort of God who could manipulate the world but they never went anywhere with it. And how the whole thing ended was fairly predictable. 

The Visual effects were pretty good but I think that they focused to heavily on the 3D so I am going to give this 2 stars, I would say wait for it on TV, not worth spending any cash on.

True Grit (2011)

This is the remake of the 1969 cowboy film, which I have never seen, the remake stars Jeff Bridges in a role I have heard he was very keen to play and put a lot into it. He was very good and the overall film was very enjoyable, I have heard from other people that have seen both of the versions that it is quite close to the original.

Now from the fact that it is quite close to the original there is to me very little point to this film having been made other than Jeff Bridges wanting to play a specific character and for the companies to cash in on the older film. It does nothing for the modern age as it is set in the Wild West and is not even a director telling a story in their words.

It is part of the problem that today all the films that come out are sequels, remakes and reboots, some original ideas would be nice. If the story is new enough and good enough it will work. Remakes can be good films and they can introduce an new audience to an old classic but for me the Western is a genre that does not need to come back in the modern age, I will give the film 2 stars and this is mainly for the good performances of Barry Pepper, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Hailee Steinfeld. See it if you like Jeff Bridges or Westerns but it does nothing new, see the original instead.