MovieChat Forums > The Puppet Masters (1994) Discussion > Who would like a remake?

Who would like a remake?

posted 18 years ago by devilmaster
13 replies | jump to latest

I would certainly. But it should follow the book as closely as possible, and that includes being set in the future, with "duos" and "triphibians" as means of transport, and the various security "operations" (being forced by the law to be shirtless, or naked...)
The only problem with a remake is that the book states that the invaders come from Titan, while now we know there are no living creatures on Titan. Luckily, the book itself may offer a solution. The last chapter of the book, with the main character becoming a soldier to exterminate the slugs on their homeworld, resembles very much a prelude to Starship Troopers. So, why not make the remake as an actual prelude to Starship Troopers? It would be sufficient to say that the creatures come from Klendathu, feature the last scene with the main character and other soldiers, all wearing the mobile infantry uniform from Starship Troopers, and have Blur's "Song 2" pumping while the soldiers enter the spaceship and the main character, as the narrator, makes his final speech... that would totally RULE.

[–] travisduennes 18 years ago

BRILLIANT!

[–] digitalsam2005 18 years ago

I disagree. Titan's to Bugs are as close as Bananna's are to oranges. While yes, they are both fruits, they come from completly different parts of the world, different people like them, and they taste/look different. I would see Elihu's conclusion as a speech he gives before the ships launch. That way, it could lead to an eventual sequal. I'm actually writing a screenplay for this..

[–] monty-57 18 years ago

Hey... what about casting? How about Harrison Ford as the Old Man?

[–] jim47-1 18 years ago

What just about everyone is forgetting is that, while the final chapter of the book has humans going to Titan to wipe out the slugs, and free the natives who have been enslaved, the reality is that in Heinlein's novel, the weapon which allows humans to win the battle on Earth was "found" on Venus. This never came out in the movie, and all the talk about a remake still hasn't focused on this. Of course, there is no way to do this, now; we know that Venus is completely unable to support human life, so Allequere couldn't have survived Nine-Day Fever there. Still, it would have been nice if the movie had made a better effort to follow the book in the second half. The first half or so of the movie was really good. With minor differences, it followed the book extremely well, which made it all the more disappointing when they veered away so strongly from the novel. If a remake is made, there should be some substitute for the dredging-up of memories that gave The Agency a clue to how to win the fight. It has to come from off Earth.

[–] silvergirl606 18 years ago

God yes, let's have a remake! I have been saying for ages that this movie kept what is now cliched or generic in alien movies (though it wasn't when the book was written) and took out everything unique and weird and interesting (like the government going around without shirts and stuff.)

Man, now I just want to go read that book again.

[–] canedust 18 years ago

So the new rule for Alien Invasion movies is that they can't have any mention of Martians or Venusians? Aliens can come from wherever the hell they want, and nearby planets are way more likely to notice Earth than Klendathu or Abydos would be.

It's about as valid a Sci-Fi rule as Spielberg's excuse for War of the Worlds being modernized. "Okay Steve, we KNOW aliens never attacked Victorian England, but we also KNOW nobody ever cloned dinosaurs in the 90's, so why the Jurassic Park sequels?"

Once again, science-Fiction.

What has two thumbs and still doesn't give a crap?

[–] silvergirl606 18 years ago

Haha, good point in respect to the dinosaurs. And I hope somebody someday makes a classic War of the Worlds as faithful to the book as possible. Or maybe I will just have to make it...Or that proper Puppet Masters film.

[–] bobdigital18 18 years ago

i would like a remake..

the only thing i would keep the same is Donald Sutherland but i don't think he would do it again plus he is too old.

I watched the movie first and thought it was pretty good (thank god i didn't read the book till after the movie).

also it needs to be a little longer and truer to the book.

[–] devilmaster 17 years ago

So the new rule for Alien Invasion movies is that they can't have any mention of Martians or Venusians? Aliens can come from wherever the hell they want, and nearby planets are way more likely to notice Earth than Klendathu or Abydos would be.

It's about as valid a Sci-Fi rule as Spielberg's excuse for War of the Worlds being modernized. "Okay Steve, we KNOW aliens never attacked Victorian England, but we also KNOW nobody ever cloned dinosaurs in the 90's, so why the Jurassic Park sequels?"

Once again, science-Fiction.

What has two thumbs and still doesn't give a crap?

The problem is that people are more likely to be bugged by something that's just slightly wrong than by something that is totally far out.
For example: make a movie about an invasion of nitrogen-based four-armed three-headed alien slugs, and people will accept that. Say that those creatures come from Venus and people will all be like "OMG there can't be aliens on Venus". This factor cannot be ignored in making a science-fiction movie.

[–] khu 17 years ago

I don't see why this would be hard to gloss over plausibly. Just say it's the future, and that Venus has been terraformed enough for colonists to settle there.

Then you could still have all the original plot elements of the Venusian fever as well.

For my money, Sutherland could play this role again, though he'd never go for it. He did a tremendous job on the first otherwise lame adaption. Casting for Sam and Mary requires actors that can project a sense of supreme confidence and intelligence. Mary also needs to be a hot redhead!

[–] cynema 17 years ago

This movie IS a remake...the original movie was called THE BRAIN EATERS. Which was even more loosely based on Robert Heinlein's novel.

"I'll sleep when I'm dead." R.W. Fassbinder

[–] angie-belle 17 years ago

I would love another Puppet Master film but I'm so sick of remakes. Five are okay but Hollywood has gotten carried away.

"I prefer to talk behind people's backs and not in their face... it's called manners." K. Griffin

[–] racroen 17 years ago

Why remake this one? Heinlein wrote a ton of stuff that would translate perfectly to film. "Methuselah's Children" comes to mind, or "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," or "Time for the Stars," or even "Friday." Why make a film of a concept that's been done to death? Brain-controlling parasitic slugs from outer space was original when Heinlein did it in 1951, but it's been imitated so many times now I can't imagine audiences paying as much as ten dollars a head to see it again.

Heck, even "Glory Road" would make a better movie, as well as providing justification for some Amazon of an actress to do two-thirds of her scenes naked as a jaybird.