Will Smith and Steven Spielberg Remake "Oldboy"

It appears that Will Smith and Steven Spielberg have finally found a film that they want to collaborate on: a remake of the classic, amazing, fantastic "Oldboy" by Chan-wook Park. What a horrible idea.

Oldboy is such a brilliant film, and should be given the respect it deserves. It not only has amazing cinematography, but also very bizarre performances and twists left and right. Trying to re-make a film like Oldboy would be like trying to remake "Terminator 2". By all means, Terminator 2 isn't a five star masterpiece like Oldboy, but it is a classic film nonetheless. It has such an essence of glory that it would seem almost impossible to ever think of something like that ever happening all over again with a remake.

Oldboy is about a man, Dae-su Oh, who had mysteriously been captured and imprisoned for 15 years, and is given five days to find his captor and get revenge. The premise is simple, which makes the film so remarkable - Such a basic, almost ridiculous, plot... But the way that it is written, produced, and directed makes the film more than enjoyable and something that leaves you satisfied and wanting more. Great filmmaking.

Don't get me wrong, Spielberg can be a great filmmaker at times, he really can, but replacing Min-sik Choi with Will Smith? When I first heard this, I instantly thought of the hollywood remake film of "The Honeymooners". Who in the realm of Hollywood thought it would be a great idea to replace Jackie Gleason with Cedric the Entertainer? Now don't get me wrong, I love Cedric just as much as the next guy but the mere fact that anyone would even consider putting up money to see this film become a reality should give any amateur filmmaker a healthy dose of hope.

If Spielberg has the brilliance of directing masterpieces like Saving Private Ryan, Minortiy Report, The Terminal, and Munich... Then going on to direct something of the magnitude of lousiness that is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull... It really puts the status of Oldboy in a bad position.

Sometimes two great minds don't/can't/won't create a great product. Sure, Smith can be a great actor. Sure, Spielberg can be a great director. But when you put together two great things, or two great people with one lousy idea in mind, I don't care who you are or where you come from, it is rare that something even remotely good will creep its way out of the situation. Yes, I like mayonnaise and, yes, I like ice cream (very much, in fact) but does this mean that it would be a great idea for me to eat them together on a hot summer day? Of course not, it would be a lousy, disgusting idea. And to the one person in the back row who disagrees with me, I commend you for your bravery.

I've said this many times before and I'm going to say it again: I wish there was an online film petition society because I'd definitely put this on the list. I absolutely love Spielberg and Smith... But, come on, remaking Oldboy? You guys can do better than that... Can't you?