RetroFedWill Hollywood's remake of Parasite really succeed?
Parasite (2019) is a Korean movie which got international success and was rated highly due to sharp social commentary on class inequality with a thrilling, genre-bending plot combined together, but the dynamic of the movie is expressed from a SK point of view about economic pressures and modern class divides.
There are also cultural contexts to keep in mind that won’t translate into American culture such as:
- Banjiha housing: The Kim family reside in a semi-basement apartment, which is a distinct urban housing type in Seoul born from historical 1970s civil defense laws.
- Jjapaguri: The upper-class Mrs. Park orders jjapaguri (a mix of two instant noodles, Chapagetti and Neoguri) topped with expensive Korean beef Hanwoo, a specific local comfort food combo.
- National health exams: There are specific plot points relying on South Korea’s public health system and annual medical checkup schedules.
- Suseok: The gift of a decorative viewing stone satirizes traditional Korean middle-class aspirations for wealth and prestige.
Even if they could recreate an English-language remake of Parasite, would there have to be adjustments in order to suit American subculture? As in, Suseok isn’t a thing in America and Westerners don’t eat Jjapaguri, so they may replace that with something entirely different or swap Jjapaguri for another noodle dish or pasta.
Will a US remake really carry the same impact as the original if it were to be created? Would it be good or turn out terrible as it’s hard to capture what makes the original special for audiences?
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I’m having a hard time imagining that the end-result would be anything other than a watered down copy that has been focus tested to fail completely at hilighting the societal differences between the people upstairs and downstairs.
I bet the first half would be overly goofy, and the second half more akin to slapstick. I have not a shred of belief that they’ll be able to capture tiny details such as the head of the house literally stepping over someone bleeding out (or was she already dead?) to focus on his son.
Even though it is an HBO show that is being written and directed by the same guy who made the movie?
That does make me slightly less pessimistic, but the target audience remains the same.
The same target audience that loved the original movie and swept it at the Oscars?
No.
American remakes are generally terrible.
They’re generally not.
They’re typically an improvement in production quality. They only place they’re weaker sometimes, is when they try to make substantive changes to the story. That can be hit or miss.
Boon Joon Ho has been very clear about the Parasite TV show not being a remake. He says it is a story that takes place in the same universe.
First and foremost, the only measure of success in US entertainment is eyes on screen. How much money it makes at the Box Office or number of watches. Nothing else matters.
Now with that said, there is a long history of Horror movies making sharp social commentary in the US, actually when I think about it, the best social commentary in movies is in horror movies.
Yes of course.
I’m sure the Hollywood version will not be good, but it won’t be because of those cultural factors. It’s not hard to find equivalents to certain cultural artifacts, and rearrange plot points to fit a different setting. What the American film will fail to do is to be as biting in its satire of class differences, because Hollywood executives think it won’t sell well.
I agree there, I don’t think it’s impossible or even difficult to make the movie that hits the same themes the same way, there’s absolutely zero thought in my head that it’s not possible to make something purely with American culture, systems, housing and foods that conveys 100% of the same message, in some ways possibly even better
However, there is a very high chance that somewhere in the production line decisions are made by someone who either determines that the things that made the movie popular, aren’t compatible with American audiences, and will intentionally dumb them down or change the actual themes.
Agreed
It’s not categorically impossible, but unlikely. However it seems the American version will instead be a HBO show.
The guy who directed the Anchorman and Ricky Bobby movies isn’t giving me a lot of hope. Even more serious stuff like “The Big Short” doesn’t seem like a qualifier to handle this type of social commentary. I’d much rather see someone like the Coen brothers who are known for wry dry sarcasm and microfocusing on small communities.
Adding more “characters and subplots” sounds like an attempt justifying more episodes, the source had a fleshed out world in a movie. Are we adding things that actually improve the story or padding the numbers?
Idk, I’ll eat my words if it turns out great, I just don’t see much reason to get my hopes up.
There are pretty direct analogues to all these in US culture, but I still don’t think the remake (I prefer the term translation) would be good.
The movie was huge in America and sparked a ton of debate about our own inequalities. Everyone who watched the movie pretty much “got it,” even if some specifically Korean bits went over their heads
An American remake can only go wrong.
You sure about that?
What are The Departed and 12 Monkeys remake of?
The Departed is a remake of a Chinese (Hong Kong) film called Infernal Affairs.
12 Monkeys is a remake of a French movie called La Jetée.
I would throw in Bugonia (US) > Save the Green Planet! (SK) as well.
Yeah, I am sure about that.
Parasite is not a movie that makes sense for a spin-off, remake or sequel. The very idea of a “Parasite” franchise is revolting. And yet, here we are.