Different versions of classic stories

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I personally love different versions of classic stories such as Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz. I think new spins on old tales are fresh and exciting no matter which directions they go; I especially enjoy seeing different interpretations of familiar characters, settings, themes/motifs, etc.

For example, I recently ordered a video game for the Nintendo DS called Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road, which is a Japanese RPG featuring Oz characters such as Dorothy Gale, the Tin Woodsman, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, Toto, etc. When I found out about it, my first reaction was "This looks awesome! Can't wait to play it!"

However, on some review sites and Youtube videos, a few fans of the WoZ novels or the movie complained that the game sucked because it didn't stay true to the source material. I often hear similar complaints of Tim Burton's adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, which is my favorite film of all time.

So I decided to ask my fellow WrongPlanet brothers and sisters what your opinions are - Do you enjoy different versions of classic stories, or do you prefer the original and the original only?

I have no patience for purists.

Some Wordsworth fans (I'm not one of them) might disagree with you there, Jory.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXbrSALG684[/youtube]

I like seeing modern interpretations and classic takes. It all depends on the quality of the finished production.

Alex, I think that different versions of classic tales can be fun. Each have their own charm. That little thing that the other version doesn't have. Like the Charlie/Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movies.

The graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was entertaining. Somehow the movie failed to translate it to the big screen.

Did you know that Shakespeare's "The Tempest" was the basis for the movie "Forbidden Planet"?

There are no new stories to tell, only revisions.

I'm more inclined to say, "if it's not broke, don't fix it." Then again, Disney does that all the time with classic fairy tales, and their movies are some of the most beloved retellings in the world.

I absolutely love retellings of classic stories, legends, folklore or fairy tales.
Or for that matter new spins on vampires, werewolves, zombies, fairies...

I actively seek out books with such tales

Supposedly the movie Strange Brew is actually based off of Hamlet.

I don't have a problem with re-imaginings. Some work for me, some don't, but that's the way it is with any entertainment. I feel that it's actually important for stories to be renewed as time passes, otherwise many of them will simply be forgotten. And if the new versions aren't to your taste, the originals are still there, unchanged.

An acquaintance recently told me that he hated the Watchmen movie and that it had ruined Watchmen for him completely. I find this kind of thinking to be ridiculous. The original comics are still there, just like it's 1986. The movie doesn't change them a bit. I came to this realization after watching the modern-day Romeo and Juliet with Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. I didn't like the movie, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of Shakespeare's original play.

Akira Kurosawa's film Throne of Blood was based on Macbeth but set in feudal Japan. Great film.

Another one I liked was O Brother Where Art Thou based on The Odyssey.

I've always preferred Disney versions.

Any movie I saw about any story, I preferred that version only. I always preferred the 1993 movie The Secret Garden but not any other The Secret Garden movies.

But I have learned to like different versions. I enjoyed Ever After and I once saw the play version of it except it was the mean step father than stepmother Cinderella had. I think they made a modern version out of it with Hilary Duff. I enjoyed that movie too.

There was also the TV series Beauty and the Beast which was modern days too.

I also remember seeing Romeo and Juliet (1996), just the beginning of it of course, and they made it take place in the modern days.

So it's fun seeing stories in different versions. Sometimes I am still stubborn about it because I might not be fond of when I hear about remakes of movies from the 1980's. I hear they are going to remake Poltergeist. I wasn't fond of that idea.

I think they should make more fairy tales and other classic stories into modern versions.