Remakes are effectively something which has either been changed into something new as a response or reaction from its original or simply copied except with slight change and reorder. In the film industry there have been many notable remakes of films which some consider a great success whereas others see as almost a parody. It is thought that often films are remade for a number of reasons, these could be; the original was not in English and so by remaking a film in English language you get a wider audience and ultimately more money.
Another is that as society is constantly changing, by remaking a film you can add some modern elements and keep to original ideas, this means that you're modern audience will be engaged if the film was a success in the era the original was released you don't have that much work on the storyline. Lastly, as original's can sometimes be from 'old' times, the editing software was perhaps not so sophisticated and as there has been a shift in technology you get a much more visually engaging film by remaking the original.
I will be comparing two films, an original and the remake of it. Then evaluating which one I preferred better. Firstly, I have decided to talk about 'The Karate Kid' (1984) which was in fact a serial of another two films continuing the plot. Comparing it to the remake which was in 2010 also 
called 'The Karate Kid'. Both films, contain the same genre's ; Action, drama, family and sport.For starters, the original Karate kid was released on June 22nd 1984 and directed by John Avidsen, the film had a massive hit with the box office(s), the estimated budget and revenue raised from tickets sold was $8,000,000 the film brought in a budget of $90,800,000 (gross).
In comparison the 2010 remake was released on 11th June 2010, exactly 11 days and 26 years later. This remake was directed by Harald Zwart , the budget in the box office was $40,000,00 and the gross $176,591,618.
Therefore, looking at the figures and the fact that one of the main reasons remakes are done is to gain money and this is usually to the director and producers benefit, I would say that the original definitely did a better job, as the gross was not so far off the box office budget, this means that the film was a success and they got their money's worth, also they gained more money than they spent on making the film. They only wasted one million, eighty thousand - which to an American film company means nothing. Whereas the remake wasted too much money on the film and the figure at the box office was much lower , the money made from the box office affected the input budget which was much higher, so in total they lost one hundred seventy-two million five hundred ninety-one thousand six hundred eighteen- now that is painful. To
conclude, the remake did the opposite of its intention by loss not gain.
Next, I will talk about the cast and characters we meet in both films, and discuss historically what was different in each and the effect on the audience. The original included many interesting actors, one of which ; Ralph Macchio who played the teenage character 'Daniel' (the karate kid). The original I feel portrays this character, quite poorly. He and his mother move from New Jersey to the Valley via car. At first he meets new friends and finds it difficult to fit into his new surrounding. Although he only moved a short distance this character complains with passion about this change. The original teaches the audience of teenagers that perhaps the idea of change is not so easy, especially when the change becomes life changing. It also embarks on the fact that being a teenager means that is when you begin to change physically and mentally, and the character represents that change, he is not only unable to cope with his situation but also finds is extremely hard to control, having to seek help from his mother now and then.
On the other hand, in the remade version, Jaeden Smith who is the karate kid, and is 12 years of age,
not only moves to a new place, but almost half way across the world. Moving from Detroit to China, this character also, shows weaknesses and struggles to adapt. Having said that that, it is useful to consider that Smith is not only a young boy but also, not yet a teenager. This means that he could be excused from complaining about his change. Teenagers watching this version, would confide in him and accept that he is unhappy, this is mainly due his age. When you are young, and you get upset you tend to get much more attention. The audience sympathies with his frustration.
Nevertheless, both the original and the remake show a young male, and historically the idea of a figure head, this being the mother as a source of aid hasn't changed. This means that in modern society the mother is still viewed as an important figure whom we look up to. Both characters represent how hard it could be to fit into a new place. The original, sheds ideas on changes that we humans experience and so does the remake. Again, both versions, are admittedly ranging across a similar concept of change. However, the remade version is more legitimate I would say, in terms of feelings and emotions, the connection we have with the character is much more understandable and makes more sense. The original is a weaker option because again the character is much older and we expect more responsibility and resilience from him.
Ultimately, the better version which best portrayed this character I would say is the remake, because although the original is packed with snappy scenes where the character is involved in fights and quarrels with rivals. The remake, justifies this idea of fighting allowing us to empathies with the young Jaeden Smith, naturally we are uncomfortable seeing a child being punched or kicked, it makes us almost urged to jump into the screen and help him, as he is young and cannot defend himself. On the other hand the original version we don't feel the same because the character is in high school, perhaps a point where you should defend yourself.
Moving on, another key character that appears throughout the films is the maintenance man. In the original Mr. Miyagi is played by Pat Morita, this character is an elderly, short man. His role in the original is to teach, mentor and guide 'the karate kid' into becoming a fearsome fighter. We see him as a wise man who helps Daniel to conquer his fears and defend himself against enemies. He can be viewed as a deceiving character because he looks old and his height speaks for it self, however we soon get to learn that this character has gone through some tough times, and there is a darker meaning to him.
The remake also offers us the same back story, the maintenance man who is Jackie Chan, is a middle aged character, who plays a similar role. One thing i could say that is perhaps different is that in the original this character can be viewed as a granddad to Daniel but in the remake Jackie Chan is almost a father figure to Dre. We do not know whether Dre has a father but we soon find out that Mr. Han lost his family including his son in a tragic car accident which make us think that he is re-building that responsibility with Dre.Although, both actor do a good job in the martial arts teacher, I believe that the remade version is better because not only does Mr. Han offer Dre sustainability in China , teaching him to cope but also he is more believable than the original , he often gives reasons for his teaching of kung Fu. Which makes him a more theoretical teacher, making us become memorized by this talent.
The storyline, is perhaps the one which most people want to understand, has it changed? is it still the same concept? Well to answer that, I could say that in the original version the story consists of the idea of moving to somewhere different and adapting to change, also being open and ready to face the world. The remake is exactly the same picture, except it is also briefly about forgetting the past and moving on , for Mr. Han, Dre taught him to stay strong emotionally , whereas Mr. Han taught Dre to stay strong physically.
To conclude, I can honestly say that I much better preferred the modern version, as not only were some of my favorite actors casting but also it was fun engaging and left me feeling massively impressed. The storyline was quirky and different and box office figures spoke for themselves.
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