MovieChat Forums > Flight of the Navigator (1986) Discussion > If It Were Made Today... It Wouldn't Wor...

If It Were Made Today... It Wouldn't Work As Well.

posted 16 years ago by captainamerica-5
21 replies | jump to latest

Back in the 50's, there was a marked difference when you hit the 60's... the same can be said with the 70's, and even the 80's. When you look at the 1990's and 2000's... there are differences, but they seem so little, that if the film were made today, keeping the exact same storyline of the original, it just couldn't work out.

If it were made today, the year right now is 2008. David was missing for 8yrs, so that would make the story originally set in 2000. Now, let us look back on the year 2000, and see if the movie today would work using the original's storyline.
> Music videos have always existed... and even back in the year 2000, MTV switched away from their focus on videos to their reality programming.
--- TV stations havent evolved much in 8yrs
> David asks: "Do they still have The Simpsons? That was my favorite show"... and to him Carolyn replies "Of course, still going strong"... so that pop-culture refrence wouldn't hold.
--- Shows havent changed much in 8yrs
> David mentions to Carolyn (on the subject of music): My parents took me to see a Sum41/GreenDay/PapaRoach concert. To which Carolyn replies "oh yea, I was at their concert this year".
--- Music groups haven't changed much in 8yrs.
> David was a fan of video games. He asks if the Playstation is still around, hearing there may be a new one near the holiday season. Also has a Nintendo 64.
Carolyn replies... Playstation & Nintendo are still around, only it's a Playstation THREE and a Nintendo Wii.
--- The big-2 video game companies are still around & going strong with just newer systems, but same general games.
> David liked computers, but in 2000... cable-internet connections was finally catching on. He asks "Do they still have internet". They reply "Yea, but it's just a little bit faster"
--- Cable internet connections have doubled their bandwidth from the 4000k to 10,000k now-a-days... but still isn't that much quicker unless you're doing a lot of downloading.

The point is that a LOT of the refrences to a "better time" back in 2000 (vs. 1978) doesn't seem all that much different than today of 2008 (vs. their 1986). Hair styles haven't changed much at all (unlike Carolyn's punk-rockish multi-color frizz/teased era of the mid 80's), and cars are only slightly evolved.

The movie just wouldn't be as humorous due to the slowing subtle changes.

When you think about it... other decades had lots of changes, but these past 8yrs (aside from the obvious 9/11) just didn't seem to change much... even people don't age as quickly like they made David's parents look in just a measly 8yrs...

I almost find it laughable if they even thought of remaking the film, unless they had him missing for well over 10yrs or so.

[–] sweiland75 16 years ago

I actually came here to find out what people thought about how it aged. I hardly remember it so I really can't say myself. Still a great classic though.

http://ca.youtube.com/user/NDPCanada Vote New Democrat

[–] balboa7684 15 years ago

I agree. The leap through time would have to be much further. Say from the 1980s to now. I don't want a remake though. This is one of the great movies of its kind from a great decade and when all the elements come together like that in a magical encapsulated moment, it can't be repeated.

[–] xxfloridaboy87xx 16 years ago

I agree, 2000 and 2008 aren't that different from each other, 1978 and 1986 is a huge difference, music changed, fashion changed, videos were a big thing in the 80's, technology was a huge part of 80's pop culture etc, 80's were a time for major changes, many taboos were broken so it was like a new world for David, it was funny when Carolyn said "where have you been? out of space?"

So it wouldn't work, maybe if they stretch it to 15, 20, 22 years later then it would.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] grahambrunk 16 years ago

I disagree. I think it depends on what you are looking at. Shows have been cancelled since 2000. And i thing, being someone who lives in South Florida, that the difference between 1978 and 1986 isnt big. The movie has a very 1986 feel from the start. I dont really think they had done anything to make it appear 1970s besides the banner at the beginning.

[–] captainamerica-5 16 years ago

^ ahh... I disagree.

The station wagon they used as their car was very 1978ish (well probably even earlier). The music they listened to in the car (Grease soundtrack) was '78ish... and although the clothes look 80's, I think it may have passed even more-so for 1978, as when they tried to do 1986, they tried to be as 'hip' as possible for David's brother & Carolyn.

...those are just 2 examples.

Still, all things said... there is even less difference between 2000 & 2008 vs. 1978 & 1986.

[–] blur2000 16 years ago

I thought it would of been funny if the kid said 'my mum took me to a concert to see Micheal Jackson, wonder how he turned out today?'.

[–] jaybabb 15 years ago

I wonder if the kid would even reconise Miicheal Jackson?

I happen to dislike Archie Bunker with great passion and conviction

Jay

[–] tidybap 16 years ago

Well, it's simple, seeing as it's 2009 now.... so if he originally lived in 2001...

"What time is Friends on at?" Carolyn replies " Friends was cancelled 5 years ago..."

David mentions to Carolyn (on the subject of music): My parents took me to see Michael Jackson at Madison Square Garden a couple of weeks ago, Who'd you see? . To which Carolyn replies "N.E.R.D".

David was a fan of video games. He asks if the Playstation is still around, hearing there may be a new one near the holiday season. Also has a Nintendo 64.
Carolyn replies... Ummm, Xbox 360?????

David says " Well at least the Internet is still around...I hope. My Mom said we might get broadband soon, if we're lucky" to which Caroylyn replies " What are you talking about? Everyone has broadband. Dial up was phased out years ago...."

It's pretty simple really.

[–] vmelkon 16 years ago

You guys are forgetting the drinks. So what do we have now that wasn't available in 2000. Red Bull and these energy drinks?
I think they were around in 2000.

In 1986, there was Coke Classic, cherry coke, new coke, crystal coke, coke-coke. Big difference between 1986 and 1978!

[–] wolverine5339-1 16 years ago

To me, as a child watching the film, it had NOTHING to do with the cultural changes but the fear of skipping through the years. Your friends are OLDER than you. Your younger brother is OLDER than you. That really scared me when I was a child. Not the mundane technological and cultural changes, but the deeper impact which DEFINITELY still resonates today.

[–] three-amigos 16 years ago

Culturally the mid 80's were very diferent than the mid 70s.

A remake made in say 2010 couldhave a time shift of 10 years, the post 9/11 world, governmental authorities a tad bit more disturbed about a UFO inthier airspace. The same film done now would probably be a darker.

The pure fun of the original and the specific 80s-70s sight gags and comparisons would not work as well if not impossible to duplicate.

Let's just leave it as Disney got it right the first time and STOP remaking your whole film catalogue. The financial success of the new Witch Mountain will only asure that Disney continues to raid their own vault and remake it.

[–] Max-N 16 years ago

Man, I think a lot has changed from 2001 to 2009. HDTV's were hardly even around, DVR never existed (a big part of today's television experience), DVD's were only just starting to gain in popularity.

On the cultural front, clothing style was much more poppy, less bohemian and subdued like it is now. Kids wore big t-shirts and backwards caps, not to mention the "shield"-spiked hairstyle that went out years ago.

If they were to remake it though, I'd agree that making it more like 15 or 20 years in the past would be much more effective. In 1989-1994, people were still using VHS tapes, analog TV's, cassettes, behemoth desktop computers and land-line telephones. From early 90's to present day is actually MORE of a societal jump than from 1971 to 1986 in my opinion.

_Max

[–] cataclysm1071 16 years ago

exactly...had they been traveling through New York City in today's world....he could have asked Max what happened to the World Trade Center.....a pretty gigantic structure to just dissappear from the face of the earth. Some other things that have changed between 2000 and 2009..

text messaging on cell phones. Back in 2000, A lot of people did have cell phones, but not as many as do now, and they certainly weren't texting as much as they do, if at all.

Catching missed episodes of favorite programs on the internet. The internet in 2000 was not what is now, and I don't think you could just watch TV on demand back then, like you could now, or for that matter......doing just about EVERYTHING on the internet. We can now order takeout, shop at just about every retailer...even grocery shop!!!!, do taxes, earn a college degree without ever seeing the inside of a classroom, renew a driver's licence,etc....

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Bobbin-Threadbare 15 years ago

The cultural changes weren't really a central issue, they were more something for the adults in the audience to titter about. I do agree to some extent that the past 8 years haven't brought about any particularly jarring changes, but that's sort of circumstantial. For all we know, the next 8 years might. I mean, I think the jump from 1986 to 1994 would have been more of a shock frankly . . . or 1994 to 2002. As others have said, the big thing was just the passage of time itself for someone that age. And most importantly, the kids watching this movie weren't twelve in 1978 anyway. To really be the right age to really appreciate the time difference, you'd have to be about that old or older. That aspect of the movie didn't resonate with me at all back when I first watched it.

[–] cosmic_quest 15 years ago

They could make the starting point being in the 90s and make it work I think though, or perhaps if you want to go further back and have a 12 year old from 1988 go missing and come back to find his peers in their 30s. Regardless, I don't like the idea of a remake.

I think this sounds like the best option if the remake does go ahead. They should start in the early to mid 90s (no later than 1995) so that there is a massive cultural and technological change when David finds himself in 2012 with friends who are nearly old enough to be his parents and his parents who are old enough to be his grandparents (to make things even more shocking, the younger brother would be a grown adult who would be working and could even have a family of his own).

"I always pretend to root for Gryffindors but, secretly, I love my Slytherin boys."~ Karen, W&G

[–] KonekoTsukino 15 years ago

I definately like the idea of the movie taking place in the 90's and having him show up in 2012. There was a major difference between things like fashion, music, the Internet, cellphones, etc. between that amount of time. It would be frightening for him to end up in a time when his friends are all married and have kids of their own, and in a time when everything is pretty much instant.
However, that would pretty much be the second Back to the Future...

[–] imdba1 15 years ago

You present an interesting idea. I think that a lot has changed about the way culture is consumed in the last 8 years, but the culture itself hasn't changed that much. Someone from 2002 would likely feel right at home in 2010. A few things would be slightly different, but not quite as jarring as moving from 1978 to 1986. YouTube, Twitter, and Hulu weren't around in 2002, but are major phenomenons now. The problem is that the same things that were around in 2002 are available to be watched now. Heck, people still talk about Seinfeld in a way that keeps it relevant today.

[–] tommylee4me 15 years ago

I'm torn between wanting to see the remake in 2012 or not.

The original was my movie, it came out the day I was born. I've watched it since. I have, what I call, "flash memories". I'm crawling around and can hear or see the movie. Crazy yes but, so am I. =~D

[–] DavidTL 15 years ago

Personally this is a film I'd like to see remade. The reason is because other than the people who saw it at the cinema or on TV in the 90s this film is unknown now and if they did remake it then as they do they would re-release the DVD with I guess special features and whatever else, a making of documentary or something and then people would get interested in the original. I myself before seeing a remake I always watch the original.

Bourne + Bond = Best Action Film Award