2. Thou Art Not Beholden To The Source Material
The biggest criticism of the remake business is that sometimes it's "just a note for note remake of an already amazing film." Psycho is a prime example of a film that was, literally, a shot for shot remake of the original classic. Who knows what Gus Van Sant was thinking of when he decided to take on this project, but the laziness and sheer uninventive casting (Vince Vaughn made me laugh as Norman Bates) involved in the undertaking spoiled a really good opportunity to do something original. Imagine if the Psycho remake had updated itself,, with Norman suddenly the manager of a hotel chain? What if Norman's personality were explored a little deeper instead of just writing everything off as "mommy issues" and leaving any depth for the chain of sequels? We already
had a version of Psycho that was readily available on home video: why would we pay to go see a shot for shot remake in theaters? Again, the re-imagining of Mission: Impossible is a good example of how to re-invent/re-energize a property the right way. The spy game had changed since Mission: Impossible went off the air, and Brian De Palma and his crew knew it. So the story took into account the end of the Cold War, as well as the several incidents of American intelligence officers betraying their country for personal reward, and turned Mr. Phelps into a double dealing baddie. This left the series in the hands of Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt, and gave the franchise a newly found vigor that continues to entertain to this day (Ghost Protocol is ample proof that Hunt and Co. shouldn't go anywhere anytime soon).