10 Stephen King Film Remakes Needed To Erase The Terrible Originals
2. Apt Pupil
This should prove to be one of the more controversial picks on this list, if only for the fact that it comes courtesy of a well-regarded director in Bryan Singer. Fresh off the success of his sophomore effort The Usual Suspects, Singer dipped his hands into King's anthology Different Seasons, which had already yielded two largely successful adaptations in Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption. It is quite handily the best film on the list. Apt Pupil revolves around a teenager (the late Brad Renfro) who discovers his elderly neighbor's (Ian McKellen) Nazi war criminal past. In exchange for indulging his morbid curiosity, Renfro promises not to disclose the neighbor's true identity, but old habits die hard and things turn belligerent pretty quickly. There are some genuinely disturbing moments to be had, including one where McKellen dusts off the old S.S. uniform at Renfro's behest. But ultimately, beyond more than one "jump the shark" moment of over-the-top violence or animal cruelty, the film falls flat on its face for having a completely unfocused narrative and no motivation to go anywhere or be something. More than anything, it's an indulgence of a teenage boy's (and Singer's) morbid curiosity. And you all know it should only be indulged if he were setting out to remake Maximum Overdrive. Nevertheless, the story has the potential to be a thought-provoking study of guilt; generational disparity; and, like Riding the Bullet, the lofty concept of death itself. Despite Singer's talent, his head wasn't in the right place here. Historically, Singer-helmed projects are succeeded by Brett Ratner, so should he be unfortunately unavailable, Darren Aronofsky would be an excellent choice to fill those shoes. The territory seems like prime real estate for his view of the world and could even read as a stylistic cross section between The Wrestler and Black Swan. Though given McKellen's stellar work in the original, it'd be interesting to see what he could do with a retooled script and stronger direction. It partially defeats the purpose, but it's one element of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," that's easy to concede.
