The Remake: It's arguably James Cameron's worst action flick (not counting Piranha II: The Spawning, of course), but that doesn't stop this Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring spy spoof being a boat-load of fun. It's filled with ludicrous action sequences, colourful villains, and arguably the best (not to mention sexiest) performance of Jamie Lee Curtis' career. The film received one Oscar nomination, for its visual effects. The Original: The 1991 French comedy La Totale! heavily inspired True Lies, from the core premise of a spy hiding his job from his wife, to the subplot with the wife meeting up with a shady car dealer (played by Bill Paxton in the remake), to the famous hotel room scene from the Cameron version, and even the book-ending scene in which the couple meet up with Paxton's character again to scare the p*ss out of him. Which One Is Better?: The few who have actually managed to see La Totale! (it doesn't have a single critic review on Rotten Tomatoes) mostly agree that Cameron got the remake right. It respects the core that made the original so funny, but upped the ante by throwing in a ton more action thanks to its monstrous budget. Plus, the remake has Arnie, which is always going to be a win.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
