I was so disappointed with the original Oldboy's plot twist that I could hardly appreciate the movie. So I couldn't wait to see the remake to see how it would be handled, and was satisfied with the results. I give the new Oldboy a 7.5/10.
There are several things that I missed from the original Oldboy. "You laugh, the world laughs with you. You cry, and you cry alone", this quote was a reoccurring theme in the original, and while I didn't understand its full meaning, its absence in the remake was noticeable. Joe's transition back into society wasn't as dramatic as the original. The original Oldboy's behavior was much more animal like, his first interactions with people was more dynamic, and his narration let us know more what he was thinking. And finally the remake was at times poorly paced; for instance, Joe is trying to find the person who locked him up and jumps to trying to find the restaurant where the takeout came from.
The fight scene in the original Oldboy, in my opinion was over-hyped. I'll admit it was unique in that you see wide shot of the hallway while Oldboy fights his way through, but it wasn't engaging at all. You get more immersed in the fight scene of the remake. It is definitely an Amercanized version of the original which one could take as good or bad.
The villain was so much better in the remake. The original villain blamed Oldboy for his sister's death, which was the villain's fault and could have been prevented. The original was so absurd (such as a device that could stop his heart), the new villain was upfront and wasn't nearly as nonsensical. And where the original villain was motivated to show Oldboy's sins were bigger than his own, the new villain was motivated by defending his family's honor, which Joe had indirectly ruined.
I was a little surprised (and confused) by the remakes ending. I find it a little hard to believe that Chaney would even agree to see Joe again without killing him. And the audience is supposed to be sympathetic to the hero, so we don't want to see him being locked back up like he was at the beginning. But it is better than the original's ending which required Oldboy to be hypnotized so he could live his life guilt free.
There are several things that I missed from the original Oldboy. "You laugh, the world laughs with you. You cry, and you cry alone", this quote was a reoccurring theme in the original, and while I didn't understand its full meaning, its absence in the remake was noticeable. Joe's transition back into society wasn't as dramatic as the original. The original Oldboy's behavior was much more animal like, his first interactions with people was more dynamic, and his narration let us know more what he was thinking. And finally the remake was at times poorly paced; for instance, Joe is trying to find the person who locked him up and jumps to trying to find the restaurant where the takeout came from.
The fight scene in the original Oldboy, in my opinion was over-hyped. I'll admit it was unique in that you see wide shot of the hallway while Oldboy fights his way through, but it wasn't engaging at all. You get more immersed in the fight scene of the remake. It is definitely an Amercanized version of the original which one could take as good or bad.
The villain was so much better in the remake. The original villain blamed Oldboy for his sister's death, which was the villain's fault and could have been prevented. The original was so absurd (such as a device that could stop his heart), the new villain was upfront and wasn't nearly as nonsensical. And where the original villain was motivated to show Oldboy's sins were bigger than his own, the new villain was motivated by defending his family's honor, which Joe had indirectly ruined.
I was a little surprised (and confused) by the remakes ending. I find it a little hard to believe that Chaney would even agree to see Joe again without killing him. And the audience is supposed to be sympathetic to the hero, so we don't want to see him being locked back up like he was at the beginning. But it is better than the original's ending which required Oldboy to be hypnotized so he could live his life guilt free.