Blockbuster Remakes

Like the term “blockbuster,” the phrase “blockbuster remake” can mean different things. Typically, blockbuster remake is an industrial term, one that refers to the production of large-scale movies adapted from previously filmed properties. In this definition, modest (cult) properties – such as, Planet of the Apes (1968, 2001), King Kong (1933, 1976, 2005), and War of the Worlds (1954, 2005) – are revived through massive production budgets as cultural juggernauts, with strong marketing campaigns and merchandising tie-ins. Less typical is a description that accounts for the way in which a blockbuster movie is itself remade: that is, a definition in which a blockbuster becomes the cornerstone for the entire architecture of a blockbuster cycle. This article explores the idea of a blockbuster remake, and blockbuster initiated cycle, in and through a case study of the prototype of all modern blockbusters: Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975). Specifically, the article interrogates the way in which “Bruce,” the great white shark of Jaws, initiated a rogue animal cycle consisting in the first instance of the Jaws franchise – Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3-D (1983) and Jaws 4: The Revenge (1987) – and also a series of replicas that included Grizzly (1976), Orca (1977), and Piranha (1978).

与“商业大片（blockbuster）”一词类似，“大片翻拍（blockbuster remake）”这一表述可指代多种含义。通常而言，大片翻拍属于影视行业术语，指代改编自此前已拍摄影视IP的大型影视作品制作项目。在此定义范畴内，诸如《人猿星球》（1968、2001）、《金刚》（1933、1976、2005）以及《世界大战》（1954、2005）这类小众（邪典）影视IP，会凭借巨额制作预算被重启为文化巨制，搭配高强度营销宣传与周边衍生联动活动。另一种相对小众的定义，则指向商业大片本身被翻拍的情形：即某部大片成为整个大片翻拍系列的核心架构基石。本文以现代商业大片的原型之作——史蒂文·斯皮尔伯格执导的《大白鲨》（1975）——为案例，探析大片翻拍以及由大片开启的翻拍系列这两个核心概念。具体而言，本文审视了《大白鲨》中的大白鲨“布鲁斯”如何开启了凶兽题材系列：该系列首先包含《大白鲨》系列IP正传——《大白鲨2》（1978）、《大白鲨3-D》（1983）以及《大白鲨4：复仇》（1987）——同时还衍生出《大灰熊》（1976）、《杀人鲸》（1977）以及《食人鱼》（1978）等一系列同类型跟风作品。