I’m a big fan of The Truman Show (1998).
It’s a prophetic, moving, philosophical journey of a film and it never fails to get my thoughts whirring.
Now, don’t get me wrong. The film is perfect as it is.
But I’ve always wondered… what would the film be like if it had been told from Sylvia’s perspective?
Getting a better view of what would have been going on outside the dome would have been pretty great. Additionally, I imagine a lot of actors on the “show” would have gone crazy having to commit to their roles 24/7.
Just a thought. Don’t get any ideas, Hollywood.
Others have also had thoughts about the films they’d want to see. After all, studios often remake older films but what would it be like if other films could be reworked and told from other points of view?
We heard all about them after Redditor porcupineapplepieces asked the online community:
“If instead of rebooting movies, retelling them from a different point of view became popular, which movie would you like retold?”
The Game (1997)
“The Game, starring Michael Douglas. I want to see it from the point of view of Consumer Recreation Services. I want to see how they manage all the actors and situations to make sure everything goes the way they want it.” ~ _hardliner_
My take:
Imagine the contingency plans that would have to be in play!
The original film is already pretty damn good (and very much an underappreciated entry in David Fincher’s filmography). If there’s anyone who could do this and make it interesting, it’d be Fincher himself… in some parallel universe, that is.
Cloverfield (2008)
“How about Cloverfield from the view of a professional camera crew?” ~ slothxaxmatic
My take:
Funny how quickly Hollywood studios beat the found footage-style of filmmaking to death after the unprecedented success of The Blair Witch Project, huh?
Interestingly, last year Paramount announced plans to produce a fourth Cloverfield film, which would be a direct sequel to the original. You just might get your wish, unless they pull the rug out from under us again.
Do you remember The Cloverfield Paradox? No? Yeah, me neither. I think most people like to forget it even exists.
Aliens (1986)
“I would think Aliens from Newt’s perspective would be pretty substantial. How a girl survived all that and the loss of her family alone on a foreign planet.” ~ Reddit
My take:
Believe it or not, there is a comic that has done this. It’s called: Aliens: Newt’s Tale, and it’s two issues!
As for seeing this on screen: This is one I, too, have wondered about, but I hesitate to say I’d even like to see this film get made, and I would hate it to see it fall into the same traps of the “nostalgia trend” in Hollywood films and television shows of the last few years.
While these projects don’t harm the integrity of the originals necessarily, they could prove a disappointment to fans, especially if a studio makes something strictly for cash and refuses to respect series continuity.
Consider the Terminator series, which has suffered completely without James Cameron’s vision.
Groundhog Day (1993)
“Groundhog Day from everybody else’s perspective on the last day/repeat. Just a movie about a small town and some weather guy who shows up at random points in peoples’ day to make their lives better, for no apparent reason.” ~ Reddit
My take:
This would probably be the cutest film ever made if it ever came to fruition. The film itself is a charming story about personal growth.
It’d be interesting to see the outcome of the main character’s actions from a more intimate perspective.
Air Bud (1997)
“Air Bud, but told from the POV of the kid who was pulled out of a basketball game to be replaced by a dog.” ~ Nnnnnick
My take:
Hey, hey, that dog was quite literally a circus dog with unusual abilities—surely that kid would understand.
And if they didn’t, then this would be the surprise revenge tale of the year.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory from Willy Wonka’s point of view. I want to hear his wicked thoughts.” ~ cwbybbp
My take:
Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) already does this to a degree (and it’s already not a great film).
But you might get your wish if Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet and Olivia Colman and slated for release in March 2023, is a success.
It’ll tell the story of how Wonka met the Oompa-Loompas… but truth be told, I think I’d want to see a dark and gritty tale from the Oompa-Loompas’ point of view.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
“The Shawshank Redemption told from The Warden’s point of view. I don’t know, that may be too dark of a story.” ~ guillermo-shwanky
My take:
Dark? It’s literally a Stephen King adaptation.
He would probably welcome it. Would be interesting to see his thought process right as things go south, though.
The Sandlot (1993)
“The Sandlot from the perspective of James Earl Jones. How he grew up in the pre-Depression, pre-civil rights era (assuming he was born in the 1890s or 1900s).”
“How he fell in love with baseball, went blind, what his life was like, and more details on how The Beast came into his life and why rumors ran rampant about the pup.” ~ FudgySlippers
My take:
Well, if it’s better than Coming 2 America, then go right ahead, make it. James Earl Jones would probably be up for it.
The Shining (1980, 1997)
“The Shining, employing the perspective of Tony, the ‘imaginary friend’ of Danny. Focusing on how Tony reckons the situation, start to finish, from inside Danny.” ~ JSanzi
My take:
It’s worth noting that in the book, Tony is thought of as an imaginary friend by Danny’s parents but is, in fact, Danny himself from the future psychically trying to help Danny survive the ordeal at The Overlook.
How this would work, I do not know, but it would be pretty interesting to see.
Ferris Beuller’s Day Off (1986)
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off told from Cameron’s point of view is something I’ve always wanted to see.” ~ pharohilly7
My take:
I’ve always appreciated the short scene where Cameron and Sloane are talking about their future. It’s a nice break from Ferris’ overwhelming presence and I like hearing their take on him as well.
Just imagine if any of these were actually made.
Would you watch any of them? Would any of them be worth it?
It’s fun to entertain these ideas… but perhaps they should remain ideas.
Hollywood should probably stop redoing every single old film on the promise of a guaranteed return and try to actually greenlight new projects for once.
Trust, we’d all be better off for it.