There are moments when you have to put your head in your hands and ask: why? Why in the world are reboots and remakes such a big thing these days? Why in the world can’t Hollywood writers come up with new and engaging content that would take just a simple trip to a bookstore or a library to search the shelves? You could claim that they’re lazy and don’t want to or you could say that the ‘time and research’ costs would be too high, but none of that would resonate. Let’s make it clear, the idea of putting Jason Momoa and Peter Dinklage together for a new Twins remake does sound interesting, but it also doesn’t sound as though it would do a lot of justice to the original. Mike Sprague of MovieWeb might not agree with this since he seems to be on board with the idea and would love to see it go full-steam ahead. At this point however it’s more of an idea that’s floating around on the winds of the internet and not even close to being a reality. But all in all I can’t help but put my two cents in by stating that it might be a fun idea, but it might not be a great idea.
I’ll explain that.
First off, keep in mind that the budget for the original Twins was $18 million, and the box office yielded up well over $200 million when all was said and done. That’s a massive profit for a movie that was in a sense pretty goofy in a lot of spots and yet touching and heartfelt in others. Julius and Vincent were basically what happens when a genetic experiment goes right and the castoff of the experiment is allowed to take on a life of its own. Vincent was the DNA that was left over, the negative aspects if you will, that conspired to make him a street hustler and someone that was completely opposite of Julius, who was big, strong, humble, intelligent, and an all-around decent human being. But where Vincent was streetwise and knew how to get around in modern society, Julius was incredibly naive and had no clue about how the world outside of his own sanctuary worked. Yet for all that he still managed to make his way through the jungle that is civilization without a scratch. In short, Julian represented the kind of perfect person that a lot of folks come to envy or hate because he can simply walk through life and be just fine thanks to the virtue of a life lived in a state of constant wonder and a total lack of any conflict he can’t think his way through. He wasn’t perfect, but he was close to it.
Here’s where it seems to break down though. Jason Momoa is a great actor thus far when he’s being given a gruff, somewhat rugged character to play. Seeing him trying to emulate Julius would be comical to the point of absurdity it feels like, much as it was with Schwarzenegger back then. But accepting Dinklage in the place of DeVito would be easier since the two of them seem to be able to pull a very rough and edgy appearance that grants them the aura of someone that’s less than wise in the ways of the world but at the same time is cunning and knows how to survive when called upon to do so. I hate to say it because I do happen to like every actor mentioned so far, but Momoa would be the weak point here largely because he has a more feral look to him than Arnold did back in that day, and would have to really work to make the character of Julius shine through. But this being a remake perhaps it wouldn’t come to that. Bernadette Roe of Mental Floss is another individual that seems to want to make this happen, but still there’s a lot of work yet to be done, and consideration to take as to whether it SHOULD be done.
Given how long it’s been since the movie came out it could be that things have changed enough that people might be willing to see Momoa as a more straight-laced and upright individual than he’s been in a lot of his appearances. He can clean up after all and he can make himself very presentable. It could be that the way he looks at the moment might not be an impediment if the film was changed just enough to make it possible to believe that Julius is in fact a bit more edgy if no less naive about the ways of the world. I’ve already said it seems like a bad or awkward idea, but there might be some wiggle room to make this movie into something great, or at the very least entertaining enough to be called a new spin on an old classic. Yes I’m hedging my bets on this one, but it seems the wise way to go considering the fact that the first one is still a fond memory to many people.
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