James Gunn is riding high right now. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a monster hit, meaning he’s leaving the MCU with his record of superhero blockbuster smashes intact. His future is over at Warner Bros., where he’s currently hard at work shaping with future of the DC universe on film, with his number one priority being the fascinating-sounding Superman: Legacy.
Gunn isn’t just about cape-based comic book movies. A user on Twitter pointed out that his adoration of 1978’s Superman might somehow mean it’ll end up as another disastrous Wonder Woman 1984, but he was quick to roll his eyes at the idea, saying him being a fan of a movie doesn’t mean he’ll steal its aesthetic. Then he mentioned Oldboy as a “favorite comic book movie”, and a reply asks whether he prefers the 2003 Korean adaptation or the 2013 American remake.
We’re with Gunn on this one. American remakes of international movies rarely live up to the originals, and Oldboy is a particularly egregious example. Park Chan-Wook’s 2003 movie is a masterpiece, while Spike Lee’s version starring Josh Brolin is unnecessary, and honestly just a bit boring.
It’s also worth underlining that Oldboy is indeed a comic book movie. The story is based on the 1996 Japanese manga Old Boy by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, which ran for 79 chapters until 1998. The two live-action adaptations stay relatively close to the original story, though with some interesting deviations.
Even so, Gunn’s right to scoff at the question of whether he prefers the Korean or the U.S. version of Oldboy. The Korean one is objectively light years ahead of the now mostly forgotten remake.
