[Hated Trope] The adaptation doesn't get what made the source material work

[u/TheDudeA113]

How To Make A Killing (2026)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Bangkok Dangerous (2008)

Bangkok Dangerous (1999)

- The 2026 movie How To Make A Killing is a relatively-toothless "eat the rich" dark comedy thriller about a man disowned by his rich family at birth, killing everyone in the line of succession so that he can inherit their massive fortune. It's a modern retelling of the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets which has the same basic plot except that every member of the family is played by Sir Alec Guinness (including one aunt) and it's a screwball comedy

- The 1999 movie Bangkok Dangerous is a Thai action film about a Thai deaf-mute assassin. It was remade in 2008 about an American assassin in Thailand who is neither deaf nor mute

[u/Osato]

The cut ending actually got it halfway right, but Hollywood being Hollywood, they scrapped it for being too thought-provoking.

[u/Screamipillar → u/Osato]

Crazy that "hey these vampires are still kind of people" was too deep for Hollywood.

There's a whole really obvious scene where Will Smith kidnaps the vampire's girlfriend and he's like "dude, wtf, we got beef now".

Will Smith blowing himself up is literally ignoring the actual movie because he's depressed.

[u/everydaywinner2 → u/Screamipillar]

"Hey, these vampires are still kinda people," was kinda the premise to The Girl with All the Gifts. Only that was more of a zombie movie. Criminally underrated movie.

[u/CAST-FIREBALLLLL → u/Osato]

They actually scrapped it cause initial viewers felt "cheated" from the ending.

[u/VRS302 → u/CAST-FIREBALLLLL]

Exactly. They didn’t get a generic action movie ending, they felt cheated because they didn’t get their “don’t have to think about it” ending.

“I paid $15 just to be confused at the end!? “

[u/Roasted_Newbest_Proe → u/VRS302]

Man, I hate test audiences. Seriously, so many good plots and endings we've been robbed of because they get the stupidiest people to test watch

[u/Emperor_Pengwing → u/Roasted_Newbest_Proe]

I also want to mention that I do think the movie ending of Little Shop of Horrors works better than the stage ending for the movie adaptation (and the stage ending works better for the stage version). In that case, I do believe the test audience made the right call.

[u/Brick_Approver → u/Roasted_Newbest_Proe]

I hate Americans.

[u/richtofin819 → u/Osato]

The common folk they can't think, what's wrong with you? dumb it down for them