Personally, I'm excited about this.
Look at it this way: even if it tanks, even if it totally sucks and is worthless, it will get a DVD release. As is always the case when a remake is released on DVD, the original will get dusted off and remastered and given a nice DVD treatment. For me that's great news, as it isn't currently available in my area. (Canada). So, at the very least, I get a nice copy of the original on DVD which isn't out now.
Secondly, Peter Jackson has proven himself to be a capable director/producer who above all has respect for the material. I think he will not disappoint us here.
Thirdly, the budget is $40M. This is quite modest by todays standards, and I think as such will prohibit the filmmakers from getting carried away by the spectacle. Great things can be done in aviation movies with low $ if the filmmakers want to. Look at "Dark Blue World" (Spitfires) or "Map of the Human Heart" (Lancasters) for examples. Both of these movies were made on low budgets and both have impressive, realistic aircraft scenes.
On the subject of the dog, N. It really doesn't matter to me. I know that back in the day, it wasn't such a big deal, but it is now. Dramatically, the dog's name is irrelevant - the point is that his name was used as a codeword. We can call the dog anything and it will still have the same impact and importance at the end when his name comes through on the Morse Code. The reality is that people who throw the N word around nowadays are racist. Back 60+ years ago, to Brits whom had probably never even met a black person, it wasn't an indication of racism or hate, just a naughty sense of humour and a lack of worldliness.
In any case, I'm excited about this news. It's one of my favourite stories of WW2, and this is a great opportunity to see it done well. The original still holds up nicely in many ways, and it will always be welcome on my DVD shelf in spite of the sometimes dodgey tracer fire and dam-burst effects. If Peter can preserve what's good about the original while improving on its weaknesses, we'll have a real winner.
-Marlon
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