One of the biggest complaints from moviegoers recently is the lack of fresh ideas coming out of Hollywood. It seems that for every new film that gets made, an additional four are done that are either remakes, reboots or revisions of a previous movie or television show.
I wanted to take a look at some of the more recent remakes and see how they measured up to their original predecessor. Now, when I went to research this topic, my trusty friend Wikipedia found hundreds of titles that are considered remakes. If I tried to cover every movie that’s been redone and shown to a modern audience I would either kill myself halfway into the project, or you would kill yourself halfway through reading about it. So we will just stick to a few guidelines. I only picked movies that are enough well known that a major star was attached to the picture or most people could figure out one of the movies made when given the plot. I’m also not considering conversions from foreign markets (excluding the UK) like Japan’s The Seven Samurai to America’s The Magnificent Seven or Hong Kong’s Infernal Affairs to our The Departed.
Here is a list of all the movies recently remade that were either complete failures or forgotten 20 minutes after being released. I have made notes beside some of the movies mentioned.
3:10 to Yuma (1957) made as 3:10 to Yuma (2007) – The only great thing about the remake is the poster of a train seen underneath the legs of a cowboy. It’s a very cool shot. And what is with the Luke Wilson cameo out of nowhere?
Alfie (1966) made as Alfie (2004)
All the King’s Men (1949) made as All the King’s Men (2006) – The first version won an Oscar for Best Picture but both are equally boring.
The Amityville Horror (1979) made as The Amityville Horror (2005)
The Bad News Bears (1976) made as Bad News Bears (2005)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) made as The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
Get Carter (1971) made as Get Carter (2001) – The original is considered one of the best British gangster films of all time, so why mess with greatness.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) made as Guess Who (2005)
Hairspray (1988) made as Hairspray (2007) – Four words will settle this: John Travolta in drag. Enough said.
Halloween (1978) made as Halloween (2007) – I don’t need to know why Michael Meyers is a killer and I don’t need obligatory gore to be scared. Just give me suspense.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers made as The Invasion
King Kong (1933) made as King Kong (2005) – While Peter Jackson’s remake is good, it doesn’t compete with the original.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) made as The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
The Omen (1976) made as The Omen (2006)
Planet of the Apes (1968) made as Planet of the Apes (2001) – Tim Burton’s remake is almost always mentioned in conversations of bad remakes. It just doesn’t make any sense.
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) made as Poseidon (2006)
Psycho (1960) made as Psycho (1998) – Making a movie shot-for-shot of the previous one doesn’t impress me.
Rear Window (1954) made as Disturbia (2007)
Shaft (1971) made as Shaft (2001)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) made as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
The War of the Worlds (1953) made as War of the Worlds (2005)
The Wicker Man (1973) made as The Wicker Man (2006) – Could anything be worse than the remake. I nearly walked out of this one and that would have been a first.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) made as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) – Another Tim Burton remake that didn’t come close to its original.
I’d be surprised if you made it through that long list, but if you did then congratulations. It makes you wonder if any remake has ever been better than its original. Well, here are a few that do (and might) make that list:
Ben-Hur (1925) made as Ben-Hur (1959) – A little unfair considering the second was made after talkies were introduced, but nonetheless.
Cape Fear (1962) made as Cape Fear (1991) – I prefer the first, but some believe Robert De Niro’s performance alone makes the remake superior.
The Italian Job (1969) made as The Italian Job (2003)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) made as The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) – This one is interesting in that it was directed by the same master of suspense: Alfred Hitchcock.
The Mummy (1932) made as The Mummy (1999) – This one depends on if you prefer action to suspense.
Ocean’s Eleven (1960) made as Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
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