WARNING: List may update or extend itself in case more remakes come out that I can't resist leaving off this list.
For example: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
1. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Remake of: Ocean's Eleven (1960)
Yes people. This is what I consider to be the greatest remake of all time. Not only do I think it's better than the original, but I can't even imagine a better cast for this film. George Clooney does a grade A job at playing high class thief Danny Ocean. He has the perfect attitude of someone who wants to steal but do it in the most unsuspecting way. I also love the rest of his team with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and etc. If I had to choose my favorite of the team, it would probably be the Malloy brothers played by Casey Affleck and Scott Caan. They have the perfect family love/hate chemistry which is like the icing on the cake among the interactions with the rest of the team. There's really so much that I can talk about this movie that I really should just do my own review of this. As a remake, there are some different plots; like in the original they plan to rob 5 casinos, not 3. Also Danny Ocean is the only name from the original used in the new one. Either way, its still a GREAT movie that's entertaining literally from start to finish. One more thing to say about this film is that among most remakes, this actually had good sequels made. I mean you don't really see many remakes actually have sequels made since most of them fail at the box office. Thankfully this one didn't and for good reason. I love this film. I love that this remake actually had its own franchise and line of sequels which most remakes don't. Good job to Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney for being apart of this fantastic remake of a movie.
2. King Kong (2005)
Remake of: King Kong (1933)
Truly the best work done my Peter Jackson in my personal opinion. He doesn't make this look just like an old monster flick. He puts true art and emotion into this film. First off, he does manage to make it look EXACTLY like the sets from 1933. Second, he did great casting with actors in the roles of the original characters; and I didn't actually find anything wrong with Jack Black as Carl Denham like most people did. Third the visual effects looked incredible, especially Kong which Andy Serkis did a great performance of. Even with it being over 3 hours, I still found this film to be entertaining all the way through. I was even emotionally attached to this film with the relationship between Ann Darrow and Kong. Naomi Watts actually gave an award worthy performance in this, which I don't usually see in blockbusters (except Aliens). This is a terrific remake that I hope will be recognized as one of the greatest.
3. War of the Worlds (2005)
Remake of: The War of the Worlds (1954)
Most of you will probably disagree with me completely on this, but I LOVE this film and I thought it was better than the original. You think I have bad taste in movies? Well back off, this is my list, and I believe that Steven Spielberg my most favorite director ever did no wrong in remaking this film. I truly thought Tom Cruise did an excellent job at playing the divorced father figure trying to protect his kids from the invasion. I was really invested in all the characters written into this film. Yes this film has a different story to it than the original and also different characters. That doesn't mean it has a different invasion. Different approach from the martians, but same impact. They still have the same looking tripods and other equipment used to exterminate the human race. Still has the same ending. I thought I would have problems with this movie comparing it to the original, but I don't. I still love the original, but this just seems like more of my taste for an invasion movie. It may not be exactly like the original book or movie, but it certainly lives up to it.
4. Ransom (1996)
Remake of: Ransom! (1956)
Ron Howard still conquers cinema after making Apollo 13 with this incredible remake. As generic as the title sounds, it's still more original than you think. Even though this was a remake, it had better suspense and better background with each character. Mel Gibson also gives the performance of his career in this film. Even if you hate the way he is in real life, that doesn't stop him from being a great actor. This movie shows it. Also Gary Sinise does a great job at playing Jimmy Shaker who I consider one of the greatest villains of the 1990s. Definitely a film you'd wanna see if you give Mel Gibson and the title of this film a chance.
5. The Departed (2006)
Remake of: Infernal Affairs (2002)
In my opinion, I love this film a whole lot more than the original. I don't hate the original, but I didn't find it to be all that great like most people do, even if it did come first. Thankfully Scorsese knows how to do no wrong in remaking a movie. The thing he did different with this film than what he did with "Cape Fear" was that he added more of his own style into the mix. He pretty much made a mashup of "Goodfellas", "Mean Streets" and the plot of "Infernal Affairs" which turned out very well. Even though the tone to this film is different than the original, Scorsese and writer William Monahan kept the characters in their same format which just made the film more interesting. It just makes me wish the original did more with their characters like how Scorsese did with this film.
6. True Lies (1994)
Remake of: La Totale! (1991)
Wouldn't have thought James Cameron among all people would remake a film. Either way he succeeds. The story sort of stays true to the original only with a few more added subplots and 100 times more action. Schwarzenegger believe it or not is perfectly casted in this role. He actually does a good job at portraying a man who's hiding the truth from his family that he's actually a top secret agent by pretending to be a salesman. Great action and well performed comedy by the whole cast. Fun flick not to miss out on.
7. Cape Fear (1991)
Remake of: Cape Fear (1962)
Scorsese does an excellent job at making it look just like how it did in 1962. Uses the same suspense, the same type of music, and of course tries to stay true to the original characters. This would be a little higher on the list if it seemed a little less boring. He does tend to drag some scenes out longer than they need to be. Yes he is trying to develop the characters more, but some I just didn't buy. Other than that, this film does show how well you can remake a movie using the same features it had in the original. Too bad that tactic doesn't work with all films like when Gus Van Sant made "Psycho (1998)".
8. The Thing (1982)
Remake of: The Thing From Another World (1951)
With John Carpenter being a huge fan of the original, it really comes to no surprise on how well he pulled this off. Great cast, great adaptation. Kurt Russell is always entertaining to watch whenever he does a John Carpenter movie. Definitely a creepy flick that YOU MUST see if you haven't yet, even if you haven't seen the original.
9. Bad News Bears (2005)
Remake of: The Bad News Bears (1976)
I must say, I was REALLY impressed how well Richard Linklater made this look exactly like the original. Yes, I do mean that in a good way. I guess after doing "School of Rock", it shows how well he works with kids and how well he can pick the right ones to have them look and act exactly like the kids from the original. Of course we can't forget Billy Bob Thornton who's perfect at pulling off Walter Matthau's drunken buffoon character known as Buttermaker. He's really funny and really good at acting like the no-good disorganized alcoholic who used to be a major league baseball player. In my opinion, really overlooked remake that deserves more recognition.
10. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Remake of: Seven Samurai (1957)
It goes from swords to guns in this western remake of Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai". It tells the same story and even has some of the same characters. Only difference is they exchange the plots among some characters from the original and give it to others. For example, in this version they have the youngest one who they say isn't old or strong enough to fight with them ends up proving them wrong by following and protecting them behind their back. They never had the youngest one from the original do that. Either way it still works out. Great ensemble of actors match each original character perfectly. If you're ever in the mood for an awesome western that isn't "The Wild Bunch", I recommend this one.
11. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Remake of: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Entertaining flick that truly lives up to the original. Do I think its better than the first? Just by a tad. Mainly because of the screenplay. I usually prefer longer movies so I can get to know the characters and story plot better. It does that job in this. Instead of telling the story through a flashback, it starts fresh and ends better. You know by the end whether the body snatchers have completely taken over the world or not. Philip Kaufman directs great suspense and has pretty good effects for the late 1970s. Worth seeing? You betcha!
12. You've Got Mail (1998)
Remake of: The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
An excellent remake that goes a clever transformation into modern society by changing it from writing letters to email. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan team up again providing great chemistry on screen where their characters battle in person to have the better bookstore in town. What they don't know is that they've been best friends chatting online thinking they're talking with completely different people. It's a great plot with superb build up to the very end. Don't wanna give anything away so if you haven't seen this movie, check it out, as well as the original.
13. The Fly (1986)
Remake of: The Fly (1958)
It does follow the original quite well, only in a much darker tone and not just like any B-horror flick. Who would've thought Jeff Goldblum could play the lead role so well and so creepy. David Cronenberg shows great direction in the pacing of the story and showing off his characters in the most interesting way. As fun as this movie sounds, still not one made for kids. It gets REALLY dark in the end. Still worth checking out as an adult.
14. The Karate Kid (2010)
Remake of: The Karate Kid (1984)
Like most people, I was completely surprised at how good this actually was. It had the same story but with new characters and different location. Usually that's the stuff I never buy in remakes, but thankfully that wasn't the case with this film. The characters first off I must say were totally believable. I actually became invested in their portrayal and backstory, especially Jackie Chan's character Mr. Han. I didn't think anyone could make a good replacement of Mr. Miyagi, but like many parts of this movie I was proven wrong. Jackie Chan perfectly suits himself up into that character, not just because he knows actual karate (or kung fu is what they call in the movie) but he shows he can also do drama. Of course same thing goes for the other actors as well. I can see why the producer of the original one, Jerry Weintraub wanted in on this one as well. Good script and great casting. Comes to show its not just one of those films where a big movie star like Will Smith produces a big budget remake just so he can have his kid as the main star. Nope, he puts full faith in the project and tries to make it live up to the original, and thankfully it did.
15. Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Remake of: Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
Warren Beatty makes his directorial debut as well as stars in this remake about a guy who has an accidental death and is then given a new life in the body of a millionaire playboy. Very good production as well as superb dialogue written by Warren Beatty as well with the help of screenwriter Elaine May. Pretty smart movie for a remake. Hard to tell which film the audience prefers knowing this and the original did well at their release.
16. Angels in the Outfield (1994)
Remake of: Angels in the Outfield (1951)
I know most people prefer the original instead of this version, but I can't help but be sucked into the modern aspects added to this film with its color and new visual effects. But I digress. I did see this film at age 5 and as you would know at that age, I got addicted to it. That doesn't keep me from judging this as a remake though. As a remake, I believe it 1-UPs the original. Call me crazy but I thought this one had a better story going when told more from the kids point of view. It had clearer development and I was a little more invested in these new characters than the original. That doesn't mean the original is bad, it's still good. I just prefer this one.
17. Flipper (1996)
Remake of: Flipper (1963)
Now I know most of you probably don't like this movie. Yes this is a personal childhood favorite of mine, BUT that's not the only reason. Compared to the original, it doesn't do THAT bad at all. It still have good character development, follows the story in the correct path without too many modern Hollywood subplot gaps, and has some pretty good actors in it. Amazing that Elijah Wood did this movie before Lord of the Rings. The downside I do have with this film is that it really doesn't age well to audiences of today mainly due to the dialogue that isn't well written. Overall still a good remake.
18. The Italian Job (2003)
Remake of: The Italian Job (1969)
An sweet thrill ride involving a heist, a revenge scheme and awesome car chases using the main product placement of this movie, the Mini Cooper. Yeah, this may not be a BETTER film compared to the ones listed below it, but as a remake it does the job well. Also, I always love Seth Green in whatever movie he does. Even if some of his films suck, he always picks the right role to play and as the computer genius in this one; he hits the nail right on the head. Great performances from the rest of the cast as well.
19. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Remake of: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
Pretty cool that Alfred Hitchcock managed to remake his own film. The master of suspense does it again by casting James Stewart this time for the lead role of a father trying to protect his family from getting involved in an assassination plot he accidentally found out about. He also does his film in color this time, which in my opinion I prefer since I love the establishing shots Hitchcock films of Africa and London. A great film worth checking out.
20. Brothers (2009)
Remake of: Brothers (2004)
Based off the 2004 Turkish film. I didn't really expect this to be remade so soon. I guess the America really wanted their own version. Thankfully, producers attached critically acclaimed Jim Sheridan as the director and casted actors Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman. I will admit the trailer did give away some major parts of the movie, but still great suspense. Screenwriter David Benioff did a great job with adapting the characters to make them seem like real people and not just cardboard cutouts you see in every drama produced by Hollywood. Terrific film. I can see why Richard Roeper called this the best film of 2009.
21. I Am Legend (2007)
Remake of: The Omega Man (1974)
If movies like Pursuit of Happyness and Ali didn't show you how great an actor Will Smith is, this one should. It's one of those films that actually did scare me in theaters. I don't mean just random stuff jumping at the screen, I also mean the performances and direction of the story. I do think this is somewhat better than the original, mainly because of the effects. I don't wanna sound too Gen-Y, but I can see why "The Omega Man" needed to be remade. Still a good film, but this had better production and pacing in my opinion.
22. The Longest Yard (2005)
Remake of: The Longest Yard (1974)
I was surprised how well they followed the original film. I mean looking at the cast, I never would've guessed they could pull off each character that good. Funny how Burt Reynolds is still in this movie only playing a different character, and another actor from the original actually reprises his role playing the same character only just 30 years older. It's a lot of fun if you're into sports movies and you have a good sense of humor.
23. The Parent Trap (1998)
Remake of: The Parent Trap (1961)
I loved this film when I was a kid as much as the original. Now looking at this film today, I have to say it still lives up quite well. It follows the original perfectly by using the same story but changing the characters to have a better setup for the modern world. It's a great film for all ages. Also for those dissing on Lindsay Lohan, she may not manage herself well with her personal life but she can still act all right; and this film is a perfect example.
24. True Grit (2010)
Remake of: True Grit (1969)
I'm sure you thought this film would be higher on the list, but like I said, these were hard to decide on. I really did enjoy this film. When I heard the Coen Brothers were making this starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, I was a little hesitant. Then again, like most of their movies they surprised me. I enjoyed the production of the film, the acting, and of course their well adapted script which thankfully related a little more to the book. Well done.
25. Solaris (2002)
Remake of: Solaris (1972)
To most it may be nothing but a slow moving picture starring George Clooney, but to me it's visually stunning on how well Steven Soderbergh managed to recreate the environment from the original. I can see why James Cameron was also the producer of this. Not the most exciting film, but still well recreated nonetheless.
No comments:
Post a Comment