15 Of The Best Movie Remakes Ever

It seems that most of Hollywood movies of recent years have been based on remakes whether it’s a remake of a movie, book, TV show, musical – the majority of them suck. But here is a list of movies that are actually not too bad.

15. ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ (1986)

Based On: Roger Corman’s horror comedy, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ (1960)

Director Frank Oz’s second film on the list is this hilariously twisted musical comedy starring Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene. Between the singing, flesh-eating plant Audrey II (voiced by the lead singer of the Four Tops, Levi Stubbs), Steve Martin as a deliciously sadistic dentist, and the doo-wop chorus girls, this is a freaky but fun musical. We dare you to not catch yourself singing “Little shop/Little shop of horrors” after watching the quirky and campy remake.

14. ‘The Ring’ (2002)

Based On: Hideo Nakata’s horror flick, ‘Ringu’ (1998)

Gore Verbinski’s gothic American take on the outrageously popular Japanese original doesn’t have the “best of horror” credentials of ‘The Exorcist’ or ‘The Thing,’ but it’s chilling enough to elicit audience-wide yelps from even genre aficionados. Without a crazy body count or masked murderers, this is the epitome of scary minus the gore. Naomi Watts is unforgettable as a mom who will stop at nothing to uncover the seemingly unknowable mystery surrounding a killer VHS tape.

13. ‘Father of the Bride’ (1991)

Based On: Vincente Minnelli’s wedding comedy ‘Father of the Bride’ (1950)

If you learn anything from this list, it’s this: when in doubt, enlist Steve Martin to star in a comedy remake. Director Charles Shyer (who’s also responsible for the remakes ‘Alfie,’ ‘The Parent Trap’ and the recently announced ‘Private Benjamin’) cast Martin in Spencer Tracy’s iconic role as the titular father, and the result is a terrifically sweet performance (with help from fellow comedy masters like Diane Keaton and Martin Short).

12. ‘Heaven Can Wait’ (1978)

Based On: Alexander Hall’s supernatural comedy, ‘Here Comes Mr. Jordan’ (1941)

Writer-director-star Warren Beatty changed the profession from boxer to quarterback, but the plot’s are essentially the same — an angel accidentally kills off a star athlete several decades too early, so he’s reincarnated in the body of a womanizing billionaire (that should answer the question of why Beatty chose to redo this story). A screwball comedy with a subtly biting ’70s edge, Beatty’s remake is still a charmer 30-plus years later.

11. ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ (1978)

Based On: Don Siegel’s alien-horror classic, ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ (1956)

Horror devotees still debate, three decades after the remake’s release, whether Philip Kaufman’s special-effects-aided version is as good as (or better!) than its predecessor. We’ll leave it to the genre experts to decide, but one thing’s for sure, both are masterpieces compared to the two subsequent remakes. Smart, suspenseful and socially conscious, this is the kind of crafty psychological thriller that even horror-sci-fi naysayers could love.

10. ‘A Star is Born’ (1954)

Based On: William Wellman’s showbiz drama, ‘A Star is Born’ (1937)

Director George Cukor revived a fading Judy Garland’s career with the comeback role of a lifetime. Playing a talented rising star who falls for James Mason’s controlling, alcoholic singer (James Mason), Garland gave the performance of her career and cemented the unforgettable Ira Gershwin-Harold Arlen-produced standard ‘The Man That Got Away’ into her repertoire. Yes, it was made specifically to prop up Garland, but she delivered the movie equivalent of an amazing one-woman show .

9. ‘Ocean’s 11′ (2001)

Based On: Lewis Milestone’s heist flick, ‘Ocean’s 11′ (1960)

Steven Soderbergh’s remake of the Vegas-set caper stars a much more diverse group of actors than the A-list best friends who headlined the original, but the ensemble’s collective energy is so infectious, it’s easy to believe Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Cheadle and co. are a Hollywood reincarnation of the celebrated Rat Pack. Even the villainous casino owner, played by Andy Garcia, is likable — so much so that he, along with Ocean’s entire crew, returned for two sequels.

8. ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ (1964)

Based On: Akira Kurosawa’s samurai drama, ‘Yojimbo’ (1961)

Sergio Leone’s first Spaghetti Western is more important for introducing the world to Clint Eastwood’s infamous Man With No Name, than for being an unofficial Kurosawa remake. With his air of mystery, narrowed eyes and cool aloofness, Eastwood’s lawless character was so engrossing that Leone’s violent retelling spawned two ‘Dollar’ sequels starring Eastwood’s “Stranger.” Not bad for a relatively unknown director and a star trying to break free from his TV persona.

7. ‘The Fly’ (1986)

Based On: Kurt Neumann’s horror classic, ‘The Fly’ (1958)

Jeff Goldblum has starred in bigger blockbusters (‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘Independence Day’), but to us, he’ll forever be remembered for his very first performance as an eccentric scientist in David Cronenberg’s excellent (and very different) remake. Part graphic horror, part graphic romance (it is a Cronenberg movie, after all) co-starring Geena Davis, the movie was both a commercial and critical success that completely transcended the campy original.

6. ‘The Departed’ (2006)

Based On: Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s Hong Kong crime-thriller ‘Infernal Affairs’ (2002)

Who would’ve thought that Martin Scorsese would finally score Oscar gold for a story not about the New York City mob, but the Irish gangsters up in Boston. Scorsese’s mind-blowing drama about cops, criminals and those who secretly cross the line between both worlds, is nothing short of extraordinary. Starring most of the best actors in Hollywood (Nicholson, DiCaprio, Damon, Baldwin, Sheen, Wahlberg, Farmiga), it’s nearly Shakespearean in scope and scale.

5. ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (1960)

Based On: Akira Kurosawa’s epic ‘The Seven Samurai’ (1954)

Kurosawa’s samurai films obviously spoke to American directors, and John Sturges doesn’t disappoint with his brilliant Westernization featuring seven gunmen hired to protect a besieged Mexican village. The seven spectacular action stars alone make this worth watching (Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn and Horst Buchholz — all of whom truly are magnificent), not to mention the epic gunfight sequences.

4. ‘Cape Fear’ (1991)

Based On: J. Lee Thompson’s stalker thriller, ‘Cape Fear’ (1962)

Martin Scorsese’s second remake in the top 10 is his modernization of Thompson’s infamous 1962 crime thriller. Robert De Niro is frighteningly menacing and seductive as Max Cady, the ex-con out for revenge who Robert Mitchum immortalized. Nick Nolte holds his own as the attorney Cady is threatening, but it’s a teenage Juliette Lewis who steals the show as the object of Cady’s creepy obsession. The squeamish should stick to the excellent original, but this is one of Scorsese’s best.

3. ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ (1956)

Based On: Alfred Hitchcock’s first ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ (1934)

This is the only entry of a director remaking his own film (although plenty of other filmmakers have done it). Hitchcock kept the basic premise of his early thriller: a family on vacation stumbles upon top-secret information that leads to their child’s kidnapping, but he updated the setting, shot in color and cast bonafide Hollywood sweethearts James Stewart and Doris Day in the subsequent film. Hitchcock himself proclaimed it the superior version, and who are we to argue with his genius?

2. ‘Scarface’ (1983)

Based On: Howard Hawks’ gangland drama, ‘Scarface’ (1932)

Brian De Palma’s remake is a cultural phenomenon — the kind of movie that nearly 30 years later is still regularly referenced. The genius behind De Palma and screenwriter Oliver Stone’s update is switching from the Italian mob to the Cuban cartels in Miami’s cocaine-fueled drug boom. Al Pacino’s machine-gun-wielding kingpin Tony Montana is as iconic as Michael Corleone, with even more quotable lines, like, “Say hello to my little friend,” or “In this country, you gotta make the money first…”

1. ‘The Thing’ (1982)

Based On: Howard Hawks’ ‘The Thing’ (1952)

Considering this list could’ve been comprised solely of horror films — there are just that many remakes in the genre — it should come as no surprise that John Carpenter’s horror gem is No. 1. A known master of paranoia and suspense, Carpenter’s take on a parasitic alien that can shape-shift into any thing or any body is both bloody disgusting and bloody brilliant. Never has working in a remote outpost seemed scarier, and never has an awesomely bearded Kurt Russell been this good.

What do you think? What are the best Hollywood remakes of all time?

source: The 25 Best Movie Remakes of All Time [Movie Fone]

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