It’s an immediate disadvantage – one that the occasional remake will manage to overcome. We’re ranked the greatest examples of such redos that were equally good as (if notbetterthan) their originals, in order from worst to best.
30. Ocean’s Eleven
It’s hard to beat a cast quite likeFrank Sinatra,Sammy Davis Jr.,Dean Martin,Cesar Romero, and like… ten other amazing people. But at least theSteven Soderberghremake knew exactly what it was up against when it compiled the stellar cast that it did. And boy was that first movie fun for it.
Did it matter that the heist was as convoluted as a child cheating at Monopoly? Do we care that it had a plot hole so gaping that even the directorcouldn’t defendit? No of course not. It was fun and easy to follow – something we can’t exactly say about the sequels that followed.
29. Fright Night
This might be a controversial opinion, but we liked theFright Nightremake much more than the original film. For starters, it was directed byCraig Gillespie– whose other credits includeLars and the Real GirlandI, Tonya. And secondly there’s the crazy amazing cast, which includesAnton Yelchin,Toni Collette, andDavid Tennant.
Oh right, and did we mentionColin Farrellas the freaking vampire? Because that’s who plays the vampire. It’s Colin Farrell… but as a sexy vampire who stalks teenagers, we can’t stress this enough. The movie went under a lot of radars, which is pretty crazy considering the list of names we just threw at your face.
28. The Woman in Black
Not enough people gave this film credit for its sheer creepiness alone – not to mention that you get to see Harry Potter(DanielRadcliffe)be relentlessly harassed by a ghost. And not a fun playful ghost like Nearly Headless Nick, but a weird and mean ghost like that pervy Moaning Myrtle.
And again – this is a genuinely creepy film. It’s classic horror, as in a story taking place on a foggy moor inside a creepy old house. You might call that basic, but when done correctly it can also be extremely effective. It’s the grilled cheese of movies; a quality standard.
27. The Wicker Man
Look, we’re not going to say that the 2006 version ofThe Wicker Manis better than the original. All we’re going to say is that it featuresNicolas Cagejogging around an island village sucker-punching various women while dressed in a full-body bear outfit. It’s up to you to decide what value you place on that.
We would even argue that this remake is paramount in terms of quintessential moments in which Cage loses his beautiful mind. Not a single marble is left as his mighty maw wails in bee torment, only to be burned alive moments later. Do you think they ate his body? Lord knows you can’t waste a good Nicolas Cage.
26. The Jungle Book
Considering that he’s partially responsible for the success of the entireMarvel Cinematic Universe, we don’t give Jon Favreau enough credit. He’s very consistently delighted us with the silliness ofElfto the more personalChef. He also gave usCowboys & Aliens, which is kinda amazing in a very different way.
The Jungle Bookis one of the few Disney remasters that was worthy of the original. With a cast likeBill Murrayas Baloo,Idris Elbaas Shere Khan, and of courseScarlett Johanssonreprising her role fromUnder The Skin… it’s not hard to see why this movie had a lot of heart.
25. True Grit
Now that we’ve been reminded thatJohn Waynewas a pretty problematic man, we think it’s safe to say that the 2010Coen Brothersversion ofTrue Gritis officially more watchable than the original. That is assuming you put on the captions in order to understandJeff Bridges.
But while it comes with all kinds of heavy hitters likeJosh BrolinandMatt Damon, the obvious MVP isHailee Steinfeldand her breakout role as Mattie Ross. It only makes sense that she would go from babysitting one incoherent murder machine to yet another one inBumblebee.
24. Pet Sematary
We don’t care that it gotterrible reviews; we’re here to tell you that the newPet Semataryis a good movie. Better than the original? No, probably not – but the new ending was just as creepy (if not creepier). It also comes from the directors ofStarry Eyes, a film any horror fan should absolutely see.
Also, and we know this seems silly, but the cat was a much better cat actor (cator?) in the new film. we truly believed his grumbling rage when abandoned on the side of a road, his clear intent to journey back for the soul purpose of killing his owner’s entire family – as all cats fantasize about occasionally.
23. Poseidon
Presented as yet another disaster movie, what strikes us aboutPoseidonis how surprisingly harrowing the struggle for survival plays out. It’s flat-out dark as our protagonists commit acts of sacrifice to escape their claustrophobic surroundings. There’s even a drowning sequence that will crush your heart. Seriously, it’sdark.
And what a cast! Avert your eyes as the likes ofRichard Dreyfuss,Josh Lucas, andKurt Russellattempt to narrowly avoid a watery grave. Not evenFergieis safe from this aquatic catastrophe incited by a rogue wave. This is why man was never meant to venture into the sea, a place that clearly doesn’t want us in it.
22. Vanilla Sky
If you’ve had the pleasure of seeing the originalOpen Your Eyesyou already know thatCameron Crowe’sVanilla Skyisnotthe superior of the two movies. That said, it did a lot of things right – including castingKurt RussellandJason Lee. Also,Cameron Diazis downright chilling in this version… like the literal stuff of nightmares.
And finally, there’sTom Cruise, who is yet another great casting choice – especially evident if you’ve seen the original. This film marks one of the few eras where the action star was actually dabbling with complex roles, something he seriously needs to do more often than every ten freaking years.
21. Village of the Damned
The rules are simple: if you’reJohn Carpenteryou are allowed to remake any film you want. We don’t care which.Shawshank Redemption? Do it, John.Sliding Doors? Weird choice, but sure. On the other hand, you should not – under any circumstance – remake a Carpenter film. There’s just no good reason to do it.
But again, for John there’s no wrong answer, obviously including his 1995 remake ofVillage of the Damned– featuringChristopher Reeve,Kirstie Alley, andMark Hamillin a cast list that sounds pulled from a hat. Now if we can only get him out of retirement to do a version ofSplashwhere theDaryl Hannahcharacter explodes into mandibles.
