• 3 months ago
If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the films that blow their remakes out of the water.
Transcript
00:00It's not too late. You can stay here with me.
00:02I don't want to stay with you, Mama!
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for the films that blow their remakes out of the water.
00:12We're excluding live-action adaptations of animated films because those deserve a list of their own.
00:18Pinocchio, did you hear anything?
00:19I sure did!
00:20Alright, I heard something too. And now that you can talk...
00:26Hello, Pops!
00:28Number 10, The Wicker Man.
00:30Your Lordship seems strangely unconcerned.
00:33I'm confident your suspicions are wrong, Sergeant. We don't commit murder up here.
00:38We're a deeply religious people.
00:41Religious?
00:42A landmark in folk horror, the original The Wicker Man was well-received by critics and audiences upon release in 1973.
00:49It has been considered one of the greatest British films ever, horror or not.
00:54The original film is noted for its subtle tension, achieved without gore or jump scares.
00:58Show upon us, in the year to come, the rich and diverse fruits of your kingdom.
01:06As the mystery unravels, the discomfort builds, helped by some sharp performances and charmingly creepy costuming.
01:13And the ending remains terrifying.
01:15The 2006 remake is known for quite the opposite.
01:19Starring an unabashedly overacting Nicolas Cage, it is a laughable attempt at reviving the classic.
01:26Get off the bike.
01:30Step away from the bike.
01:35Take your stupid mask.
01:36Number 9, Rollerball.
01:38We will review these techniques with special attention to the use of death blows.
01:42Same lecture every year.
01:44This sci-fi sports movie may not have been the most popular with critics when it was released in the 70s,
01:49but it has since gained some love.
01:51Although far from perfect, its look at the dystopian, corporation-dominated society
01:56provides social commentary that gets better with age.
01:59I don't mean to resist. I'm just trying to understand this.
02:03It's for your own benefit. You must know that, Jonathan. All decisions concerning you are.
02:10In 2002, director John McTiernan took a stab at remaking Rollerball,
02:14but it flopped in all regards.
02:16Critics and fans of the original said the remake lacked nuance.
02:20Setting the story in 2005 and focusing so heavily on the action definitely didn't help.
02:25American horses, right?
02:27Absolutely. I'm hung like one.
02:29We don't speak much.
02:31That's the way I dig it, yo. You don't speak much.
02:34Boy, I dig it, yo.
02:36You ever tried to get laid with an accounting degree?
02:38It was a miss for McTiernan, who previously saw great success with
02:41classics like Predator, Die Hard, and The Hunt for Red October.
02:45Number 8. The Lady Killers
02:47You've all become too absorbed. You and your guests might like a cup of tea.
02:51Oh, you shouldn't.
02:53You know, Professor, you didn't tell me the truth about yourself.
02:58The original version of this heist movie is held as one of the best comedies of the 1950s.
03:03The Lady Killers is part of a string of comedies from Ealing Studios,
03:07poking fun at social conditions in post-World War II Britain.
03:10Major, Major. Relax. Calm down. Back to the station.
03:18No strangers to Black comedy themselves,
03:20the Coen brothers were set to direct a 2004 remake.
03:23However, it was less than well-received.
03:26Changing the setting to the American South didn't make the movie any more interesting.
03:30And instead of dry British humor,
03:32the Coen's film is rather uncharacteristically over-the-top in both acting and premise.
03:37The Neanderthal Mississippi has found its way back and forth across a great alluvial plain.
03:44Leaving us.
03:45Number 7. Robocop
03:47Your move, creep.
03:49Paul Verhoeven's Robocop is considered one of the most iconic films of the 80s.
03:54It defied genres and offered biting satire that
03:57could have fallen flat in most other action-heavy movies.
04:00Moreover, critics said it went beyond a typical revenge narrative,
04:03adding nuance and social critique.
04:05And the president's first press conference from the Star Wars orbiting peace platform
04:10got off to a shaky start when power failed,
04:13causing a brief but harmless period of weightlessness for the visiting president and his staff.
04:18But a remake came out in 2014, and it totally missed the wit and zest of the original.
04:24Robocop wouldn't be the only Verhoeven classic to receive a dull remake.
04:281990's Total Recall had humor and over-the-top practical effects,
04:32while the 2012 version was just bland.
04:35Maybe they did a number on you, didn't they?
04:37Who the hell are you?
04:38You honestly don't remember any of it, do you?
04:41No, no, I don't.
04:42Remember what? How do you know me?
04:44Number 6. A Nightmare on Elm Street
04:46I'm crazy after all.
04:50This campy 80s slasher introduced audiences to Freddy Krueger,
04:54now a well-known and well-loved killer.
04:57In addition to creating an icon for horror history,
05:00the film was praised for its witty script and innovative cinematography.
05:03The movie was a box office success and spawned several sequels.
05:07Infinite space, where it not that I have bad dreams.
05:15In 2010, a remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street was released,
05:19but it removed Freddy's one-liners and other joyful aspects of the original series.
05:24The writers also added a certain taboo crime to Freddy's backstory.
05:28It was even deemed lethargic.
05:30And the last thing you want from an Elm Street movie is to be put to sleep.
05:34This dress was always one of my favorites.
05:40Do you remember it, Nancy?
05:44Of course you do.
05:46Number 5. The Karate Kid
05:48Here, karate, same thing.
05:50Either you karate do yes, or karate do no.
05:55You karate do guess so.
05:58Just like grip.
06:00The fifth highest-grossing movie of 1984 in the United States,
06:03The Karate Kid tells a heartwarming coming-of-age story that resonated with many young viewers.
06:08It even touched a lot of critics.
06:11Along with spawning several sequels and plenty of memorabilia,
06:27the movie is credited with making karate popular in the U.S.
06:30With that level of enduring success, it's no surprise that there was a remake.
06:34The story was updated for 2010 audiences,
06:37and while it wasn't totally panned by critics and audiences,
06:40it just couldn't hold up to the charm of the original.
06:43Where's your jacket?
06:46I thought I was warm enough without it.
06:49Go get it.
06:50You want me to go all the way back just to get it?
06:52Yes, all the way back where you hide it.
06:54Number 4. Carrie
06:55You're a woman now.
06:58Why didn't you tell me, Ma?
07:00And God made Eve from the rib of Adam,
07:07and Eve was weak and loosed the raven on the world.
07:10The first film adaptation of Stephen King's work is hard to top.
07:13Brian De Palma's skilled direction enraptured audiences upon release,
07:17and now Carrie is considered a masterpiece of horror.
07:20It even caught the attention of the Academy Awards,
07:23garnering two nominations, a relatively rare feat for a horror movie.
07:27Satan's power.
07:29It's nothing to do with Satan, Mama.
07:31It's me.
07:33Me.
07:34If I concentrate hard enough, I can move things.
07:37The appeal of the story has never left public consciousness.
07:40In 2013, a big budget remake was released.
07:43Unfortunately, neither audiences nor critics saw much merit in it.
07:48Lacking the grit and raw emotion of the 1976 film,
07:51the remake was a major letdown.
07:53Go to your closet.
07:58No, Mama.
07:59Go to your closet and pray.
08:01Number three, Planet of the Apes.
08:03You maniacs!
08:06You blew it up!
08:08Oh, damn you!
08:11Combining social commentary, practical effects,
08:14and a plot twist you'll never forget,
08:16the original Planet of the Apes is a sci-fi classic.
08:19It spawned four direct sequels and two television series.
08:22The original movie was nominated for two Oscars
08:24and won an honorary award for its makeup.
08:26You're afraid of me and you hate me.
08:28Why?
08:29Because you're a man.
08:32And you're right.
08:33The 2001 remake, however, was not nearly as impressive.
08:37Although it was one of the highest-grossing films of 2001,
08:40it failed to live up to the brilliance of the original.
08:42The remake might look smoother, but it falls flat in all other aspects.
08:47And the ending is just plain confusing.
08:50All right, keep your hands up!
08:55Number two, Oldboy.
09:10Widely considered a near-perfect modern classic,
09:13this South Korean thriller has been lauded as among the best movies of all time.
09:18Not just limited to non-English-language films.
09:21The cinematography of the action sequences, the depth of the plot,
09:24and the character development are all highlights of Park Chan-wook's masterpiece.
09:38Another talented director, Spike Lee, took a stab at an American remake in 2013.
09:43But Lee's Oldboy was not positively received.
09:46Critics called it messy and shallow.
09:48If you like complex thrillers, it just might be worth it to read some subtitles.
09:53Johnny, can we give Mr. Doakes his umbrella back, please?
09:56No. No, he can keep it.
09:58Before we unveil our topic, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:02Point Break.
10:02You can't beat the charisma and thrills of Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze.
10:06They only live to get radical.
10:08They don't have any real understanding of the sea,
10:10so they'll never get the spiritual side of it.
10:13Hey, you're not gonna start chanting or anything, are you?
10:17John Carpenter's supernatural horror amps up the atmosphere of dread and eeriness.
10:31The Heartbreak Kid.
10:32Real laughs and real emotion make this movie a well-loved romantic dark comedy.
10:37Would you love me?
10:40Yes, I do.
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10:58Number 1.
10:59Psycho.
11:00Well, I run the office and tend the cabins and grounds and do little errands for my mother.
11:07The one she allows I might be capable of doing.
11:10Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is an icon of the thriller and horror genres,
11:14as well as a staple for film students.
11:16Masterful shots throughout the movie ramp up the tension and avoid showing anything gratuitous.
11:21It was such a shocker upon release that many
11:24critics called it cheap in comparison to Hitchcock's subtler thrillers.
11:27I won't have you bringing strange young girls in for supper.
11:31Buy candlelight, I suppose,
11:32in the cheap, erotic fashion of young men with cheap, erotic minds.
11:36However, in time it has been recognized as a landmark in cinema.
11:40That didn't stop Gus Van Zandt from deciding to direct
11:43what is essentially a shot-for-shot remake in 1998.
11:46It was released to negative reviews,
11:48many saying that it failed to build any of the shock, suspense, or art of the original.
11:53Don't you go out?
11:54With friends?
11:56Um, a boy's best friend's his mother.
11:58What other original movies can't be topped? Let us know in the comments.
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12:25you