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.
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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