UKC

Ive never Seen a Remake of any film thats as good as the original. Some are real stinkers.

Some examples:
Psycho.
Taking of Pelham 123.
Oceans eleven.
Dawn of the Dead.
Planet of the apes.

Can anyone think of a Remake that is Better than the original?

In reply to Choss:
Nope, you got me there. I tend to avoid seeing any film that's a remake of an old favourite. Whenever I have, I've regretted it. Can I add Total Recall and Tron to your list?

In reply to knthrak1982:

And barb wire is a Shameless Remake of Casablanca.

In reply to knthrak1982:

Was there a remake of Tron?

(genuine question - I've only seen the original...I've not seen Legacy but assumed it was a sequel rather than a remake)

In reply to Choss: The Thing (1982?) is a remake I love, but I haven't seen the original Thing From Another World.

In reply to Choss:

the thing remake is far better a lot due to the effects that where not available in the original ,
what about the fly ?

In reply to ThunderCat:

I thought of it as a remake, given that there's a light cycle scene, but I suppose you're right it is a sequel. Didn't enjoy it in any case.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

The Thing might be the exception that proves the rule. I was nervous about Tinker Tailor... but Gary Oldman is brilliant and the whole thing is sufficiently different to the classic TV version not to detract from it (Colin Firth doesn't really get Bill Haydon though).

I haven't dared watch the US remake of Edge of Darkness. Mel Gibson as Ronnie Craven? I don't think so.

In reply to Choss:

A Fistfull of Dollars is brilliant.

In reply to Choss:

The Magnificent Seven is a remake of Seven Samurai, both are brilliant films, not sure which I like most.

I would say the Peter Jackson version of King Kong is better than both the one with Fay Wray and the one with Jessica Lange.

In reply to knthrak1982:


I liked the look of the trailer...I might check it out if it ever gets to netflix / TV.

The Thomas Crown Affair.

I won't get into the whole debate about "second adaptations of novels" (e.g. The Thing or films adapted from longer TV series like State of Play); I got in all sorts of bother last time I tried that one and got bullied into agreeing with everyone else

I have not seen Romero's original "The Crazies" but Breck Eisner's 2010 (?) remake was a fantastic film in its own right. If the original is actually better, I'm keen to see it

In reply to Blue Straggler:


Wont watch that Remake on Principle.

In reply to Choss:

What about that shite remake of Pocahontas? What was it..oh yeah..Avatar..

In reply to Choss:

Nice to see someone keeping an open mind.

Do you only watch the David Niven comedy Casino Royale too?

In reply to Blue Straggler:


I just Like to watch an original film rather than Remakes. watching the rubbish Psycho Remake made me feel dirty.


Havent watched any bond films at all since i was a Kid.

In reply to Choss:



I'm no fan of Soderbergh's film but I heard that the original was particularly bad, with a far worse sense of the starts just mucking around and having a laugh and making you pay to watch them doing so.

Anyway. How about:
True Lies and Twelve Monkeys?

And I actually thought The Birdcage was better made than its original source material (and I prefer the American remake of The Ring, so there!)

In reply to Blue Straggler:


<whispers>
I quite like that film in a 60's camp kind of way

In reply to Choss:

I like to watch good films regardless of whether they are remakes. I'd rather watch a good remake than a crap original film. What is your view on adapatations? Do you only watch films with original screenplays?

In reply to Choss:

Batman - the films get better with each "new" generation of remakes!

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Im fine with adaptations of books and plays. Its Remakes that get my ire. just never seen one i personally consider Better than the original, or that adds anything to the story.

In reply to Choss:
Invasion of the Body Snatchers - the first remake, not the second - is better than the original, although I may be in trouble for saying it.

Also, Evil Dead II?

In reply to Choss:

Not True Lies then? Nor Twelve Monkeys?

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Never seen either.

In reply to Choss:

Well I am answering your question then.

True Lies is better than the original
Twelve Monkeys is better than the original
The Ring is better than the original
The Thomas Crown Affair is better than the original


as a few examples

In reply to Choss:

I was quite keen on seeing the remake of Carrie as i really enjoyed the original. Having seen the trailers and the read the reviews I think I might find an old copy of the film and watch that instead.

For those who haven't seen the original, which is a fine piece of film making, what ever you do, don't watch the trailer for the remake as it pretty much spells out the film in 3 minutes. Talk about spoliers.

In reply to Choss:

Where do you stand on Michael Mann's Heat vs. Michael Mann's L.A. Takedown?

I appreciate that not watching Michael Mann films is a perfectly reasonable default position.

I haven't seen the original True Grit (and it's based on a novel anyway, but hey ho), but many declare the Coen Brothers' version superior....

I have seen neither version of The Maltese Falcon but the remake is universally deemed to be superior.

Not sure where the whole Rope / Compulsion / Swoon (not seen the last of these) fits in, these are films based upon a true incident (the Leopold/Loeb "perfect murder" case)

Many remakes are inferior and redundant, I agree. I just think it's a bit infantile and prejudiced to declare them ALL inferior and refuse to watch any.

Ooo! Piranha 3D is better than Joe Dante's original! There.

In reply to The New NickB:



Am I allowed to answer that one?

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Personal Opinion Innit?

Strongly disagree on the ring and Thomas crown affair.

The ring original is Scary as hell, the remake couldnt creep out a 10 year old.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Of course you are!

In reply to The New NickB:



Well, Heat is more than double the length and really doesn't add anything to the story. It adds some characters who, when you watch L.A. Takedown, suddenly seem to be extraneous to the story and themes. It of course has better acting (though Pacino is mildly embarrassing) and that epic bank robbery scene, but it just feels bloated, as if they wanted it to be a mini-series then crammed it into 3h15m. L.A. Takedown is a very neat, lean and efficient B-movie. The only real issue with it is that the leads seem a little on the young side given that they are meant to be jaded veterans.

In reply to Tom Last:

Agree totally re Kaufman's Bodysnatchers.


WaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaH!

Most people deem Alien to be better than "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" but as the latter was never officially credited as a blatant bit of source material, not many people realised that Alien was a kind of unofficial remake.

(see also: No Country for Old Men vs. Charley Varrick Hi Tom)

In reply to Choss:

Jaws >= Duel
Jurassic Park >= Westworld

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Coens' True Grit is much more faithful to Portis's novel and all the better for it.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Ha! If we were really serious about bullying you we would send Joe Don round to your place to repo the Rover

In reply to Blue Straggler:


Wait, the guy driving the truck was a SHARK?!

In reply to Tom Valentine:



Terrifying!

In reply to Choss:

What about the sad remakes of foreign films sucha as Nikita > The Assassin & Rec > Quarantine. Purely aimed at audiences who can't be bothered reading subtitles.

In reply to Choss:

Think I even saw a banner with an english version of Old Boy

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Didn't know these two were remakes. When / what were the originals ?


can't agree with those two.


the last three batman movies surpass the original by lightyears
>

In reply to Simon Holden (LCandCC):

Spike Lee's directing, with Josh Brolin as Angry Vengeance Man. They've upped his imprisonment from 15 to 20 years for some reason. I don't know how that's going to work out..

In reply to Blue Straggler:




all 4 great films. Not really Remakes Though.

You couldnt pay me to watch a Remake of any of them, or any blasphemous Remake of:

Butch and Sundance.
How to Steal a million.
The shining.
Evil Dead trilogy.
Exorcist.
Roman holiday.
Breakfast at tiffanys.
Blithe Spirit.
Once upon a Time in the west.

And many Other films. They just dont need tampering with, theyll be Ruined.

Recentish examples of cack needless Remakes.

War of the worlds.
Dawn of the Dead.
Many A horrors.
Carrie.
Evil Dead.
The house on haunted Hill.
The nutty Professor.
Brewsters millions.
Oceans 11.

In reply to graeme jackson:
True Lies is based upon La Totale (1991), a zany French comedy (the original is not a big budget actioner, it's more the idea of a family guy who is really a superagent, and whose wife gets implicated in the plot. It is a Claude Zidi film, I have it on DVD but with no subtitles and my French isn't good enough to keep up. By all accounts it is dreadful)

Twelve Monkeys is an expansion of Chris Marker's "La Jetée" (1962) , a short "photo-roman" (a film made entirely of stills, apart from one shot). La Jetée is a wonderful piece of art and maybe it is not fair to compare the two, but Twelve Monkeys is an acknowledged remake


Back to Michael Mann. I'll break my own rule and cite The Last of the Mohicans, because the credits openly acknowledge the screenplay of the 1936 film, on equal footing with the Fenimore Cooper novel.

In reply to Choss:

Well if you absolutely refuse to watch anything that is any sort of a remake, you never will. So it's a self-fulfilling prophecy, and therefore a pointless thread because you've stated a position and implicitly asked for suggestions in the OP, and are now constantly bleating "I won't watch that". Isn't that a bit tedious?

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Don't forget Muppet Christmas Carol - far superior to the earlier versions.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Ive watched Lots of Remakes and always been disappointed. Some films i hold too Dear to watch Remakes of. I think thats fair enough dont you?

Stop the bus!

just Thought of a Superior Remake.

Little shop of horrors. class musical.

In reply to Choss:


Yes it's fair enough but I still don't see the point of the thread. There are knowledgeable people posting some examples to rebuke your OP and you look like you are throwing your toys out of the pram somewhat. I think the most positive you've been (until just now) was to say that you hadn't seen something.

I prescribe a double bill of the "The Thomas Crown Affair" films. Jewison's original tries and fails to mix in some Antonioni stylings and pointless split-screen stuff. McTiernan just gives us a perfectly paced and perfectly cast caper.

Borderline, and controversial, but "Sorcerer" vs. La Salaire du Peur? It adds plenty to the story, changes the pacing, and manages to outdo the most gripping scene from the original. It also has an even smarter and stronger ending. At the same time, it is flawed (in a majestically Friedkin-esque way)

In reply to Choss:

Bit unfair. Tron: Uprising was rather good IMO.

Miami Vice, Michael Mann did a pretty good take on it, not strictly a re-make but still a good telling (if you excuse Colin Farrell's acting).

I think it's more the idea of change rather than the re-make that is what people don't like.

In reply to Choss:

Cape Fear and The Departed.

Empire did a feature on this topic a while ago, though they're not necessarily saying that the remake is better, merely that it wasn't a stinker: http://www.empireonline.com/features/remakes/

Thread remakes are rubbish, this one brings nothing new to the table, it is just cheap and lazy, and the original was only 6 years ago

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=259952

In reply to Blue Straggler:



But still way Better than most film Remakes 7;^P

In reply to Blue Straggler: The 1941 Maltese Falcon is the best, and I haven't even seen the original. It's one of my all time favourites.

In reply to Choss:

Dredd.

Karl Urban's Dredd was great. Sylvester Stallone's version, er... not so much.

Speaking of Stallone...
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/14136/

In reply to deepsoup:

Not really a remake though, was it?

In reply to Blue Straggler:
It's at least a little bit re-makey.

Bah. Ok.
Mostly I just wanted an excuse to post that link about the potential Cliffhanger remake. (Four years on, that must have been shelved by now, right? Right?)

In reply to Choss:

I saw Gatsby lately and thought it was a fine adaptation of a film which has been made plenty of times before.

It's like cover versions of songs though: a remake really has to have something new to offer or it's blatantly just cashing in on a proven formula and familiarity.

In reply to john arran:


Unless it's a fairly straight remake of a film that had hitherto FAILED to "prove" its formula. Though in fairness, such things are usually vanity projects.

Of course having said all that I now can't think of an example beyond Americans patronisingly "finding a little European film and wanting to tell its story to a wider world" regardless of how successful that European film was in Europe (e.g. "Swept Away")

In reply to deepsoup:

I would assume so. Like the Point Break, Top Gun and Poltergeist remakes.




Oh! Poltergeist is happening! With a nice cast and a director whose films I've not seen but who will probably do a perfectly fine nuts-and-bolts job. I was more interested when Vadim Perelman (House Of Sand of the Fog) was being mooted, but I would probably go and see this remake despite having an irrational affection for the original (saw it nine times one summer as it was one of the very few films we had on video cassette in, I would guess, 1987)

Post edited at 18:56

In reply to Choss:

Italian job was better first time round, as was get carter

In reply to Choss:

The US version of The Wickerman was better than the original
The US version of Straw Dogs was better than the original
The US version of Alfie was better than the original
The US version of The Ladykillers was better than the original
The US version of The Prisoner was better than the original

Ok, I'm just being silly.

In reply to Choss:

3:10 to yuma
The departed

In reply to Choss:




Shame, as you'd be missing out on Michael Winterbottom's wonderful "The Claim", ostensibly an interesting adaptation of The Mayor of Casterbridge set in gold rush Yukon, but also a neat homage to Once Upon A Time in the West (even Nyman's score slyly acknowledges Morricone)

Once Upon A Time in the West is my favourite film ever but that has not stopped me from enjoying The Claim

In reply to Dave Garnett:

The most impressive thing about the Tinker, Tailor film was that it managed to cram the gist of the plot into 2 hours or so. But there was violence added in the film that was not in the book nor the TV series. And the idea of Smiley attending an office Christmas party is absurd - but almost worthwhile for having Lenin as Santa Claus!

Pity they didn't tackle The Honourable Schoolboy which I guess was beyond the budget of the BBC.

It's from a novel so doesn't really count...and the original adaptation is still really the best, but Michael Winner's 1983 version of The Wicked Lady is proper mental and certainly worth a look. Faye Dunaway's acting is bonkers, and there's a whip fight that leaves a young Marina "Deanna Troi of TNG" Sirtis topless...

In reply to Blue Straggler:

what about House of Cards? I'd say the Kevin Spacey version is at least as good as - possibly better than - the Ian Windsor version.

In reply to Choss:
Blimey!

Is this one still Rumbling on?

Ive been chastened by blue Straggler for it, and been Led to believe it must not Surface again for another 6 years.

Ps the Conclusion is Remakes really are rubbish. See you in 2019 blue :-P