18 Remakes You Loved More Than the Original
Hollywood will never run out of material for remakes. Sometimes, the end result is better than the original. Other times? Not so much. Here are some re-do's that are definitely worth your time.
'His Girl Friday' (1940)
This fast-paced newspaper comedy (clearly a model for all the clever quick talk on "Gilmore Girls") was previously filmed as "The Front Page" with two male leads. But this film is a lot more fun as a battle of the sexes as editor Cary Grant tries to woo back star reporter (and ex-wife) Rosalind Russell.
'The Man Who Knew Too Much' (1956)
This Jimmy Stewart/Doris Day thriller is actually the second version: Alfred Hitchcock previously filmed the lesser-known original in 1934 with Peter Lorre as the villain.
'Heaven Can Wait' (1978)
A football player (Warren Beatty) is snatched from this earth too early in this hilarious, Oscar-nominated comedy that's a remake of 1941's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan". It was later remade in 2001 as "Down to Earth" with Chris Rock.
'Airplane!' (1980)
"Airplane!" was a send-up of all those '70s disaster movies like "Airport," but it's also an irreverent remake of the little-known thriller "Zero Hour!" (1957). The old-school thriller stars Dana Andrews as a war-time pilot named... Ted Stryker! This Ted also utters the immortal line: "Surely you can't be serious."
'The Thing' (1982)
While we still dig the 1951 film "The Thing From Another World," this John Carpenter remake is the definitive take on a shape-shifting alien wreaking havoc on a group of men confined to an Antarctic research station.
'The Scarlet Pimpernel' (1982)
For our money, this version starring Anthony Andrews is more romantic and charming than the '30s film starring "Gone With the Wind''s Leslie Howard as the French Revolution hero. Bonus: Jane Seymour as his love interest and young Ian McKellen as the villainous Chauvelin.
'Scarface' (1983)
The 1930s Howard Hawks version is a gangster classic, but you just can't top Al Pacino shouting, "Say hello to my little friend!"
'The Fly' (1986)
David Cronenberg took the cheesy 1950s sci-fi classic and made it into a body-horror classic. Jeff Goldblum doesn't just swap heads with a fly, he starts morphing into one. Ewwwww!
'Little Shop of Horrors' (1986)
No contest here. We'll take this remake's catchy tunes (like "Suddenly Seymour") over the Roger Corman version any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
'The Blob' (1988)
The 1958 version is mostly notable for featuring future superstar Steve McQueen and for being one of the silliest horror films ever made. The remake features a faster-moving, deadlier blob that's actually pretty horrifying.
'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' (1988)
Taking over the con man roles originated by Marlon Brando and David Niven seems like a terrible idea, but Michael Caine and Steve Martin are more than up to the task. Their take on 1964's "Bedtime Story" earned a significantly warmer reception from audiences than the original.
'Father of the Bride' (1991)
This comedy gets us right in the feels. And what's not to love? Peak Steve Martin? Check. Diane Keaton in pleated pants? Check. A great, feel-good everything? Check AND mate.
'Heat' (1995)
Did you know that Michael Mann previously filmed this sprawling Los Angeles heist flick as a failed TV movie called "L.A. Takedown" in 1989? Thankfully, Mann got his chance to update the story and turn it into a modern classic.
'A Little Princess' (1995)
No disrespect to original Little Princess Shirley Temple, but Alfonso Cuaron's version is so heartfelt, gorgeous, and magical that we can't help but love it more.
'Ocean's Eleven' (2001)
As much as we like the Rat Pack original with Frank Sinatra as Danny Ocean, we just fell for Steven Soderbergh's funny-cool update of the Vegas heist flick. (Our care space varies, though, for its two sequels.)
'Insomnia' (2002)
Christopher Nolan's smart redo of the 1997 Norwegian original, -- which starred Stellan Skarsgård as a cop who accidentally kills his partner while on a remote case -- adds Al Pacino and Robin Williams and lots of slow-burn tension.
'Let Me In' (2010)
At times, Matt Reeves' remake of 2008's adaptation of "Let the Right One In" is shot-for-shot -- swapping the former's European setting for snowy New Mexico. But this underrated tale of a child-sized vampire befriending an awkward, young boy doubles-down on the emotional subtext in ways that surpass the original. Both are haunting films that put a welcome twist on the vampire genre, but Reeves' effort is more interested in the emotional, thematic tentpoles holding up this gothic horror tale of adolescence.
'True Grit' (2010)
If Jeff Bridges hadn't just won his Best Actor Oscar for "Crazy Heart," he'd likely have bagged it for his indelible portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in this terrific Coen Bros. film. It was the role that won the original Rooster Cogburn, John Wayne, his Oscar.
