Superior Remakes/Adaptations of Lesser-Received Movies
There are many reasons why remakes exist. Money, nostalgia, cashing in on whatever memes are trending, these new interpretations of previously realized works can tend to lose sight of what made their predecessors so beloved in the first place and as a result, lack the charm, wit, and/or substances that first attracted viewers to begin with. Yet despite this being the case multiple times, there have been several throughout the past century have been able to do so by asking themselves a simple question: How can we take the ideas and themes that these works highlighted and make them relevant to today's audiences? This is a list of such remakes that've been able to take full advantage of the tools and canvas they're given and expand upon what made the original films work in the first place and not become stale retellings of these stories in the process.
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- DirectorCraig BrewerStarsKenny WormaldJulianne HoughDennis QuaidCity teenager Ren MacCormack moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1984 movie: 53%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2011 remake: 68% - DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsJeff BridgesMatt DamonHailee SteinfeldA stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father's murderer.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1969 movie: 88%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2010 remake: 95% - DirectorGlen MorganStarsCrispin GloverR. Lee ErmeyLaura HarringA young man with an unusual connection to rats uses them at his own sociopathic will.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1971 movie: 52%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2003 remake: 64% - DirectorBlitz BazawuleStarsFantasia BarrinoTaraji P. HensonDanielle BrooksA woman faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1985 movie: 73%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2023 remake: 81% - DirectorDavid LoweryStarsBryce Dallas HowardRobert RedfordOakes FegleyThe adventures of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who happens to be a dragon.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1977 movie: 56%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2016 remake: *88%* - DirectorJim MickleStarsBill SageAmbyr ChildersJulia GarnerThe Parkers, a reclusive family who follow ancient customs, find their secret existence threatened as a torrential downpour moves into their area, forcing daughters Iris and Rose to assume responsibilities beyond those of a typical family.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 2010 movie: 72%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2013 remake: 86% - DirectorSian HederStarsEmilia JonesMarlee MatlinTroy KotsurAs a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 2014 movie (under the name, "La famille Bélier"): 84%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2021 remake: 94% - DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartMary AstorGladys GeorgeSan Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1931 movie: 71%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 1941 remake: *99%* - DirectorMark WatersStarsJamie Lee CurtisLindsay LohanMark HarmonTess and her daughter, Anna, do not get along. However, things take a turn when, in a freak incident, they switch bodies and are forced to live each other's lives.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1976 movie: 71%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2003 remake: 88% - DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsGeorge ClooneyBrad PittJulia RobertsDanny Ocean, a gangster, rounds up a gang of associates to stage a sophisticated and elaborate casino heist which involves robbing three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously during a popular boxing event.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1960 movie: 48%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2001 remake: *83%* - DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsTimothée ChalametRebecca FergusonZendayaPaul Atreides arrives on Arrakis after his father accepts the stewardship of the dangerous planet. However, chaos ensues after a betrayal as forces clash to control melange, a precious resource.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1984 movie: 44%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2021 remake: *83%* - DirectorTerrence MalickStarsJim CaviezelSean PennNick NolteAdaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1964 movie: 77%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 1998 remake: 80% - DirectorAgnieszka HollandStarsKate MaberlyMaggie SmithHeydon ProwseA young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets.IMDB score for 1987 adaptation: 7.1/10
- DirectorMatthew WarchusStarsAlisha WeirEmma ThompsonLashana LynchAn adaptation of the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical. Matilda tells the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination, dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1996 movie: 92%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2022 remake: 93% - DirectorGino NicheleSwinton O. Scott IIIStarsCyrus ArnoldBraxton BakerErica CerraGreg Heffley is an ambitious kid with an active imagination and big plans to be rich and famous. The problem is that he has to survive middle school first.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 2010 movie: 55%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2021 remake: 75% - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsDaniel Day-LewisMichelle PfeifferWinona RyderA tale of nineteenth-century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin.IMDB score for 1934 adaptation: 6.2/10
- DirectorJeff CalhounBrett SullivanStarsJeremy JordanKara LindsayBen FankhauserFilmed live on stage at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, CA, this is a not-to-be-missed high energy show starring Original Broadway cast members.IMDB score for 1992 movie: 6.9/10
- DirectorMark OsborneStarsJeff BridgesMackenzie FoyRachel McAdamsA little girl lives in a very grown-up world with her mother, who tries to prepare her for it. Her neighbor, the Aviator, introduces the girl to an extraordinary world where anything is possible, the world of the Little Prince.IMDB score for 1974 adaptation: 6.4/10
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsMichael CaineBrendan FraserDo Thi Hai YenAn old British reporter vies with a young U.S. doctor for the affections of a beautiful Vietnamese woman.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1958 movie: 50%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2002 remake: *87%* - DirectorKen AnnakinStarsJohn MillsDorothy McGuireJames MacArthurA Swiss family must survive being shipwrecked on a deserted island.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1940 movie: 30%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 1960 remake: *82%* - DirectorBobby FarrellyPeter FarrellyStarsDrew BarrymoreJimmy FallonJason SpevackLindsay is stuck in the middle of her relationship with Ben and his passion for the Boston Red Sox.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1997 movie: 56%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2005 remake: 66% - DirectorBrandon ViettiStarsTroy BakerAdrienne BarbeauCorey BurtonIn 1985, the murder of a government sponsored superhero draws his outlawed colleagues out of retirement and into a mystery that threatens to upend their personal lives and the world itself.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 2009 movie: 65%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2024 remake: *92%* - DirectorPatrick LussierStarsJensen AcklesJaime KingKerr SmithTom returns to his hometown on the tenth anniversary of the Valentine's night massacre that claimed the lives of 22 people. Instead of a homecoming, Tom finds himself suspected of committing the murders, and it seems like his old flame is the only one that believes he's innocent.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1981 movie: 58%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2009 remake: 62% - DirectorClaude BerriStarsYves MontandEmmanuelle BéartDaniel AuteuilA beautiful but shy shepherdess plots vengeance on the men whose greedy conspiracy to acquire her father's land caused his death years earlier.IMDB score for 1952 movie: 7.5/10
- DirectorMacon BlairStarsPeter DinklageKevin BaconElijah WoodA horrible toxic accident transforms downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze into a new evolution of hero: The Toxic Avenger.Rotten Tomatoes score for original 1984 movie: 71%
Rotten Tomatoes score for 2023 remake: 92%
