Remakes that are better than original

[nelsonmuntz]

Count of Monte Cristo - I was never a big Richard Chamberlain fan, and thought he chewed the scenery in the original. This story is so good it is almost impossible to screw up.

 

[John]

Godzilla, King Kong.

The one with Jessica Lange?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Godzilla, King Kong.

The recent Godzilla with Elizabeth Olson was awesome.

 

[Deepster]

Here is a controversial one: Arthur

I really hate Liza Minelli. I think she is a terrible actress that mugs for the camera, and I think she is hideously ugly, which matters in this movie. Her character was really unlikable and kind of nasty and self-centered. So why is it believable that the heir to a fortune would give it all up for her, which is the central point to the whole plot. The Susan character in the original is actually very sympathetic, and seems like a victim to Minelli's gold-digging and Arthur's general recklessness. It actually isn't clear at all why he leaves Susan, other than he just happens to like Minelli better, which makes Arthur seem like a real jerk.

Another issue with the original is that Dudley Moore is way too old. He was 45 during filming. I think the character is a bad 70's sketch comedy portrayal of a drunk guy, and there is no depth or self-realization of what a loser he is. I can't believe he got nominated for an Oscar for that train wreck of a performance.

Finally, John Gielgud is just a jerk in the movie. His dripping sarcasm could be perceived as annoyance not just with the character, but with the whole stupid movie.

I won't get into the sequel too much. I thought it was an adequate, amusing movie. My issue is more with the original, which I think is one of the more overrated movies of all time.

I don't know that I've ever met anyone who's seen both versions of "Arthur".

 

[Chuck]

Airplane > Zero Hour

 

[John]

The Thing, The Fly.

to me, the two The Thing are wildly different movies - both good, but not sure I can compare them.

 

[August_West]

Both Red Dragons were awesome, but I like the second one a little more mostly because of the first 5 minutes. When the cellist misses the note, Hopkins wince was subtle but so freaking awesome.

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[IMind]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
A Fistful of Dollars

The 1970s Invasion of the Body Snatchers was decidedly creepy. I haven't seen it for years, but it's probably worth a re-watch.

 

[traitor71]

The 1970s Invasion of the Body Snatchers was decidedly creepy. I haven't seen it for years, but it's probably worth a re-watch.

 

[StoweD210]

to me, the two The Thing are wildly different movies - both good, but not sure I can compare them.

I was thinking the same thing, the Hawks version and the Carpenter version are almost two different stories. I haven't read the short story the movie's were based on, but my understanding is that the Carpenter version comes closer to capturing the shape-shifting aspect of the alien and the paranoia among the researchers from the story. Still, like you said, both are good on their own merits.

 

[ZooCougar]

True Grit

3:10 to Yuma

Wasn't the second True Grit really just another swing at an adaptation of the book? I don't consider it to be a true remake.

 

[dbmill]

Wasn't the second True Grit really just another swing at an adaptation of the book? I don't consider it to be a true remake.

I would agree with that. The first one was more focused on the John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn while serving to diminish the girl, and in the Coen Brothers remake, the opposite is true.

 

[CL82]

Yes Hailee Steinfeld was very, very good. Got a Oscar nomination for it. She also got a Golden Globe nomination this year for Edge of 17, another good performance.

So I just realized that this is the same kid who sings this song:
Pretty talented kid.

 

[StoweD210]

This isn't a fair comparison, but the Peter Jackson version of Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers blow away Ralph Bakshi's LOTR.

 

[temery]

Kate Hudson

 

[Waquoit]

And yes, Glen Campbell was better than Matt Damon too.

Yeah, no. Campbell's performance might have been the worst acting in a major motion picture I've ever seen.

 

[Bliss]

Both Red Dragons were awesome, but I like the second one a little more mostly because of the first 5 minutes. When the cellist misses the note, Hopkins wince was subtle but so freaking awesome.

The second movie was more true to the book's ending.

 

[8893]

Kate Hudson

Dunno. I loved Goldie back in the day. Let's see how Kate holds up.

 

[G0UCONN]

King Kong
The Thing
Agree with True Grit and War of the Worlds calls above
Batman
Cape Fear

 

[HuskyHawk]

Dunno. I loved Goldie back in the day. Let's see how Kate holds up.

Agree. Goldie beats Kate at the same ages. Kate's eyes are too far apart.

I think it's easy for people to forget what certain celebs once looked like. Teri Garr in Young Frankenstein for example.

 

[8893]

Agree. Goldie beats Kate at the same ages. Kate's eyes are too far apart.

I think it's easy for people to forget what certain celebs once looked like. Teri Garr in Young Frankenstein for example.

LOVED Teri Garr then.

 

[Bliss]

Thomas Crown Affair - finally saw Steve McQueen version. Solid movie, and Faye Dunaway is better than Rene Russo, but Steve McQueen does not pull off the refined millionaire doing heists for fun nearly as well as Pierce Brosnan. In fact, I think McQueen is really mediocre overall in the movie, which is weird because it accelerated his career and helped solidify him as an A list actor. If the Crown character is not believable, then the rest of the movie doesn’t hold together nearly as well. I also think the detective in the original sucks.

Any others?

Magnificent Seven (way more action - actor difference is questionable)

 

[G0UCONN]

Few more:

The Fly

Heaven Can Wait

The Italian Job

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The second movie was more true to the book's ending.

It was a floutist in the beginning of Red Dragon, not a cellist. My bad.

 

[whaler11]

She was good (and went on to become pretty hot). But Bridges was no John Wayne. The original Mattie was probably not someone who translates well to our modern ere. I'm a big fan of the Cohen Brothers and they did a good job, I just give an edge to the original, which also featured Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper. And yes, Glen Campbell was better than Matt Damon too.

Pretty hot? The I Love Myself music video is unholy.


And anyone trying to claim Hawn over Hudson is as Mike would say... is lawst.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Pretty hot? The I Love Myself music video is unholy.


And anyone trying to claim Hawn over Hudson is as Mike would say.. is lawst.

You exaggerate a bit. But I'd never heard any of her songs. I only know her name because she's in my daughter's teen beat type magazines and she has mentioned her.

Neither Hawn nor Hudson are great beauties. It's a close call, but Kate's eyes are too far apart for me.

 

[Bliss]

Yeah, no. Campbell's performance might have been the worst acting in a major motion picture I've ever seen.

I agree that it was terrible. "You'll push that saucy line too far," for example.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

It wasn't technically a remake (despite having almost exactly the same plot), but The Town was a little better than Heat, in a large part because, surprisingly, Jon Hamm was so much better than Al Pacino in the same role. Pacino is distracting screaming his way through the second half of the movie, but Jon Hamm was excellent as the FBI agent willing to do anything to get the gang.

 

[businesslawyer]

The second movie was more true to the book's ending.

The second movie was more true to the book from beginning to end. The book was an early piece of feminist fiction -- not politically, and downplayed, but with the girl being the real hero. That was totally lost in the original movie, and picked up in the second version.

 

[superjohn]

It wasn't technically a remake (despite having almost exactly the same plot), but The Town was a little better than Heat, in a large part because, surprisingly, Jon Hamm was so much better than Al Pacino in the same role. Pacino is distracting screaming his way through the second half of the movie, but Jon Hamm was excellent as the FBI agent willing to do anything to get the gang.

The Town isn't at all a remake of Heat, they both deal with bank robbers but The Town is loosely based on Anthony Shea's Charlestown crew. Heat is a far superior film and is Michael Mann at his best. The Town was overrated and terribly cliche-ridden, Affleck did a much better job with Gone Baby Gone.