This Friday marks the release of what is now a very controversial remake of Ivan Reitman’s “Ghostbusters.” Whether it should be defined as a reboot or remake, “Bridesmaid” director Paul Feig’s rendition of the beloved supernatural comedy has been getting a lot of flack with criticisms running the gamut from targeting the all female cast to the potential defiling of a sacred cow. But for most fan boys and girls, the overarching issue evolves around Hollywood’s propensity for constantly remaking everything as if no original idea exists in Tinseltown anymore. Although the rhetoric against the new “Ghostbusters” seems to be more negative than those received by remakes past, a prevalent notion does exist that a remake cannot be as good as the original film. Fair enough. However, that is not always the case. And to prove this, here are ten great remakes that are just as good the first.
1. The Magnificent Seven (remade from “Seven Samurai,” 1954)
During the mid-20th century there seemed to be a mini-trend – for European and Americans at least – to remake Asian films as Westerns. Sergio Leone did his part with the now legendary “A Fistful of Dollars” which in itself was a remake (or, rather a rip-off of) Akira Kurosawa’s “Yojimbo.” But prior to that, Kurosawa’s other classic “Seven Samurai” was remade as the John Sturges directed “The Magnificent Seven.” As it turns out, Americanizing a Japanese masterpiece was more apt than you’d think because Kurosawa’s originals could be perceived as Asiatic takes on the western genre. And as fantastic as “Seven Samurai” is (it ranks 17 on the BFI’s “50 Greatest Movies of All Time” list), Sturges’ “Magnificent Seven” is an absolute classic in its own right. To such an extent it is getting a remake of its own starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt.
2. Sorcerer (remade from “The Wages of Fear,” 1955)
It should be said that the author of this article is a huge fan of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s “The Wages of Fear.” It has a tense, almost foolproof premise: seedy, morally dubious individuals attempt to navigate trucks filled with unstable nitroglycerine across extremely treacherous terrain. We’re talking Hitchockian levels of suspense and one of the best action flicks ever made! Twenty-two years later, “The Exorcist’s” William Friedkin decided to take on Clouzot’s classic by directing a version of his own. The result was one of the most disaster fraught productions of the 70s and a film cited as one of several that ended the 70s auteur movement. It was a financial disaster whose fiscal woes were aided in no doubt by the release of a little film called “Star Wars” around the same time. However, after little re-releases here and there and recent 35 mm screenings across the country, “Sorcerer” is not only now considered an adventure worthy of the Clouzot original… in some respects it actually improves on it. In fact, while “Wages of Fear” was one of my favorite films of all time, “Sorcerer” is currently my favorite remake of a classic film.
3. True Grit (remade from “True Grit,” 1969)
By bringing up “True Grit” we have to acknowledge that dicey fine line as to whether a film can legitimately be construed as a remake or simply another adaptation of the same source. Otherwise, we’d be accusing every version of “Frankenstein” for being remakes of a film first produced by Thomas Edison. And to be fair, one could say the same for Friedkin’s “Sorcerer” as well (“Wages of Fear” is based on the novel “Le salarie de la peur”). But when the similarities between the first and most recent adaptions are too much to ignore, then it’s kinda’ hard not to view something like the Coen Bros. “True Grit” as being a remake of the 1969 version which earned John Wayne his only Best Actor Oscar. Having said that, the Coen Bros. version is one of those rare remakes? Second adaptions? That is actually better than the first. The original definitely has its charms. John Wayne is a lot of fun to watch and female lead Kim Darby brings oodles of energy to her role. But it is not quite as memorable as Wayne’s more epic efforts. Whereas the latest take not only features across-the-board memorable performances from the entire cast, so much attention is paid to period detail. And that signature Coen style really enhances the story initially spawned from the imagination of novelist Charles Portis.
4. A Star is Born (remade from “A Star is Born,” 1937)
William A. Wellman’s “A Star is Born” has not only been remade once but twice. And yet it is the first remake that demands our attention. Directed by George Cukor in 1954 (he was offered the opportunity to direct the first version but turned it down), his “Star is Born” is probably the best version yet. Running at over three hours long, it was cut down to an audience friendly 180 minutes. However, some of that excised footage was thought to be lost forever. While attempts continue to restore the film to it’s original form, it still features two career best performances from actors Judy Garland and James Mason. Warning: while “A Star is Born” was heavily promoted as a musical, it is not of the uplifting variety. It actually goes down some dark and depressing paths.
5. The Thing (remade from “The Thing From Another World,” 1951)
When the argument comes up against remaking anything – that a remake could never be as good as the original – film fans often cite John Carpenter’s “The Thing” as the exception to the rule. Which is very interesting considering how poorly received it was by critics and audiences during its 1982 release. But time has been very kind to Carpenter’s scifi tale of paranoia. And, ironically, “The Thing” is a far more faithful adaption of the same source material that inspired “The Thing From Another World.” Although the 1951 version is credited to Christian Nyby, its artistic success is more or less attributed to producer Howard Hawks. But getting back to that source, John W. Campbell, Jr’s novella “Who Goes There?” is about scientists and military personnel doing battle against a shape-shifting alien somewhere in the Arctic Circle. While the Nyby/Hawks version focuses on the camaraderie and teamwork of the main protagonists, Carpenter highlights the grim isolation and loss of personal identity. It’s not that Carpenter’s take is better per se… it’s just different. And just as a good.
6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (remade from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” 1956)
What is it about 1950s alien invasion flicks that make for good remakes? Philip Kaufman’s 1978 version of the Don Siegel classic is no exception. Transposing the original premise to 70s new age, health obsessed San Francisco was a stroke of genius. And the cast lead by Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum and Leonard Nimoy bring a quirky, borderline eccentricity to their characters. While the atmospheric cold war feel of Siegel’s film ended on a hopeful note, it is Siegel’s nihilistic final shot that feels the most iconic.
7. The Departed (remade from “Infernal Affairs,” 2002)
Going all the way back to the aforementioned “Seven Samurai,” there has been a long Hollywood tradition of reinterpreting critically acclaimed foreign films into something with a more American sounding twang. Some could be surprisingly good (Matt Reeves’ version of “Let The Right One In”), some are just okay (Chris Nolan’s take on “Insomnia”) and others are down right terrible (the less said about George Sluizer’s remake of his own, brilliant “The Vanishing” the better). And then there is Martin Scorsese’s 2006 crime caper “The Departed.” Adapted from the Hong Kong thriller “Infernal Affairs” directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, “The Departed” takes a less somber tone and, in parts, is surprisingly comedic. Basically, this is Scorsese trying his hand at mainstream filmmaking. And what an awesome result this is! While Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon are excellent as the two leads, they are more than ably supported by a great cast including Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga, Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin and, ultimately, a heartbreaking Martin Sheen. The best thing about “The Departed” is in how Scorsese finds a rhythm and personality completely separate from “Infernal Affairs.” And it works: successfully veering from tense and disturbing to darkly hilarious, “The Departed” was one of the best films of 2006.
8. The Fly (remade from “The Fly,” 1958)
50s scifi/horror were ripe for the remake pickings during the late 1970s through 1980s. We’ve already mentioned “The Thing,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” not to mention Tobe Hooper’s update of “Invaders From Mars.” But it took another well-respected genre filmmaker to creatively redo one of the more meme worthy creature features of the mid twentieth century: the Vincent Price starring “The Fly.” The original is actually pretty nifty for a b-movie. However, Canadian visionary David Cronenberg put his own bold if not oftentimes icky stamp on a popular mad scientist trope. Setting the outstanding make up effects aside, “The Fly” is actually a touching yet tragic love story bolstered by actors Jeff Goldblum and Gena Davis.
9. Heaven Can Wait (remade from “Here Comes Mr. Jordan,” 1941)
In 1978, Warren Beatty made his directing debut (along with writer-actor Buck Henry) with “Heaven Can Wait,” a comedy about a pro football player who is sent to the great beyond seconds before he was supposed to die. Due to this error, he has to be sent back to earth… but in someone else’s body (because his actual body has now been cremated). If the premise sounds similar to 1941’s “Here Comes Mr. Jordan,” well, you wouldn’t be wrong about that. Because “Heaven Can Wait” is a remake and a damn good one at that. Beatty himself essays the role of LA Rams quarterback Joe Pendleton, James Mason adds class as the angel Mr. Jordan and the rest of the cast – Charles Grodin, Dyan Cannon, Julie Christie and Jack Warden – are great and are a lot of fun to watch. The film itself was nominated for many Academy Awards, a distinction shared by the original movie that inspired it.
10. Twelve Monkeys (remade from “La Jetée,” 1962)
Terry Gilliam’s “Twelve Monkeys” is one of the more unique remakes out there if not the most unique remake on this list. This is largely due to the fact that the original film is an experimental short that lasts no longer than 28 minutes. Chris Marker’s “La Jetée” is presented in film schools all over the world thanks to its artsy approach and reliance on still rather than motion imagery. Gilliam took the basic gist of Marker’s speculative tale and expanded it into a feature length movie starring Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and Madeline Stowe. Although “Twelve Monkeys” represents the rare occasion Terry Gilliam did not direct from a script he either collaborated on or wrote himself, this is considered one of his best flicks and a worthy reinterpretation of Marker’s classic work.