The 10 remakes that were surprisingly amazing
Sequels and remakes have become so commonplace in contemporary cinema people have forgotten to become disgruntled by them. Back in the 2010s, the arrival of ‘yet another’ remake prompted fury from fans and critics, lambasting such hideous attempts to jump on the back of old properties as 2015’s Point Break and 2016’s Ben-Hur, whereas now it seems the industry is too far gone.
Disney has gotten into the trend of remaking seemingly each and every one of their animated movies, adapting them into almost identical live-action versions whilst modern retellings of classic horror flicks come each and every year. Still, if there’s one thing that we can glean hope from, it’s the fact that such movies are increasingly becoming financial question marks, no longer gaining quick cash from oblivious audiences.
These days, you’ve got to be smarter with your remakes and adaptations. Take, for example, George Miller’s reimagining of his own 1981 action movie The Road Warrior, turning the dated Mad Max flick into Fury Road in 2015, an innovative and imaginative modern classic that is largely seen as one of the best contemporary action flicks.
So, we thought we’d give some praise to a collection of remakes that were far better than people were willing to give them credit for, shining a light on movies from the likes of David Fincher, Peter Jackson, Matt Reeves, Zach Snyder and many more.
10 remakes that were surprisingly amazing
21 Jump Street (Phil Lord, Chris Miller, 2012)
A comedy remake of a 1980s police procedural TV drama that follows young officers solving youth crime, Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s 21 Jump Street should’ve been destined for the bargain bin. As it is, their 2012 film turned out to be one of the greatest comedies of the 21st century, with the film starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as one of the most hilarious and unlikely comedy duos.
Sparking a series, 2014’s 22 Jump Street actually improves on the original film, with Lord and Miller creating a snappy script that would subsequently kickstart their own career in Hollywood, where they now occupy an elite space.
Dawn of the Dead (Zach Snyder, 2004)
George Romero’s classic 1978 zombie flick Dawn of the Dead has long been recognised as one of the greatest horror movies of all time, popularising the iconic movie monster whilst providing a rich social commentary. So, when Zach Snyder decided to remake the movie in 2004, many people were against the idea, but, despite initial hesitations, Snyder’s film is a thrilling update on Romero’s original.
With a strong cast of central actors, including Sarah Polley, Ty Burrell and Ving Rhames, Snyder gives some more oomph to Romero’s original, bringing the special effects up to date whilst adding a few flourishes of his own.
Evil Dead (Fede Álvarez, 2013)
Sticking with horror for just a moment, the Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Álvarez surprised the genre in 2013 with his surprisingly remarkably competent remake of Sam Raimi’s 1981 violent thrill ride, The Evil Dead. Dropping ‘The’ for his modern reimagining, Álvarez took the movie in an entirely new direction, doing away with Raimi’s campy vibe and comedic strain to bring a disgustingly gory vision.
Not enough love was given to Álvarez’s film either, with the director managing to create an atmosphere of true dread and visceral terror in his movie, adding a new twist to Raimi’s classic.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher, 2011)
The early 2010s were a time when remakes ran amok. Just one case in point was David Fincher’s 2011 remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Released just two years earlier, the original, directed by Niels Arden Oplev, received great plaudits, even winning a BAFTA for ‘Best Film not in the English Language’, so when it was announced that the film would be remade, the world of cinema threw their arms up in dismay.
But Fincher was a safe pair of hands, and his 2011 remake was a surprisingly tight crime thriller, with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara coming in as apt replacements for Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist.
Hairspray (Adam Shankman, 2007)
For many years John Waters’ 1988 musical Hairspray has thrilled fans of cinema across the world, but we doubt most people even recognise the film ahead of its 2007 remake. Starring John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Nikki Blonsky, and Zac Efron, the remake of Hairspray was a massive commercial success. It even managed to match the original in terms of critical quality, re-capturing the frenetic charm of Waters’ film.
Whilst it may lack in the camp pizzazz, the 2007 version of the film was undoubtedly a surprise to many, with the idiosyncratic films of John Waters not exactly being the easiest things to adapt.
The Hills Have Eyes (Alexandre Aja, 2006)
Here’s the thing about the original Hills Have Eyes movie from 1977, it’s not that good. We know Wes Craven was a horror genius; after all, he reinvented the genre twice. However, while his Hills Have Eyes had a decent core concept, he couldn’t fully pull off his vision. Now, we’re not saying Alexandre Aja does a sensational job with the 2006 remake either, but he certainly surprised us with how competent his reimagining was.
Giving the story a sense of palpable intensity whilst adding violent horror in place of the campy material of Craven’s original, Aja creates a quite terrifying film, giving a new perspective on the dated ‘70s flick.
The Jungle Book (Jon Favreau, 2016)
It would seem weird to do a whole list of decent modern remakes without mentioning Disney, considering the company is responsible for what seems to be about 90% of the output of such movies. Whilst most of their releases are terrible — we’re looking at you live-action Lion King — Jon Favreau’s reworking of the 1967 animation worked surprisingly well, maybe because he wasn’t going for that painstakingly photo-realistic approach.
Whilst many of these live-action remakes struggle to retain the magic of their animated counterparts, The Jungle Book thrived in part thanks to a marvellous voice cast that included Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba and Christopher Walken.
King Kong (Peter Jackson, 2005)
The original King Kong movie from 1933 is rightfully considered one of the most iconic monster movies of all time, having a profound effect on the future of sci-fi and fantasy filmmaking throughout the remaining century. So, when the director of The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, stepped up to take on the challenge of a remake, movie fans weren’t exactly sure what to expect.
As it turns out, the movie was in good hands, with Jackson giving the 1933 original the cinematic push that it deserved, providing many fantastical sci-fi elements that you feel the old monochrome version would have loved to utilise.
Let Me In (Matt Reeves, 2010)
Just as we’ve already discussed with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Swedish and Scandinavian thrillers were all the rage in the 2010s, with Tomas Alfredson’s terrific vampire coming-of-age tale Let the Right One In being another shining example. But, even though the original 2008 film was perfectly fine, Hollywood felt that they could do a better job in the English language, so they gave director Matt Reeves the reins.
Having just directed the mysterious monster movie Cloverfield, many considered Reeves a curious choice, but the filmmaker was able to extract what makes the 2008 original so great, making a worthy adaptation.
The Ring (Gore Verbinski, 2002)
These days The Ring is considered to be a contemporary horror staple, but this wouldn’t be true without the American remake of 2002, directed by Gore Verbinski. Making almost $250million from a budget of just $48million, the film was a considerable success, being just as terrifying as Hideo Nakata’s pioneering 1998 tech-horror Ringu, which introduced Sadako Yamamura into the ranks of iconic movie antagonists.
Thanks to performances from Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson and Brian Cox, the 2002 film was able to capture the majesty of the original, bringing Japanese horror to the American masses, where it would thrive for years to come.
