# Movie remakes that are quality movies in their own right **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 29, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993 "2015-09-29T23:48:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/21 "2015-09-30T05:54:57Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > There’ve been several remakes of **The Three Musketeers** ; I think the 70s version with Michael York was the high point. > > By all objective criteria, Peter Jackson’s **King Kong** was the best version. > > Every version of **His Gal Friday/The Front Page/Switching Channels** legitimately has its fans. > > **Dirty Rotten Scoundrels** was a remake of **Bedtime Story** , and a far superior one at that. I agree with you on the '70’s **The Three Musketeers** but… oh man, **BOTH** remakes of **King Kong** , especially that overlong mess by Jackson were so, so bad! Neither can match the original for it’s uniqueness and it’s adventure. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/22 "2015-09-30T06:43:48Z")
I enjoyed both **Willy Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory** films, for completely different reasons. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/23 "2015-09-30T07:00:48Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > But it seems to me that there’s a significant difference between one person reading a book and saying, “I want to make a movie out of that!” followed by another person reading the same book and saying the same thing, versus a person watching an existing movie and saying, “I want to make that movie again!” I also make this distinction before using the term “remake” when referring to movies. Most people, however, don’t make the distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Bragg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Stealth\_Bragg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Bragg)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/24 "2015-09-30T14:21:15Z")
12 Monkeys was miles better than La Jetée… ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/25 "2015-09-30T14:29:23Z")
**Casino Royale** (2006) **True Grit** (2010) Both better than originals that were also very good, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/26 "2015-09-30T14:31:33Z")
A tougher question, one that would narrow down this list so far by like 90%, would be: Movie remakes that are quality movies in their own right **that are not both adaptations of the same novel or play**. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/27 "2015-09-30T14:34:47Z")
**Point of No Return** , a remake of **La Femme Nikita** , was a solid effort. The American remake of **The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo** was done well. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/28 "2015-09-30T14:40:15Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **The Fly** – the original is actually a good flick, and generally faithful to Langelaan’s original story. The Cronenberg remake is a entirely different creature (so to speak), and a worthy film in its own right. I saw the original once. With its dated special effects, I thought it was rather silly, actually. It really doesn’t hold up well, IMHO. The modern one with Jeff Goldblum slowly turning into a monster is a much more interesting movie. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/29 "2015-09-30T15:20:47Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I saw the original once. With its dated special effects, I thought it was rather silly, actually. It really doesn’t hold up well, IMHO. The modern one with Jeff Goldblum slowly turning into a monster is a much more interesting movie. _De gustibus non disputandem est_ Just 'cause you didn’t like it doesn’t equate to “it really doesn’t hold up well.” Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 95% rating: > **[The Fly | Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1007600-fly)** > > When scientist Andre Delambre (Al Hedison) tests his matter transporter on himself, an errant housefly makes its way into the transportation chamber, and things go horribly wrong. As a result, Delambre's head and arm are now that of the insect.... ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/30 "2015-09-30T16:21:16Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > I enjoyed both **Willy Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory** films, for completely different reasons. You beat me to it. Wilder was more light-hearted, Depp was closer to the Wonka of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/31 "2015-09-30T16:37:22Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > You beat me to it. Wilder was more light-hearted, Depp was closer to the Wonka of the story. About this… I’ve ocassionally heard people say that Gene Wilder’s Wonka was creepy. I don’t get that at all. I don’t think Gene Wilder could be creepy if his life depended on it. Johnny Depp’s Wonka, OTOH… now that’s creepy. Depp himself made fun of this in some crappy parody movie that I had the misfortune of watching (I think it was just called “Adventure Movie” or something like that.) It featured a bunch of characters drawn from several recent movies (X-Men, Snakes on a Plane, and a couple others). Wonka sends out the golden tickets to round up them up, but it turns out he’s a total pervert who just wants to molest them. So the characters escape through a closet into a Narnia-eque land, and… that was around the time the missus & I decided to walk out of the theater. It was really bad. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/32 "2015-09-30T16:39:51Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I’ve ocassionally heard people say that Gene Wilder’s Wonka was creepy. I don’t get that at all. I don’t think Gene Wilder could be creepy if his life depended on it. Yeah, not creepy at all. The candy boat scene is disturbing in an **I’M FREAKING OUT, MAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN** way that is very much a product of its time. But that isn’t really down to Wilder so much as to the music and camera work. ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/33 "2015-09-30T16:59:26Z")
**A Song is Born** (as opposed to A Star) from 1948 was a remake of **Ball of Fire** (1941?). Same plot, but a musical. I prefer the remake, but they’re both good. The problem is both films are so similar that people seem to prefer whichever they saw first. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/34 "2015-09-30T17:03:18Z")
The 2004 remake of George Romero’s \*\*\*Dawn of the Dead \*\*\*was quite good- not as horrifying as the original, but much written and acted. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/35 "2015-09-30T17:07:09Z")
I would agree that, while Jeff Bridges wasn’t quite as good as John Wayne (though his Rooster Cogburn was an interesting creation in his own right), the Coen Brothers remake of _ **True Grit** _ was generally much better than the original. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/36 "2015-09-30T20:21:54Z")
So, I’ve never seen the 1927 Hitchcock-directed version of **The Lodger** , but the 1944 version with Laird Creggar and Merle Oberon is fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/37 "2015-09-30T20:37:56Z")
The new TMNT movie is way better than the original ones from the early '90s. And it’s a pretty kick-ass movie too. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/38 "2015-10-01T02:08:49Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > The 2004 remake of George Romero’s \*\*\*Dawn of the Dead \*\*\*was quite good- not as horrifying as the original, but much written and acted. I also enjoyed the remake of George Romero’s _The Crazies_, although I remember the original to be very disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/39 "2015-10-01T06:31:18Z")
I made an absolute fool of myself when I started a thread here ranting about an American remake of the Swedish classic Let the Right One In before it came out. It was called Let Me In and after I saw it I thought it was pretty wonderful in its own right. Since then I’ve kept my stupid mouth shut and will never again rant about a remake until I’ve seen it. I loved both versions of Girl With A Dragon Tattoo and wish David Fincher and Rooney Mara would do the other two books. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993/40 "2015-10-01T15:45:27Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > The modern Ocean’s Eleven is a fun movie. Agreed. I’d never seen the original prior to the remake, but went back and watched it afterward. I was nearly unwatchable, while the George Clooney remake was a blast. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Airplane** was a comedy remake of **[Zero Hour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Hour!)** and took quite a bit of dialog from the original. \ I wouldn’t consider that a remake, but more of a parody. And a LOT more fun! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-remakes-that-are-quality-movies-in-their-own-right/732993.md?page=3)