# Movies that did not deserve remakes. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 26, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782 "2004-11-26T20:35:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/1 "2004-11-26T20:35:42Z")
The encore channel is showing all three **Freaky Friday** movies. While the original Disney movie was entertaining, it was a piece of fluff. It didn’t deserve one remake let alone two. What movies say y’all? ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/2 "2004-11-26T20:53:26Z")
Psycho… What the hell were they thinking? A shot for shot remake only proves that sometimes lightening doesn’t strike twice. Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Meaner bloodier… and still less creepy ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/3 "2004-11-26T21:39:40Z")
_Ocean’s Eleven_ ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/4 "2004-11-26T21:51:36Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > _Ocean’s Eleven_ I personally think _Ocean’s Eleven_ is an example of the kind of movie that absolutely _did_ deserve to be remade. The original was a great idea; robbing several Las Vegas casinos at once is undeniably cool. And it was fun to watch, if simply because of who was in it, and the wonderful chemistry between them. And it was no doubt stylish and cool, absolutely oozing the time period. But it simply _wasn’t_ a great film; the script was convoluted and tedious. And the mechanics of the heist – “We’ll turn off the electricity!” – was pretty damn unimaginative. A movie with promise that never delivered is exactly the kind of film that should be remade. We can certainly argue over the merits of Soderbergh’s remake; I personally found it, while far from perfect, a very fun film, quite clever, and definitely an improvement on the original. But regardless of your opinion of the remake, I maintain that the original is _exactly_ the type of film that _should_ be remade. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/5 "2004-11-26T22:49:00Z")
Gotta agree with **Anamorphic** there. I forget who the Hollywood director who originally said this was… but his opinion was that if you must do a remake, don’t ever do it with a wildly successful film. Take a mediocre movie and do it better. Your threshold for “mediocre” may be higher or lower than mine. I can’t believe they made a remake of **Planet of The Apes** , put Rick Baker in charge of the makeup effects, created this visually awesome world, and then used Tim Burton as director, put Mark Wahlberg as the lead, and then tried to one-up the original movie’s shocking ending with a nonsensical “twist” at the APE-braham Lincoln Memorial. I mean _yeesh._ ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/6 "2004-11-26T23:04:09Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Gotta agree with Anamorphic there. I forget who the Hollywood director who originally said this was… but his opinion was that if you must do a remake, don’t ever do it with a wildly successful film. Take a mediocre movie and do it better. This is why I have mixed feelings about the upcoming _Flight of the Phoenix_. The original (with James Stewart) is so damn good, and they even built and flew the Phoenix for the movie (no CGI back then.) ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/7 "2004-11-26T23:08:36Z")
Guess I’ll have to rewatch the original, it’s been awhile. I just remember I liked it so saw no need to remake it other than profit. Temporary retraction till further viewing. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/8 "2004-11-26T23:24:58Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > This is why I have mixed feelings about the upcoming _Flight of the Phoenix_. The original (with James Stewart) is so damn good, and they even built and flew the Phoenix for the movie (no CGI back then.) Let’s not forget that Jimmy Stewart flew bomber missions in WW II, so not only did you have a great actor in the role, but you had someone _who’d been in a similar life and death-type situation!_ Whatever merits the current cast and crew of the remake may have, I doubt that any of them can match Stewart’s wartime experiences. Frankly, I don’t see the need for them to remake _The Longest Yard_. ---
**Author:** ![chinbender](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@chinbender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chinbender)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/9 "2004-11-26T23:47:00Z")
Why remake the Manchurian Candidate? I haven’t seen the second, but I don’t see how technology would add anything to the simple brainwashing idea of the first. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/10 "2004-11-27T10:18:20Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Frankly, I don’t see the need for them to remake _The Longest Yard_. I saw the British remake about a soccer player in prison. I liked it better than the Burt Reynolds one. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/11 "2004-11-27T10:49:02Z")
Why the hell would anyone want to remake _The Stepford Wives_??? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/12 "2004-11-27T10:58:01Z")
_Get Carter_ and _The Italian Job_ These were two 1960’s\* British crime movies. They both belonged in the 60’s. They were both very, very British. That’s what made them both distinctive and brilliant. Remaking them in Hollywood in the 2000 and 2003 respectively completely misses the point of the originals. \*For all nit pickers, Get Carter was released in 1971. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/13 "2004-11-27T11:34:15Z")
The remake of The Thomas Crown Affair {Pierce Brosnan and Renee Russo} was much better than the original. The remake of The Day Of The Jackal {I think it was just The Jackal} was not. Me, I’m still putting money on Lucas, after he’s finished with his prequels, going back and remaking Star Wars, in line with his “original vision”: hell, after the hype has died down it’ll be nearly 30 years: just ripe to sell more toys. C’mon, ten bucks says he’ll do it. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/14 "2004-11-27T15:25:49Z")
For the life of me, I can only think of ONE reason anyone would take a masterpiece of a movie and try to improve on it. Hubris. Sheer arrogance. And if you’re going to remake _Psycho_, doing it shot for shot is NOT the way to make it happen. It could be argued that \*Texas Chainsaw Massacre \* was a cheap little movie that could be improved by the big-budget treatment… but the original was a terrifying ordeal. If you can’t make it SCARIER, or at least equal the original, then you’re wasting your money. I’ve never understood why every idiot in Hollywood seems to think making horror movies is _easy_. The original \*Stepford Wives \* was a horror story. The remakers sidestepped the horror issue by making the new one a comedy… and therefore proved that they did not in the least understand the point of the original. Hell, they even threw away logical consistency for the sake of some cheap jokes; they couldn’t decide if the Stepford Wives were brainwashed humans or cash-dispensing servant robots with sex organs. Remaking _Earth Vs. The Spider_, though… what harm was there in that? Kind of a no-lose situation, if you ask me… ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/15 "2004-11-27T16:07:09Z")
Well, Gena Rowland’s “Gloria” was a mighty mediocre film to begin with, and it wasn’t all that old. So, I can’t imagine why Sidney Lumet and Sharon Stone wanted to do a remake! Not surprisingly, it was even lamer than the original. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/16 "2004-11-27T16:10:58Z")
Walking Tall. I’m rooting for the Rock to become an action star, but this was just bad. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/17 "2004-11-27T19:06:06Z")
> [@LorieSmurf](#): > > I saw the British remake about a soccer player in prison. I liked it better than the Burt Reynolds one. I wasn’t talking about the British version, though. There’s a new one, starring Reynolds again, set to be released soon. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/18 "2004-11-28T01:37:49Z")
A much shorter thread would be “Movies with wholly justified remakes”. I’m unable to come up with one off the top of my head, nor can I think of any movies that cry out to be remade. I can think of novels with lousy film versions that might be worth doing another adaptation of, but that’s not really the same thing as remaking a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/19 "2004-11-28T12:41:55Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > A much shorter thread would be “Movies with wholly justified remakes”. I’m unable to come up with one off the top of my head… _The Maltese Falcon_. It was made twice before the third, famous, good version with Humphrey Bogart. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782/20 "2004-11-28T12:56:01Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > _Get Carter_ and _The Italian Job_ > > These were two 1960’s\* British crime movies. They both belonged in the 60’s. They were both very, very British. That’s what made them both distinctive and brilliant. Remaking them in Hollywood in the 2000 and 2003 respectively completely misses the point of the originals. Bravo. Mark Wahlberg is not exactly the next Michael Caine. What could be more symbolic than the fact that The Italian Job remake happened almost totally in Los Angeles? And now I see that there’s an Italian Job II due out in 2006. I’m gonna go cry myself to sleep. 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-did-not-deserve-remakes/276782.md?page=2)