# Remakes: Best, worst and WTF? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042 "2007-08-09T17:31:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/61 "2007-08-13T13:49:42Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Worst remake I have ever seen was Miracle on 34th Street. A truly classic and perfect movie from 1947 starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn & Natalie Woods. (Also a small but memorable role for William Frawley (Fred of “I Love Lucy” fame)) This was just a perfect movie. I still watch it annually. I still love it. In 1994 they made a terrible remake with Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan McDermott, J.T. Walsh, Timothy Shea, **James Remar** , Jane Leeves, Simon Jones, William Windom and Mara Wilson. This might be John Hughes worse work. It was terrible. Jim [/QUOTE] (bolding mine) James Remar? Seriously? Now I have this mental image of Ajax heading down to 34th Street to “look for wool” and getting into a fight with Santa’s elves. ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/62 "2007-08-13T14:49:29Z")
[QUOTE=Phlosphr] Moby Dick - Gregary Peck = Yes Moby Dick - Patrick Stewart = No Scrooge - Albert Finney = Yes A Christmas Carol - Patrick Stewart = No Ohhh, there’s an unanticipated trend! [/QUOTE] I agree with your first statement, Phlos, but _Albert Finney’s_ Scrooge? That unmitigated piece of scenery-chewing and second-rate singing of fifth-rate songs? The one true Ebenezer Scrooge is, was and always will be Alistair Sim. (And _not_ the colourised version, either!) Oh, and prime example of WTF remake?: - The Wicker Man. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/63 "2007-08-13T17:55:33Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Worst remake I have ever seen was Miracle on 34th Street. A truly classic and perfect movie from 1947 starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn & Natalie Woods. (Also a small but memorable role for William Frawley (Fred of “I Love Lucy” fame)) This was just a perfect movie. I still watch it annually. I still love it. In 1994 they made a terrible remake with Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan McDermott, J.T. Walsh, Timothy Shea, James Remar, Jane Leeves, Simon Jones, William Windom and Mara Wilson. This might be John Hughes worse work. It was terrible. [/QUOTE] Never saw the Attenborough version, but there was a previous Made-for-TV remake with Sebastian Cabot (Mr. French on _Family Affair_) as Kris and David Hartman (future host of _GMA_) as the lawyer. Not good. And the only thing good about **Body Snatchers** is a quite generous nude scene of Ms. Anwar (a nubile 23 at the time). That, and it’s the only film I can remember where you see an irritating little kid thrown from a helicopter to his death! 🙂Otherwise, heavy handed and dreadful. Even Forest Whitaker can’t save that film. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/64 "2007-08-13T18:28:53Z")
I love the 1936 version of **My Man, Godfrey** , with William Powell and Carole Lombard. Is it worth the effort to find the 1957, David Niven and June Allyson remake? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/65 "2007-08-13T19:01:03Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] I love the 1936 version of **My Man, Godfrey** , with William Powell and Carole Lombard. Is it worth the effort to find the 1957, David Niven and June Allyson remake? [/QUOTE] I have see both. The 1936 movie is great (and apparently fell into Public Domain as I own a copy I got in a Dollar Store). The David Niven remake was not as good but was lighter. It might actually be worth watching. So all in all, not a bad remake. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/66 "2007-08-13T19:24:40Z")
As it happens, my girlfriend got me a DVD of the 1964 _The 300 Spartans_ and I watched it this weekend. Kicked ass. Okay, it’s hokey by modern standards, but clearly shows the sequence of political and military events involved, and was beautifully photographed in Greece, with the help of the Royal Greek Army, no doubt having fun playing Spartans and Persians. I may be in a minority, but I thought _Vanilla Sky_ was a quite good version of the same story as the Spanish original, _Abre los Ojos_. Interesting seeing Penelope Cruz play the same role in both versions. And Tom Cruise is good (I don’t worry about how much of a flake an actor is in real life, as long as he gives a good performance). ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/67 "2007-08-13T19:40:31Z")
Since\* A Christmas Carol\* has already been mentioned, I put Bill Murray’s _Scrooged_ in the ‘Good’ category. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/68 "2007-08-13T19:53:34Z")
The Good: I’ve always considered _The Magnificent Seven_ a remake of the _Seven Samurai_. And a great remake at that. The Bad: _How The Grinch Stole Christmas_. The Grinch with a back story? He doesn’t need a father that doesn’t love him; the fact that his heart was three sizes too small should be reason enough for his villainy. WTF: _Breathless_. With Richard Gere. Who thought THAT was a good idea? ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/69 "2007-08-14T06:10:34Z")
[QUOTE=Quercus] Since\* A Christmas Carol\* has already been mentioned, I put Bill Murray’s _Scrooged_ in the ‘Good’ category. [/QUOTE] Whereas I nominate it for the ‘Bad’ AND ‘WTF’ categories. ---
**Author:** ![Leechboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Leechboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leechboy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/70 "2007-08-14T07:45:42Z")
[QUOTE=Boulter’s Canary] Oh, and prime example of WTF remake?: - The Wicker Man. [/QUOTE] Oh yee Gods I’d forgotten this one. Take a classic cult film. Remove the parts that made it unique Add Nicholas Cage Add pointless backstory to make the lead more “damaged” Get everyone in the movie to overact. Shamlessly add a rip off of the hobbling scene from Misery. Sit back and make sure it’s barely released. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/71 "2007-08-14T12:32:29Z")
Granted, _A Fistful of Dollars_ isn’t as witty as _Yojimbo_, but it’s still a good remake (if only for the eventual sequel _The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly_’s soundtrack :D). _Last Man Standing_ also pretty much plays the plot straight, although it does poke som fun at western movie cliches. Plus, it’s Bruce Willis being badass, what’s not to love about that? 😃 …and does _Star Wars: A New Hope_ count as a remake of _The Hidden Fortress_? 😃 (Why is it that I keep remembering more movies?) _Ben Hur_’s been remade a few times, the most famous of which being of course the 1959 version. Ditto the various works of Shakespeare, too many to name in the space of this edit window. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/72 "2007-08-14T13:17:54Z")
[QUOTE=Leechboy] Take a classic cult film. Remove the parts that made it unique Add Nicholas Cage Add pointless backstory to make the lead more “damaged” [/QUOTE] and you have _Gone in 60 Seconds_. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/73 "2007-08-14T13:29:26Z")
Of course, proceeding from _The Seven Samurai_ and on through _The Magnificent Seven_ we eventually reach [_Battle Beyond the Stars_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080421/). ---
**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:** [August 14, 2007, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/74 "2007-08-14T13:34:01Z")
> [@](#): > > Of course, proceeding from The Seven Samurai and on through The Magnificent Seven we eventually reach Battle Beyond the Stars. And then **A Bug’s Life** , which was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/75 "2007-08-14T14:18:56Z")
> [@cormac262](#): > > The Best: Jet Li’s “Fist of Legend” remake of (Bruce Lee’s) “The Chinese Connection” - this, from a die-hard Bruce Lee fan. When I heard that there was a remake of CC, I was very skeptical. But after seeing “Fist”, I could not help but see that it was a superior take. > [@Leechboy](#): > > Bad - The U.S. remake of the great film The Vanishing, by the same director no less, with a horrid tacked on happy ending. Well, my first two have been taken. I was impressed by the way Li’s version made both sides human, rather than just a ‘rah, rah, beat up the enemy’ flick. As for WTF: The 1997 version of **Vanishing Point**. I rented this one by accident thinking it was the original. Viggo Mortensen and Luke freaking Perry. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/76 "2007-08-14T14:48:10Z")
_Yojimbo_ was based on a Dashiel Hammett story (which I haven’t tracked down); so _Last Man Standing_ may actually be closer to the original. In any case, along with _A Fistful of Dollars_ we have three entertaining movies based on the same story. Well, it was also redone as, no kidding, a low-budget sword-and-sorcery picture with David Carradine, called _The Sword and the Sorceror_. All I remember is a woman with four breasts. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/77 "2007-08-14T17:13:29Z")
Another good _Yojimbo_ remake: [Hrafninn flygur](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087432/) aka _When the Raven Flies_ (US title _Revenge of the Barbarians_ ). This one has Vikings instead of samurai or cowboys. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/78 "2007-08-14T17:32:23Z")
Has anyone seen both versions of **Day of the Jackal**? The original is one of my all-time favorite thrillers. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/79 "2007-08-14T17:35:50Z")
I thought Wedding Crashers was a nice remake/reimagining of The Importance of Being Earnest. How ever Barb Wire was a terrible remake of Casablanca. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042/80 "2007-08-14T17:50:47Z")
[QUOTE=jsc1953] Has anyone seen both versions of **Day of the Jackal**? The original is one of my all-time favorite thrillers. [/QUOTE] The Bruce Willis version is only related in that both movies are about an assassin. It’s not good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-best-worst-and-wtf/415042.md?page=5)