# Remakes- good or not so good? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [August 26, 2026, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563 "2026-08-26T04:19:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/1 "2026-08-26T04:19:29Z")
In another thread we discussed _The Secret Life of Walter Mitty_- the rather meh remake in 2013? with Ben Stiller, vs of course the 1947 version with the Great Danny Kaye. The two films were not even similar, despite the title. But then I thought about _The Producers-_ !967 with Zero Mostel- which can do more with facial expressions alone than most actors with dialog and props, and of course Gene Wilder who- of course- is great. But then we have 2005 with Nathan Lane (not half as good as Mostel, but doing a decent job here) and Matthew Broderick- who can _almost_ fill Wilder’s shoes. BUT- then there is also the magnificent Uma Thurman, and the _wonderful musical numbers._ Both are very watchable. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/2 "2026-08-26T05:23:28Z")
On the one hand, the remakes of Rollerball, Death Race 2000 and The Andromeda Strain should have caused all involved to have been permanently banned from making films ever again, Yes, the camera operator and the focus puller, too. On the other hand, 1939’s Wizard of Oz was a remake, and no one but film buffs remember the original. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/3 "2026-08-26T07:34:52Z")
For the record, I think there’s a difference between a remake (in which the first film was an original screenplay), and a new adaptation of an existing work. Both _Wizard of Oz_ and _Walter Mitty_ were books first, before they were movies. A new adaptation of a book is not a remake of a previous adaptation, any more than a production of _King Lear_ is a remake of any previous productions of the play. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/4 "2026-08-26T09:46:29Z")
Nitpick: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” was a short story, not a book. But yes, that’s an important point. And I could be wrong, but I never thought the Ben Stiller _Walter Mitty_ was even trying to be a remake of the Danny Kaye film; it was just inspired (however loosely) by the story. And the Nathan Lane _The Producers_ is yet another category: not a remake, but a film version of the Broadway musical based on the earlier movie. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/5 "2026-08-26T10:27:54Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > For the record, I think there’s a difference between a remake (in which the first film was an original screenplay), and a new adaptation of an existing work. Both _Wizard of Oz_ and _Walter Mitty_ were books first, before they were movies. Point taken, but in the case of Walter Mitty, it was a very short story. Nothing happens, Walter just has several daydreams. The part where he gets involved in a real adventure was invented for the Danny Kaye film. So the later film where he gets involved in a real adventure could be fairly said to be a remake. It’s closer to the Kaye film than the original story. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/6 "2026-08-26T10:39:23Z")
Coen brothers remakes: Good - _True Grit._ I like it just as much as the earlier John Wayne version. Especially Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross. Not So Good - _The Ladykillers_. I love the Alec Guinness original, so I had high hopes for the Coen Bros. remake, but it really fell flat. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/7 "2026-08-26T11:10:03Z")
I believe **The Maltese Falcon** with Bogart was the THIRD movie with that story. There are certainly remakes that are better than the original (Ten Commandments, Wizard of Oz), but the originals were arguably not good. Is there a remake of a _good_ movie that is also at least _good_? The tag is “movies”, and one can argue whether the original was _good_, but I think most would say the new Battlestar Galactica is better (even including the later seasons) Brian ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/8 "2026-08-26T11:10:57Z")
The Pitt/Clooney version of _Oceans Eleven_ was widely regarded as superior to the largely forgotten Rat Pack version and spawned three sequels. John Carpenters _The Thing_ (1982) is largely considered superior to the original _The Thing from Another World_ (1953) and the 2011 prequel. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/9 "2026-08-26T11:11:50Z")
For some reason there is a [shot for shot remake of Psycho](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1084964-psycho). ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/10 "2026-08-26T11:13:52Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > And the Nathan Lane _The Producers_ is yet another category: not a remake, but a film version of the Broadway musical based on the earlier movie. Cf. the two films titled _Little Shop of Horrors_. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/11 "2026-08-26T11:40:49Z")
Western remakes of Akira Kurosawa’s _Yojimbo_ run the gamut from very good (_A Fistful of Dollars_) to OK (_Last Man Standing_) to godawful (_The Warrior and the Sorceress_). See also: _Seven Samurai._ ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/12 "2026-08-26T14:18:27Z")
Michael Mann’s _The Last of the Mohicans_ is far superior to the 1936 film it is directly based on. (A faithful adaptation of the novel is futile). ---
**Author:** ![Quondam\_Mechanic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quondam_mechanic/32/3404_2.png) [@Quondam\_Mechanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quondam_Mechanic)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/13 "2026-08-26T14:28:22Z")
I personally liked aspects of Rob Zombie’s versions of _Hallowe’en_ – different from and in some ways better than the original, but without Jamie Lee Curtis, you can only be second-best. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/14 "2026-08-26T14:32:38Z")
Good: The Thing (1982) Bad: Flatliners (2017), Jacob’s Ladder (2019) Somewhere in between: Let Me In (2010) wasn’t _bad_ so much as unnecessary. Basically amounted to “Americans won’t read subtitles.” ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/15 "2026-08-26T14:49:54Z")
The Thomas Crown Affair. The original is probably a better Work of Art, but I think the remake is more entertaining. In the original, the crime is a bank heist. I have been on the receiving end of workplace robbery, so when one of the henchmen shoots a bank guard, my sympathy for Steve McQueen’s character ends abruptly. In the remake, the crime is an art heist, and nobody gets hurt, so I find it easier to cheer for Pierce Brosnan’s character. Also, I find Rene Russo more appealing than Faye Dunaway. Bedazzled. The original is far more intellectual in concept, and more intelligent in execution. But I laughed more at the remake. And Elizabeth Hurley is easier on the eyes than Peter Cook. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/16 "2026-08-26T14:50:18Z")
The best ones that leap to my mind immediately are: - Wizard of Oz (1939) - Ben Hur (1959) - The Thing - The Fly - The Blob Worst: Psycho The Wicker Man Oldboy ← Rare movie I quit halfway through. Stunningly terrible ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/17 "2026-08-26T15:21:09Z")
One for the “deep cut” file: the 1979 remake of Eric Sykes’ _The Plank_ is a taut, expertly timed physical-comedy romp that puts the baggy, rambling 1967 original to shame. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/18 "2026-08-26T15:47:01Z")
The 1997 remake of **12 Angry Men** At first I mildy disliked it but after repeated watchings I’ve come not only to like it, but to _really_ like it; as much as the original 1957 version. It just depends on my mood/whimsy of which one I feel like watching at the moment. ( I own both on DVD ) ---
**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:** [August 26, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/19 "2026-08-26T16:06:44Z")
The 1976 version of King Kong was better than the original 1933 Fay Wray, if only for the better special effects. I haven’t seen Peter Jackson’s remake. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563/20 "2026-08-26T16:09:57Z")
Travolta/Washington’s **The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3** can’t hold a candle to the Matthau/Shaw original. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remakes-good-or-not-so-good/1032563.md?page=2)