# The worst movie remake of all time. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556 "2010-02-18T23:22:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [February 20, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/61 "2010-02-20T00:24:46Z")
> [@](#): > > All signs point to “Clash of the Titans” being better than the original. Depend upon what your criteria are. It looks as if they’re pretty much ignoring mythology and stealing the plot from the first version, with some stuff taken from the Disney version of **Hercules**. I’ll withold judgment until I see it, but I’m betting that Beverly Cross’ literate and informed script, with its sly hints at the myth’s sources, has gone out the window. And, I love good CGI, but the original CooT was not only the great Ray Harryhausen’s last work, it also had contributions from Harryhausen rival Jim Danforth. I suspect the “remake” will be gorgeous but braindead. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/62 "2010-02-20T01:36:32Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Did we watch the same movie? Because the underlying story (Michael Myers torments his sister Laurie Strode and her promiscuous friends in Haddonfield) is unchanged. Rob Zombie just added the ridiculous backstory portion in the beginning. Agreed about the underlying story being basically the same, but the actual plot was way different. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/63 "2010-02-20T01:47:25Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > As far as the 2007 version, titled _The Invasion_–I haven’t seen it, but everyone says it’s awful. The front page review on the IMDB says “They screwed up one of the scariest concepts ever thought up.” Heh. Absolutely horrible. And a waste of Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Northam and Daniel Craig. Just ridiculously, impossibly poorly done. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/64 "2010-02-22T00:52:00Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Pamela Anderson starred in a movie called Barb Wire. > > It’s a remake of Casablanca. > > > [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > > > Is this true? Because if it is, we have a winner! According to [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115624/), it’s a “Post-Apocalyptic remake of **Casablanca** set in a strip club”, so yes, we _do_ have a winner there. I would like to whip up a little hatred for another mutilation of Casablanca, though: Robert Redford’s cack-handed [Havana](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099747/). ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/65 "2010-02-22T03:03:59Z")
I can’t believe \*Poseidon \*hasn’t been mentioned yet. \*The Poseidon Adventure \*was bad, the TV miniseries was a stinker, and the movie remake was a bad stinker. ---
**Author:** ![Mapache](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@Mapache](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mapache)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/66 "2010-02-22T04:03:58Z")
They keep playing a remake of Harvey on one of the free movie channels, with some actor I never heard of trying very unsuccessfully to act like James Stewart and Lt. Drebin as Dr Chumley. Yech. And then there’s the Jude Law version of Alfie. Double yech. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/67 "2010-02-22T04:05:57Z")
I’d take Jude Law as Alfie over Sly in Get Carter any day. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/68 "2010-02-22T09:22:16Z")
> [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](#): > > James Cameron’s remake of _A Night to Remember_ as _Titanic._😉 Actually, Cameron’s movie **also** contained elements of 1953’s _Titanic_ (which starred Robert Wagner). Other than the special effects and depiction of the disaster itself, there is little reason to see Cameron’s version. The cheesy throwaway love story doesn’t really work and makes very little real sense. Of course, a nude Kate Winslet redeems it a little, but very little. This of course, inspired the resurgence of the idea of “let’s take a historic event and stick a sappy love story among it”, directly leading to _Pearl Harbor_. Incidentally, A Night to Remember, as perfect as it was, also was guilty of stealing some shots from the German 1943 version of _Titanic_ – literally. Some of the shots of the ship itself were lifted right out of the Nazi version of the film. Another debacle was Jude Law as _Alfie_. Jude Law might be many things, but he’s no Michael Caine. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/69 "2010-02-22T09:28:23Z")
> [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > Another debacle was Jude Law as _Alfie_. Jude Law might be many things, but he’s no Michael Caine. Funny thing is, that wasn’t the only time [Jude Law “was” Michael Caine.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0857265/) > [@Askance](#): > > According to [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115624/), it’s a “Post-Apocalyptic remake of **Casablanca** set in a strip club”, so yes, we _do_ have a winner there. Well, I’d say it’d be better to judge the comic book on which that film was based, rather than the film itself. Unless one wants to argue that the film was so changed from the comic that they’re different entities. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/70 "2010-02-22T09:38:44Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > I can’t believe \*Poseidon \*hasn’t been mentioned yet. \*The Poseidon Adventure \*was bad, the TV miniseries was a stinker, and the movie remake was a bad stinker. The sequel to the original sucked, too… ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/71 "2010-02-22T10:57:43Z")
The TV remake of [Carrie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319970/). FSM why? ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/72 "2010-02-22T12:46:30Z")
> [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > Other than the special effects and depiction of the disaster itself, there is little reason to see Cameron’s version. The cheesy throwaway love story doesn’t really work and makes very little real sense. Of course, a nude Kate Winslet redeems it a little, but very little. Call me a plebian, but I disagree with this. I enjoyed this movie immensely. We bought the VHS when it first came out and it’s one of the few we will all sit down together to rewatch repeatedly. There’s a reason it was the top-grossing movie of all time until _Avatar_. It may not have artistic merit for critics, but it certainly has mass appeal. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/73 "2010-02-22T13:44:19Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > According to [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115624/), it’s a “Post-Apocalyptic remake of **Casablanca** set in a strip club”, so yes, we _do_ have a winner there. I would like to whip up a little hatred for another mutilation of Casablanca, though: Robert Redford’s cack-handed [Havana](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099747/). And then there is [Caboblanco](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080485/), starring Charles Bronson. I have not seen it, but lots of people seem to hate it. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/74 "2010-02-22T15:52:18Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > Father of the Bride with Steve Martin > (actually I haven’t seen it - maybe it’s good. I just wanted to participate) Actually, I expected to hate it, but was very pleasantly surprised to find that, IMNSHO, it’s a good movie. I was sure the remake would be all screwed up, that the girl’s family would be all dysfunctional and so on, but no. The movie may not have had a superbly beautiful Elizabeth Taylor, but it was still sweet and touching. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/75 "2010-02-22T15:57:04Z")
> [@daveg](#): > > The Day the Earth Stood Still and War of the Worlds remakes. > > Both terrible imo. Come to think of it, there never has been a good film adaptation of _War of the Worlds,_ AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/76 "2010-02-22T17:54:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > One of the more bizarre remakes was _Cruel Intentions 2_. The original _Cruel Intentions_ was released in 1999. It was popular and some people decided to make a TV series based on it. They remade the movie in 2000 as a pilot for the TV series with the actors who would presumedly star in the series. But the TV series was never produced so they released the movie on direct-to-video. So they ended up having a movie which was remade with a less famous cast within a year of its release. Oh yes. I’m not usually very bothered by bad acting, but in that movie it was just painful. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/77 "2010-02-22T18:44:01Z")
_Dial M for Murder_ was a great Hitchcock mystery with a great cast. (Checking Wikipedia I see it was on the All-time Top Ten list of mystery films.) There was almost no action in the film; the fun was watching the detective and villain think. _A Perfect Murder_ with Michael Douglas closely follows Dial M in many ways, but was a completely different kind of movie, and completely disappointing. The climax didn’t involve the detective, just villain and his wife racing aroung the kitchen to see who got to the weapon first. (It was the wife: villain dies: Hooray.) ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556/78 "2010-02-22T19:02:44Z")
For reasons I can’t fully explain, the Billy Bob Thornton _Bad News Bears_ remake of the Walter Matthau _Bad News Bears_ outrages me to no end. Sure, the original Bad News Bears isn’t a cinematic masterpiece, and it’s not going to make many lists of “important films,” but it’s a decent comedy with more substance than appears on the surface, with some excellent performances (being a kid when I first saw it, I didn’t get how amazing Vic Morrow was until after he was dead). It’s one of those films that captures something real about the time in which it was made. The remake is just vapid, it missed everything that was insightful about the original. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-movie-remake-of-all-time/529556.md?page=3)