Remakes are here to stay. For one, many of them are already made from movies that are already famous. Check out our link for knowing what makes a remake different from sequels and reboots. Remakes can be tricky but thankfully these films- in no particular order) pulled it off:
1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
IMDB Summary: “When strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, replicating the city’s residents one body at a time.”
Why it’s amazing: The 1978 remake of the 1956 classic takes time to expand on a lot of themes than the politically-inclined original. Director Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers became one of the scariest sci-fi in its era.
2. The Thing (1982)
IMDB Summary: “A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.”
Why it’s amazing: Remaking the 1951 “The Thing From Another World”, the 1982 film emphasized what the classic missed: making use of technology. Director John Carpenter pushed the alien loosely based on the novella “Who Goes There?” to be shown in all its shape-shifting gore and glory.
3. Scarface (1983)
IMDB Summary: “In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.”
Why it’s amazing: Where do we begin? From Al Pacino’s portrayal of of Tony Montana’s rise and fall from Cuban refugee to Miami’s cocaine king to ever-memorable cocaine-induced scenes, the remake from the 1932 film surely cemented itself in cinematic history.
4. Scent of a Woman (1992)
IMDB Summary: “A prep school student needing money agrees to “babysit” a blind man, but the job is not at all what he anticipated.”
Why it’s amazing: Yes, another Al Pacino remake! He put in an Oscar-winning performance of a retired and blind army ranger Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade. Another remake in 1974 Profumo di Donna could just not compare.
5. True Lies (1994)
IMDB Summary: “A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used-car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.”
Why it’s amazing: Director James Cameron featured Jamie lee Curtis doing a strip tease. That is all we can say.
6. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
IMDB Summary: “Danny Ocean and his ten accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.”
Why it’s amazing: From the 1960 original featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr, Steven Soderbergh’s remake tried to match that suave with a big name cast featuring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Matt Damon. But it’s not only the cast that pulled off the 2001 remake. The plot twists of the action film entertained us far more than the Sixties version.
7. True Grit (2010)
IMDB Summary: “A stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father’s murderer.”
Why it’s amazing: Adapted from the book with the same title, the 1969 remains to be a Western classic. But the Coen brothers’ remake surely did justice to the film and to the book. The film garnered multiple Academy Award nominations across the board, including the win of John Wayne for Best Actor.
8. The Magnificent Seven (1960 and 2016)
IMDB Summary: “Seven gunmen from a variety of backgrounds are brought together by a vengeful young widow to protect her town from the private army of a destructive industrialist.”
Why they’re amazing: Based on Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, the Magnificent Seven turned the film to a classic Western. The 1960 cast included Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson who all guaranteed a gunslinging gem. Meanwhile the 2016 starred Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Peter Sarsgaard, and Haley Bennett.#
