With the release of >Ben-Hur , which reviews are already calling boring and unnecessary, it has solidified the image that Hollywood is more than willing to spend big bucks on a remake that doesn’t need to exist than an original idea. Some remakes have worked, while others have crashed and burned badly.
The Parent Trap (1998/1961)
The original film was based off a German novel. The remake was reverential to the original when necessary, but managed to pull it off, thanks to Lindsay Lohan’s cute precociousness. This was also made into a Tamil film, >Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum in 1965 starring Kutty Padmini as the twins who reunite at summer camp. Both remakes were big hits.
The Italian Job (2003/1969)
The first film was a British caper, starring Michael Caine and Noel Coward. It was delightfully funny, audacious and lighthearted enough to make a heist film seem like a theme park ride. The remake was a shoddy mishmash of multiple plots, an unnecessary revenge storyline added in, making it heavy and dragging.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1971/2005)
For those of us who grew up on Roald Dahl’s imaginative fever-dreams, Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka was defining. He was quirky, and you never knew if he was speaking the truth. While the Johnny Depp version was passable, Depp’s playing of the character lacked the depth that Wilder brought to it. He kept Willy Wonka as just a collection of quirks and nothing else.
The Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai (1961/1954)
Kurosawa’s classic film had everything a classic should. It remains influential to this day — there isn’t a single list of best films that misses this film. And yet, the Hollywood remake of it bungled it up in every way possible. It was pretentious, lacking the superb touch Kurosawa brought to his work, and had a massive, cluttered anti-climax that made watching the film a painful process.
>Exodus: Gods and Kings /The Ten Commandments (2014/1956)
Cecile B. DeMille’s masterpiece was over-the-top Biblical evangelical propaganda, but it worked because it had a solid plot, compelling actors and that technological marvel which had the Red Sea parting seem as real as anything. Ridley Scott’s bloated mess first ran into trouble for casting white actors in a story that would have had persons of colour, and his justification that he wouldn’t get tax rebates if he cast a person of colour made things worse. It didn’t help that the film was objectively terrible to watch.
A Fistful of Dollars/Yojimbo (1964/1961)
Another spaghetti western was remade from a Kurosawa classic, only this time it was unofficial, and ended up in a lawful suit that sided with the original’s producers. But the remake stood on its own. Sergio Leone had with him a great popcorn movie, despite its production values not being so great, not to mention that this was when everyone got to see Clint Eastwood in an unforgettable role. Not much needs to be said about Yojimbo, for it’s a Kurosawa film.
>The Karate Kid (2010/1984)
While Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han and Jaden Smith’s young, adorable Dre might be heartwarming, the chemistry between Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio was pulsating to watch. The remake may not have been as powerful as the original, given that we all knew what was going to happen, but it was satisfying nonetheless. All said, Mr. Miyagi remains the winner.
Ocean’s Eleven/Ocean’s 11 (2001/1960)
The 1960 film is still charming to watch due to the presence of the Rat Packers — Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. It was a couple of hours of fun. But Steven Soderbergh’s remake was beautiful. Not only did it bring us one of the best ensemble casts of all time, the movie ages gracefully, and remains eminently watchable a good decade after its release.
Psycho (1998/1960)
One of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films, Psycho has a quality that, to this day, can keep you on the edge of your seat. That shower scene, the final reveal of Norman Bates’ secret are all suspenseful scenes that truly hold up for decades. Gus Van Sant’s remake was a shot-by-shot copy, with little to no imaginative adaptation from the director. And somehow, the shower scene in colour doesn’t have the same impact that it did in black and white.
>Godzilla (2014/1998)
Though the 1998 film was taken from the Japanese franchise, it establishes that no one makes a disaster film quite like Roland Emmerich does. Watching the film today may make you cringe at the CGI, but the intended effect worked in a cinema hall at the time. The 2014 remake boasted of a large A-list cast, but had little to contribute in terms of content. The movie took over an hour to reveal Godzilla, but managed to fill a few gaps the original had left behind.
