There are some movies that have been so iconic that later generations of filmmakers have to make their own versions of the same movie. Most of the time, this does not work out very well. It seems that the magic of the original is often lost when people try to remake classic films. Expectations for the remakes are so high because of the beloved status of the original movies that it is almost impossible for those expectations to be met. On rare occasions the remakes actually do meet these expectations and can be considered to be on the same level as the originals. It looks like the Coen Brothers’ remake of True Grit might actually be on this level. Check out the True Grit trailer below.
Yeah, it looks pretty damn good. Here are 5 other remakes that compared favorably to their predecessors.
3:10 To Yuma
Like True Grit, 3:10 to Yuma was a remake of a classic western film. The star studded cast of Christian Bale and Russell Crowe gave some great performances. Christian Bale was great as a former soldier who has lost his foot and the respect of his son. While he can’t get his foot back, he tries to earn the respect of his son by escorting a dangerous criminal, Russell Crowe, to the train that will take him to prison. Russell Crowe manages to be believable as a ruthless criminal who improbably has a very strict moral code. It all added up to a great western movie for a new generation.
The Fly
The original The Fly was made way back in 1958. It was an astounding movie for the time, but when 1986 rolled around it was decided that The Fly needed a remake. Director David Cronenberg cast Jeff Goldblum as his eccentric scientist who tries to use transportation technology to woo Geena Davis. As usual, trying to impress a girl leads to disaster and ruin when a fly gets into Goldblum’s teleportation device, turning Jeff Goldblum into a man/fly hybrid that is unfortunately more fly than man. Since this was not a romantic comedy, the transformation led to horrifying events rather than quirky misunderstandings and audiences loved it.
Friday the 13th
Jason Vorhees is one of the most terrifying characters in modern cinema. There were numerous Jason movies made in the 80′s but they went down in quality and he eventually fell off the map. Around 2009, moviemakers decided that kids at camp were not filled with enough terror, so Friday the 13th was reborn. Jason came back with a vengeance, making up for all his lost time in killing sexy teenagers. The remake captured the walking specter of death that was Jason Vorhees perfectly and gave young campers a new reason to be homesick. At least there aren’t homicidal maniacs back there.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was one of the most iconic horror movies of all time. It has spawned many sequels, including a terrible one called Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation starring Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zelwegger. The 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre starring Jessica Biel was incredible. First of all, she looked damn good in it. That had to be said. The carnage that Leatherface inflicted was gory, disturbing, and awesome. Adding in fake police footage for the “based on true events” side of the movie was a great touch as well.
The Thing
The Thing is a remake of the classic movie, The Thing from Another World. The Thing is a far superior movie to The Thing from Another World, not least of all for shortening that bulky title. The suspense in The Thing was a work of masterfully created art. The audience was kept in suspense about the identity of the shape changing killer and every character was a suspect for most of the movie. The final reveal was shocking and horrifying as the true killer was revealed and the final battle for survival began. The Thing is not only one of the best remakes of all time, but one of the scariest movies as well.
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