Top 10 Best Movie Remakes of All Time

Francis Ford Coppola tries his hand at directing a gothic horror romance film in his version of the famous vampire story, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992).

The film features a cast of the biggest stars in the 90s including Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Winona Ryder, and Keanu Reeves.

Coppola’s version follows a long tradition of Hollywood adaptations of the original novel by Bram Stoker beginning with the 1922 horror film Nosferatu and the 1958 Hammer Horror version which stars Christopher Lee as the undead vampire.

A remake of a 1960s film of the same name, Ocean’s 11 (2001) is the film that started the Ocean’s heist film franchise.

In the remake, we are introduced to a generation of con artists determined to pull off ‘the heist to end all heists’. They are led by George Clooney who steps into the role originally played by Frank Sinatra as the titular Danny Ocean. However, this is probably where the similarities between the two end.

After its success at the box office, the film became a series with two more films (Ocean’s 12 in 2004 and Ocean’s 13 in 2007) as well as a spin-off with an all-female cast, Ocean’s 8 (2018).

Did you know that this Scorsese film is actually a remake of a 2002 Hong Kong film called Internal Affairs? Taking cues from Asian cinema, master filmmaker Martin Scorsese managed to create an excellent film with its own merits in The Departed (2006).

The film features an all-star cast with big names like Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Matt Sheen.

In the film, audiences are treated to a weaving complex plot which ends in a twist you would have never seen coming.

Terry Gilliam, Monty Python’s sole American member, took inspiration from a 1962 short film by Chris Marker to create one of his best directorial films, 12 Monkeys (1995).

The film masterfully mixes the science fiction and drama genres to tell the story of a prisoner (Bruce Willis) who is faced with an offer he can’t refuse. In exchange for parole, he has to travel back in time to stop a destructive virus that ravaged Earth.

Gilliam brought his comedy troupe’s trademark strange yet delightful charm to the film.

It is also notable for Brad Pitt’s fantastic performance playing a mental institution patient.

Despite its seemingly original premise, The Fly (1986) is actually a remake of a 1958 film starring horror icon Vincent Price.

In the remake, Jeff Goldblum plays an eccentric scientist who falls victim to a failed experiment gone horribly wrong.

Convinced that he has fixed a Telepod he had invented to teleport humans, he decides to test the device on himself. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice that a fly has landed inside the Telepod with him.

What follows is probably one of the most horrifying scenes ever in film history as the scientist

True Grit (2010) is the Coen brothers remake of the original 1969 adaptation of a popular western novel.

In the film, we see a teenage girl Mattie hire a US Marshall to help her avenge the death of her father by killing his murderer, Tom Chaney.

It is widely agreed that the remake is far superior to the original with a stunning performance from Hailee Steinfeld who played Mattie. The film was both a critical and commercial success having been nominated for 10 categories at the Oscars.

Starting a long tradition of Hollywood adapting Asian films in the western setting, The Magnificent Seven (1960) is the Americanized version of Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece Seven Samurai (1954).

In the remake, the seven samurais are replaced by seven gunslingers who are hired by a Mexican village to defend them from a group of bandits led by the evil Calvera.

Unfortunately, the film didn’t enjoy the original’s popularity at the time of its release failing at the box office. However, its merits are recognized over time as it is now considered to be one of the best films the western genre produced.

John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) is a remake of the 1951 film The Thing From Another World. However, people often forget about that fact since. That’s how good John Carpenter’s version is. Noto to say that the original was a bad movie. It just pales in comparison To Carpenter’s remake which is a masterclass in the horror and science fiction genres.

In the remake, we follow a group of scientists isolated in Antarctica. They find themselves terrorized by a mysterious thing which was apparently unleashed in their bunker when they took in a dog that was shot outside. The Thing is one of the best movie remakes ever made.

A remake of the 1932 film of the same name, Scarface (1983) follows Al Pacino as Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant and powerful drug kingpin in the Florida crime scene.

Directed by Brian de Palma, the film is considered to be one of the best films made about crime along with the likes of The Godfather and Goodfellas.

The film currently enjoys cult status among serious film buffs. Even Martin Scorsese himself praised the movie.

In A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Clint Eastwood stars in the breakout role of his career as a mysterious gunslinger called The Man with No Name.

In this spaghetti western film, we see Eastwood’s character manipulate crime gangs in a small town into killing each other.

The film is a remake of an Akira Kurosawa film called Yojimbo (1961). Both films have more or less the same story but with Sergio Leone’s version replacing samurais with gunslingers.