Nothing is more cringe-worthy as a superfan of a certain movie than to see a Hollywood reboot or remake it in an unsuccessful way—some superfans may even consider successful remakes of their favorite film questionable—but like many things, the film industry is cyclical. And reworking legendary movies is nothing new. In fact, the first cinematic remake happened in 1896, when early cinema pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumière’s “Partie d’écarté,” a simple one-minute film of two men playing cards while they are served wine, was remade by director Georges Méliès as “Une partie de cartes,” and filmed right in Méliès’ own backyard (literally).
Through the years, movie buffs have moaned and groaned through countless remakes. Though the majority of them deserve to be moaned and groaned over, they already have a built-in fanbase and thus are a surefire way for studios to make money. Case in point: Disney’s live-action “Lion King” remake raked in $1.656 billion at the global box office. But for every “Lion King,” there is a “Flatliners” or “The Fog”—though more often than not remakes, even if they do respectable box office, are simply forgettable compared to the original. Anyone remember 2008′s remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still?” (Look it up.)
Stacker surveyed the often-disastrous history of film remakes and found 25 diamonds in the rough. To qualify, the movie had to have at least a 7.5 IMDb user rating with 15,000 votes or a Metascore of 70 with at least seven reviews. Films are organized chronologically.
Read on to learn more about the 10 best movie remakes of all time. How do you think these stack up to the originals?
10. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
- Director: Steven Soderbergh
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 74
- Runtime: 116 minutes
This all-star remake—boasting a cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts—was so popular that it spawned a trilogy, as well as a female-led reboot, 2018′s “Ocean’s Eight.” The 1960 original featured the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop). Though both are heist movies, the conceit of the original is that former Army buddies collaborate to rob five casinos in one night, whereas Soderbergh took his version into a more straightforward crime-from-crime territory—all 11 principles are career thieves of one sort or another.
9. Insomnia (2002)
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 118 minutes
This remake came very quickly on the heels of the original 1997 Norwegian psychological thriller, starring Stellan Skarsgård. Al Pacino stars alongside Robin Williams and Hilary Swank in this version, which sets the action in remote Alaska. The film was generally well-received, though at least one critic saw a good Nolan film but a less-than-stellar adaptation.
8. King Kong (2005)
- Director: Peter Jackson
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 187 minutes
King Kong is the original movie monster. The giant ape first appeared on film in 1933 and has since been immortalized in everything from comics to video games. The first “King Kong” remake, starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, came in 1976, on the heels of Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws,” which enlivened Hollywood’s appetite for the big tentpole picture. Then, in 2005, Peter Jackson tried his hand at rebooting the classic monster flick. His version became the fifth highest-grossing film of the year globally, and has since renewed interest in the creative property, spawning 2017′s “Kong: Skull Island” and 2021′s “Godzilla vs. Kong.”
7. The Departed (2006)
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Metascore: 85
- Runtime: 151 minutes
“The Departed” may be one of the most critically acclaimed remakes of all time. Martin Scorsese’s crime thriller is loosely based on the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang and is also a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film “Infernal Affairs.” The movie took home four Oscars at the 79th Annual Academy Awards, including Best Picture and—finally, after five previous nominations—Best Director for Scorsese.
6. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
- Director: James Mangold
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 122 minutes
“3:10 to Yuma” is a remake of the 1957 movie of the same name. Both Westerns were based on the 1953 short story “Three-Ten to Yuma” by crime writer Elmore Leonard. James Mangold’s 2007 version stays pretty true to the story, aside from Russell Crowe’s depiction of outlaw Ben Wade being much more psychopathic and chaotic than Glenn Ford’s in the original.
5. Let Me In (2010)
- Director: Matt Reeves
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 116 minutes
“Let Me In” is an English-language adaptation of the 2008 Swedish romantic horror film “Let the Right One In.” John Nordling and Carl Molinder, who produced the original movie, also produced the remake. Hammer Films asked original director Tomas Alfredson to helm the remake, but he rejected the offer, stating, “I am too old to make the same film twice and I have other stories that I want to tell.”
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
- Director: David Fincher
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 158 minutes
Another remake that came swiftly on the heels of the original bases itself on Stieg Larsson’s book “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” published posthumously in 2005 to outstanding acclaim. So much so that a Swedish film called “Män som hatar kvinnor” (literal translation “Men Who Hate Women”) was released in 2009. Two years later, this English-language adaptation was released, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. Its modest box office returns quashed plans for a direct sequel, though a soft reboot/sequel was released in 2018 called “The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” which recast Claire Foy as the film’s main character, Lisbeth Salander.
3. A Star Is Born (2018)
- Director: Bradley Cooper
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 88
- Runtime: 136 minutes
Bradley Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” is the fourth time this tale has been brought to the silver screen. The 1937 original won an Oscar for Best Original Story (a category since discontinued by the Academy) and spawned remakes in 1954 (a comeback vehicle for Judy Garland) and 1976 (a smash hit for Barbra Streisand, which put the story in the world of rock ‘n’ roll) before 2018′s iteration. The film received several Oscar nods, but it was the music that really got people talking. Cooper and Lady Gaga’s duet, “Shallow,” won Best Original Song at the 91st Annual Academy Awards.
2. Little Women (2019)
- Director: Greta Gerwig
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 91
- Runtime: 135 minutes
Louisa May Alcott’s 19th-century novel has received a great number of adaptations in film, on stage, and on television. The first film adaptation came out in 1917. The 1933 version, starring Katharine Hepburn, was perhaps the first widespread success; the story was set to see the silver screen again in 1949—and yet again in 1994, as a vehicle for Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon. Despite the story being told so many times, there is seemingly no lack of appetite for new interpretations—Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation garnered six Academy Award nominations.
1. Dune (2021)
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 74
- Runtime: 155 minutes
David Lynch’s 1984 interpretation of “Dune” may have bombed upon initial release, but it became, in the intervening years, a cult classic. Interest in Frank Herbert’s desert-scape epic never really waned, and director Denis Villeneuve’s remake, which is actually just the first part of a two-part series, not only found box office success despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it also scored big with the Academy, garnering six of the 10 Oscars for which it was nominated.