Five Film Remakes (plus one) That Are Better Than The Originals

I was sitting around talking with friends the other day.  We got to discussing the best film remakes ever made.  Remakes that were actually better than the originals.  Now, we dismissed all the recent reboots and remakes that is all the rage right now in Hollywood.  Debating whether 2012's Amazing Spider-Man is better than 2002's Spider-Man isn't really want we wanted to cover.  Besides, isn't that a question best left for the ages, for film scholars to discuss and debate way in the future.  No, we wanted to get down to the nitty-gritty.  We wanted a list of the top five, with one more as an honorable mention (I won't say which of this list got that distinction).  But here goes the list, not in any particular order:

Heat (1995)

If you're like me, you probably didn't even know this was remake.  What's more is that it is a remake by the same director, Michael Mann!  Heat (1995) is a retelling of Mann's 1989 television movie, "L.A. Takedown".  The main plot remains the same, the colliding of wills that occurs when Vincent, the cop (Al Pacino) is set against master criminal, Neil (Robert DeNiro).  The original starred Scott Plank as Vincent, and Alex McArthur as the master criminal, this time named Patrick.  "L.A. Takedown" was shot in about two weeks and aired on NBC as a pilot for a planned series.

Mann's theatrical take is an immeasurable improvement over his former version.  He was able to refine his script, lose sequences that detracted from the narrative flow, and just happened to be able to get two of the most intense actors of the era (before DeNiro got into parody-mode, a story for another time).  If you ever have the chance to see the original, or come across the DVD, watch it and you'll see...Mann's revised version is the better of the two.

Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

First, let me state that I am a fan of The Rat Pack's classic 1960 original.  The chemistry that existed between Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, and Joey Bishop was phenomenal.  But, honestly, this film was no more than an excuse for them all to get together and party in Las Vegas under the guise of filming a movie.  The film itself is a bit of a let-down with an unsatisfying ending.

Steven Soderbergh’s version updated the heist, added an unbelievable ensemble of today's most charismatic actors. and managed to kick off a rather successful trilogy.  The updated story, with George Clooney taking over for Sinatra, is a great mix of personalities, laughs, twists, and overall fun!  The 2001 version is everything the original wishes it could have been!

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Definitely at the top of the list when it comes to Film Noir, the film features outstanding performances by Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sidney Greenstreet.  Based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett, director John Huston's 1941 adaptation was actually the third time the story was brought to the silver screen. Director Roy Del Ruth brought his version to the screen in 1931, starring Ricardo Cortez and Bebe Daniels.  Del Ruth's version was pre-code and therefore more provocative and featured a possibly grittier Sam Spade.  Many say Del Ruth's version stayed truest to Hammett's version of Sam Spade.   That film was followed by the 1936 comedy version, Satan Met A Lady, directed by William Dieterle and starring Bette Davis and Warren William.  Unfortunately the script was mediocre at best and star power just couldn't save the film from falling into obscurity.  Huston's adaptation towers over the others, however, by force of the sheer talent he gathered for his cast.  The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, but alas failed capture any of them.

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Director Frank Oz’s dark comedy, horror musical was well received but has really found its stride in home video and late night theater special presentations!  The original film was a low-budget effort by the legendary Roger Corman in 1960.  Corman's version is a classic, don't get me a wrong, a true cult classic.  It even features a young Jack Nicholson!  Then, in 1982, an off-Broadway (then Broadway) musical adaptation, by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, became a huge hit.  It only made sense to update the story for film once more and build upon the comedy of the original while maintaining the great musical numbers of the theater-version.  The result is the more popular Frank Oz film.

The Thing (1982)

In 1951, director Howard Hawks introduced filmgoers to The Thing from Another World.  James Arness (yes, Marshal Dillon from "Gunsmoke") plays a vegetable-based alien life frozen in the Arctic wasteland only to be discovered and accidentally thawed out.  He goes on a murderous rampage throughout an isolated Arctic research station before being electrocuted by our heroic cast, lead by Kenneth Tobey.  It's a classic.  I love it.  It's classic 1950s science fiction.  But that's just the point, 1950s science fiction.  The film just doesn't hold up as well today.

However....John Carpenter's version successfully melds science fiction with his own horror styling and gives us a thriller we can never forget!  Carpenter's 1982 version, has the isolated research station again finding something frozen in ice.  It turns out to be a parasitic alien that can take the shape of any living being it happens to catch alone.  Both film versions are based on a novel by  John W. Campbell Jr., entitled "Who Goes There?"

Though it was never a big hit at the box office, Carpenter's film is one of the staples of the science fiction horror genre.  The special effects, the mood, the mystery, not knowing who is human and who is the alien, all come together to bring us one of the scariest films of my generation.  There are still debates to this day as to how the film really ends, who remained human and was the alien killed?  If Carpenter knows, he isn't saying, and that only adds to the popularity and mystique of the film.  Don't get me wrong, I still highly recommend anyone see the original if you ever get the chance, but Carpenter's version will stay with you long after you have left the theater!

The Fly (1986)

When it comes to science fiction horror, the original The Fly (1958), directed by Kurt Neumann,  falls prey to the same problems as The Thing from Another World.  The original was great for its time, with a great cast, David Hedison, Patricia Owens, and the incomparable Vincent Price.  However, the film just doesn't hold up as well today.

David Cronenberg’s 1986 film was a total immersive experience in body horror, eliciting a haptic response that is off the charts!  The film became known for the grossest special effects and award-winning make-up.  Starring Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum, as the brilliant scientist who begins to transform into a human/fly hybrid after an experiment goes horribly wrong.  Aargh!  I get chills just thinking about Goldblum's transformation.  Which, I guess is exactly the response Cronenberg would want.  There is a reason he is the king of body horror.