A remake scoring better than its original counterpart? Rare, but it’s been done before as seen in this week’s gallery of every movie remake that got a higher Tomatometer than the first try!
Coming off a summer that had The Dark Tower, audiences and Stephen King fans had their skepticism assauged with this scary and adventurous adaptation.
True Grit (1969, 90%) True Grit (2010, 96%)
“We’re more faithful to the book” is an oft-trotted excuse for wholly unecessary remakes (especially when the
original is a beloved John Wayne vehicle) but, dagnabbit, the Coen brothers not only managed to better the 1969
version, they proved Westerns could make more than 12 cents at the box office this century.
Ocean’s Eleven (1960, 48%) Ocean’s Eleven (2001, 82%)
The first Ocean’s is derided by critics for lazily running off the machismo fumes that come from having the
Rat Pack on set at the same time. The remake may have likewise corralled the mega-stars of its day, but director
Steven Soderbergh’s addictive visual panache seals this deal.
The Incredible Journey (1963, 88%) Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993, 89%)
The original Incredible Journey is a perfectly quaint live-action Disney joint from the ’60s, but Homeward
Bound‘s addition of celebrity voices and giving more backstory to the humans rather than the
animals surprisingly increases the family drama, rather than cheapens it.
Yojimbo (1961, 97%) A Fistful of Dollars (1964, 98%)
Yojimbo is considered one of Akira Kurosawa’s best, in a filmography studded with stone-cold masterpieces. The
Clint Eastwood version, the first in Sergio Leone’s legendary Man With No Name trilogy, kept that flame alive in
translating the story for Western audiences.
The Maltese Falcon (1931, 67%) The Maltese Falcon (1941, 100%)
It only took Hollywood two years to make a movie out of Dashiell Hammett’s 1929 novel The Maltese
Falcon, but another 10 before turning it into an enduring masterpiece with Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor.
The Jungle Book (1967, 86%) The Jungle Book (2016, 95%)
What could be more money, literal money, than Jon Favreau behind the camera? He kickstarted the once-in-a-
generation Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2008’s Iron Man and pulled off an even more impossible feat
than getting jocks to embrace their inner nerd: creating a live-action Disney remake that scored higher than the
beloved original.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976, 50%) The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014, 70%)
The original purports to be a true-crime peek inside a sleepy Texas town, with the remake taking a meta
approach: Everything was real — the murders, the movie, all of it — and the townspeople are once more powerless in stopping the kills from happening again.
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1935, 86%) The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956, 91%)
Alfred Hitchcock looked at his early British movie and said, “Hmmm, I could do better.” Who are we to argue with
the master?
The Ten Commandments (1923, 83%) The Ten Commandments (1956, 94%)
Likewise, Cecil B. DeMille transformed his already-expensive silent Biblical epic into an even more
expensive talkie (in VistaVision!) with Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner, to be broadcast well into the post-
apocalypse annually on ABC.
My Bloody Valentine (1981, 50%) My Bloody Valentine (2009, 57%)
The Bloody original stood out during the early-’80s rash of slashers with a baddie in distinctive coal miner
garb and heavilly censored kills. To compete, the remake added 3D…and boobs. Who says critics aren’t in touch
with their baser instincts?
Piranha (1978, 72%) Piranha 3-D (2010, 74%)
Basic instinct, exhibit B: The sight of a severed penis floating serenely in the water had critics rolling in the
aisles. Sorry, James Cameron, all your ingenuity on Piranha II: The Spawning couldn’t top that.
Footloose (1984, 53%) Footloose (2011, 69%)
Footloose has been parodied so many times, we figured it was done out of love or at least a form of non-
derision. Not so, according to critics and the Tomatometer they gave the original. The remake, directed by
Hustle & Flow‘s Craig Brewer, made it off on better footing with them.
The Mechanic (1972, 40%) The Mechanic (2011, 52%)
The Mechanic may not have done much for Charles Bronson’s career, but Jason Statham’s remake did enough business to get a belated sequel.
Freaky Friday (1976, 71%) Freaky Friday (2003, 88%)
Between this and The Parent Trap, remaking old Disney movies was a good gig for lil’ Lindsay Lohan.
Could a new Song of the South be in her comeback cards?
The Crazies (1973, 56%) The Crazies (2010, 71%)
Regardless of their quality, George A. Romero movies always had a hard time gaining cultural traction if they
didn’t have Dead in their titles. The remake, which treated its subject and source movie seriously, had
the extra effect of sending horror fans to seek out the Romero original.
About Last Night (1986, 61%) About Last Night (2014, 69%)
While nobody would mistake either About Last Night as comedy masterpieces with their mild 60% range
Tomatometers, they both capture their moments of modern romance 30 years apart.
Willard (1971, 63%) Willard (2003, 64%)
Only a single point seperates the original rat-fancy movie with its 21st century remake. Conclusion: Crispin
Glover IS the 1%.
