Are film remakes really that good?

For anniversaries and milestones of films, there are often discussions of remaking the originals to celebrate the original. However, it raises the question did they really need to remake the film, and did they ruin the original?

Remakes have always been popular in film as it’s an easy way to make a movie successful as it’ll already have an audience. A Star is Born has been remade three times, but the 2018 version was critically praised and loved by audiences showing that remakes can be creative and provide a fresh perspective.

Unfortunately, not all remakes are like this. Some are mediocre, some are okay, and some are just utterly terrible. Here are five of the worst remakes that dishonour the original films.

Thunderbirds (2004)

Director: Jonathan Frakes

You’d think a remake based on marionette puppetry from the 60s would be miles better than the original. Sadly, that isn’t the case. The acting in this film is more wooden than the actual puppets and the actual Thunderbird crew are barely in the film. The film struggled to find a genre as it goes from one extreme to another. One minute you’re in a teen drama, and the next you are in a goofy Nickelodeon movie.

The main thing I took away from this film was the shameless Ford product placement. If that’s what you want in a movie, then Thunderbirds is for you.

Dragonball: Evolution (2009)

Director: James Wong

This was the first official live-action adaptation of the Dragon Ball series, but the film was destroyed by fans and critics. Goku is one of the most famous characters to originate from Japanese manga – known as a goofy but powerful Saiyan fighter. The live-action remake makes him into a whiny and pathetic high-schooler who takes himself too seriously.

Sadly, the poor characterisation doesn’t end there as the rest of the characters are cliché American tropes and nothing like their original counterparts. Dragonball: Evolution isn’t fun, it’s so bad that it may physically hurt you to watch it twice.

Psycho (1998)

Director: Gus Van Sant

Known as the origin of horror and thriller, the original Psycho is one of the most celebrated films in history. From the cinematography to the sense of dread, there’s no way to compete with Alfred Hitchcock. Gus Van Sant knew this and decided that the world needed a shot-for-shot remake of the classic. Nothing new was added to enhance the original and the casting choice for the classic roles was poor. Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates was just frat boy creepy and had none of the charm that Anthony Perkins had to make the role legendary. Do yourself a favour and watch the original 1960 version as it’s way better than the remake.

Point Break (2015)

Director: Ericson Core

Admittedly, the original Point Break from 1991 is not the greatest film ever made but it became a cult favourite. The engaging scenes, the cheesy melodrama and the chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze made it a hit. While the remake had some cool and intense action scenes, that’s all it really had. There’s only one Johnny Utah and Bodhi, and no matter how hard the remake tried…they would never replicate the original.

This isn’t the worst remake ever in a technical sense, but it failed by trying to recreate the magic that Swayze and Reeves had – and nobody could do that.

Oldboy (2013)

Director: Spike Lee

This isn’t a case of the film being terribly bad – it’s just not needed. South’s Korea’s Oldboy from 2003 has been celebrated by film fans across the world. From the cinematography, performances and the heart-wrenching story of revenge, the original was a slam dunk all round. Which is why it’s unknown why Spike Lee decided to do an American remake. Josh Brolin is good in the film and Lee’s directing is good too, but the audience were left to question why this film ever got made in the first place. It falls into the same category as the Psycho remake, as it doesn’t add anything and just copies the original. It’s a bland remake with no added creativity.

By Charlie Vogelsang