Cinematic Reinventions: 25 Movie Remakes Outshining Their Originals

Though somewhat unoriginal, movie remake is a frequently employed tactic in the filmmaking industry. While most remakes often fall short of the original films, there are instances where the revamped versions surpass the initial iterations in both critical acclaim and audience reception.

To identify superior movie remakes, CEOWORLD magazine devised an index utilizing average ratings from IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, along with audience scores and Tomatometer scores from Rotten Tomatoes. As of mid-September 2023, the rankings were based on the variance between the index score of each remake and that of the original film.

Filmmakers and producers may revisit movies for various reasons; more often than not, it is to leverage familiarity with the previous version to attract existing audiences while also enticing new viewers. Reboots offer a chance for film enthusiasts to relive the original experience while presenting a novel perspective on the source material.

Sometimes, there is an active demand from movie aficionados for reboots featuring their beloved characters. Additionally, technological advancements often play a crucial role in enhancing the visual and thematic elements of the original film. Technology frequently drives the remakes, especially in the realm of science fiction and horror.

Filmmakers like John Carpenter and David Cronenberg often employed the same. Sci-fi classics from the 1950s, such as “The Thing” (1951) and “The Fly” (1958), have been revitalized by these filmmakers, who incorporated cutting-edge special effects in the 1980s.

Some remakes draw inspiration from foreign films, adapting them to cater to a broader American audience. Israeli thriller “Ha-Hov” into “The Debt” and the reimagining of Iceland’s “Á annan veg” (or “Either Way”) as “Prince Avalanche,” set in rural Texas, are some examples of such transformations.

If certain remakes appear shortly after the original, a few reboots have surfaced even after a 60-year gap (as seen in the case of “West Side Story”). The majority of the 25 remakes on our list were released in the 21st century. This trend suggests that Hollywood remains committed to the remake strategy, with occasional improvements and innovations in the art of storytelling.

Here’s the list of 25 such reboots, which are better than the original:

1. 3:10 to Yuma (2007) vs. 3:10 to Yuma (1957)
   IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 vs. 7.6/10
   Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% vs. 79%
   Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% vs. 96%
2. The Mechanic (2011) vs. The Mechanic (1972)
   IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 vs. 6.9/10
   Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 51% vs. 65%
   Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 53% vs. 33%
3. Prince Avalanche (2013) vs. Either Way (2011)
   IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 vs. 6.6/10
   Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 53% vs. 65%
   Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% vs. 65%
4. The Debt (2010) vs. Ha-Hov (2007)
   IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 vs. 6.9/10
   Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% vs. 69%
   Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% vs. 69%
5. West Side Story (2021) vs. West Side Story (1961)
   IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 vs. 7.5/10
   Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% vs. 84%
   Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% vs. 91%
6. Wrong Turn (2021) vs. Wrong Turn (2003)
   IMDb user rating: 5.5/10 vs. 6.1/10
   Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 46% vs. 54%
   Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 65% vs. 40%
7. Fever Pitch (2005) vs. Fever Pitch (1997)
   IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 vs. 6.7/10
   Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% vs. 59%
   Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 65% vs. 50%
8. The Fly (1986) vs. The Fly (1958)
   IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 vs. 7.1/10
   Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% vs. 71%
   Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% vs. 95%
9. Freaky Friday (2003) vs. Freaky Friday (1976)
   IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 vs. 6.3/10
   Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% vs. 57%
   Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% vs. 70%
10. We Are What We Are (2013) vs. We Are What We Are (2010)
    IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 vs. 5.7/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 50% vs. 48%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% vs. 72%
11. Willard (2003) vs. Willard (1971)
    IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 vs. 6.2/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 51% vs. 38%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 64% vs. 57%
12. The Crazies (2010) vs. The Crazies (1973)
    IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 vs. 6.1/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 56% vs. 43%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 70% vs. 69%
13. Scent of a Woman (1992) vs. Scent of a Woman (1974)
    IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 vs. 7.6/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% vs. 83%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% vs. 83%
14. Lassie (2005) vs. Lassie (1994)
    IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 vs. 5.9/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% vs. 55%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% vs. 88%
15. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) vs. The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
    IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 vs. 6.3/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% vs. 55%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% vs. 92%
16. The Thing (1982) vs. The Thing from Another World (1951)
    IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 vs. 7.1/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% vs. 73%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% vs. 86%
17. True Lies (1994) vs. La Totale! (1991)
    IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 vs. 6.3/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% vs. 63%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% vs. 63%
18. CODA (2021) vs. The Bélier Family (2014)
    IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 vs. 7.3/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% vs. 75%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% vs. 83%
19. The Kindergarten Teacher (2018) vs. The Kindergarten Teacher (2014)
    IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 vs. 6.6/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% vs. 45%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% vs. 77%
20. The Departed (2006) vs. Internal Affairs (2002)
    IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 vs. 8.0/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% vs. 59%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% vs. 88%
21. Pete’s Dragon (2016) vs. Pete’s Dragon (1977)
    IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 vs. 6.4/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% vs. 60%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% vs. 56%
22. Ocean’s Eleven (2001) vs. Ocean’s 11 (1960)
    IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 vs. 6.6/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% vs. 81%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% vs. 48%
23. Return to Paradise (1998) vs. Force majeure (1989)
    IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 vs. 6.3/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% vs. 50%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% vs. 50%
24. Dune (2021) vs. Dune (1984)
    IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 vs. 6.4/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% vs. 66%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% vs. 49%
25. The Maltese Falcon (1941) vs. The Maltese Falcon (1931)
    IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 vs. 6.9/10
    Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% vs. 49%
    Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% vs. 71%

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