10 Surprising Movies That Are Actually Remakes Of Much Better Films

Christopher Nolan’s 2002 thriller, Insomnia, is actually a remake of a 1997 Norwegian movie of the same name from director Erik Skjoldbjærg. The American movie remake stars big-name actors Al Pacino and Hilary Swank with Robin Williams in an unusual role for his filmography as he plays the dark villain of the movie.

Both films follow police officers as they investigate the murder of a 17-year-old girl, but when one of the detectives makes a fatal mistake, they must cover up their tracks in order to avoid prosecution. The Norwegian original and the American remake were both critically acclaimed films with critics calling the features a refreshing alternative to summer tent poles.

2001’s Ocean’s Eleven, starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, and Brad Pitt, has since become one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises, sprouting multiple sequels and spin-offs. But the movie that many believe is the original is actually a remake. The actual original Ocean’s Eleven came out in 1960 and starred the famous Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop.

The movie remake follows Clooney’s character, Danny Ocean, a guy fresh out of prison who violates his parole by pulling together a team of accomplices in order to rob three Los Vegas casinos at the same time. 

While many who watched Ocean’s 11 in their youth might find the original movie to be better than its remake, that’s likely the nostalgia talking. Critics received Ocean’s 11 with mixed reviews, stating that the Rat Pack was pretty much just playing themselves and that the film was just one more wisecrack and/or song away from being a contrived musical comedy. Whereas, Ocean’s Eleven was released to high critical praise and holds a Certified Fresh rating of 83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The epic crime thriller, The Departed (2006), is a remake of the Hong Kong action thriller, Internal Affairs from 2002. The movie remake boasts an all-star cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg, with Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson, and James Badge Dale. Martin Scorsese directed the American version of the movie, whereas the Hong Kong version it’s based on was helmed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak.

Both films follow the same plot: a mole and an undercover cop in a police department attempt to identify one another. However, Scorsese raises the stakes even further by adding the complications of infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston at the same time.

Critics highly praised both films, though the original movie is considered better than the remake, if only slightly. While critics loved the cast of Scorsese’s film and Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 91 percent approval rating, the original was given a 94 percent approval rating with critics lauding the film for being “smart and engrossing.”

The Birdcage is a 1996 remake of the French 1978 film, La Cage aux Folles, which is actually also a remake of a stage play with the same name. The Williams-led film follows a gay cabaret owner and his drag queen life partner as they pretend to be straight in order to meet the conservative parents of their son’s new fiance.

In addition to Williams, the movie remake also stars Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, and Dianne West. Both films were critical and box office successes, with The Birdcage snagging the number one spot at the theaters for three weeks in a row and receiving an overall 83 percent approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes. However, the original movie is considered better than the remake, with a 95 percent approval rating, and has remained the number 11 most successful foreign language movie ever released in the United States, even more than 40 years after its initial release.

The Thing is another example of a movie remake that was based on a film that was based on something else. The 1982 horror classic, The Thing was based on the 1951 movie The Thing From Another World, which was based on the novella “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell Jr.

The plot of the movie remake revolves around a team of American scientists stationed in Antarctica who come across an alien creature called “The Thing” that infects and mimics other living beings. The film was helmed by John Carpenter, written by Bill Lancaster, and stars Kurt Russell. Both films were highly praised by critics and are considered Certified Fresh, but the original movie faired slightly better, earning an 86 percent approval from Rotten Tomatoes, in comparison to The Thing’s 84 percent approval rating.

Often considered one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best movies, True Lies stars the Austrian actor and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film follows a U.S. government agent who struggles to find a balance between work life and family life. But the 1994 classic is actually a movie remake of a French film that came out three years earlier called La Totale! which follows the same plot.

While the Schwarzenegger remake received a lot more attention than the original French film, True Lies owes all of its success to La Totale! James Cameron worked closely with the French filmmaker Claude Zidi, who wrote and directed the original, in order to better adapt the story for American audiences.

It seems that movie remakes and film reboots aren’t just a symptom of the modern age, but have always been a common strategy for Hollywood film creation. The classic Rick Moranis musical Little Shop of Horrors was actually a film adaptation of the 1982 Broadway musical of the same name, which was actually an adaptation of the 1960 movie of the same name. There’s even a rumor that the original movie, written by Charles B. Griffith, was actually based on a short story by John Collier called “Green Thoughts.”

But whoever the original creator of the story about an inadequate florist who cultivates an alien plant that feeds on human blood was, we’re here for it. Both the original and the movie remake versions of this kooky horror comedy were lauded by critics with the original (which surprisingly stars Jack Nicholson) receiving a 92 percent critical approval rating and the Moranis remake receiving a very solid 90 percent approval.

Vanilla Sky is a movie remake of the Spanish film Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes). It stars Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Jason Lee, and Kurt Russell. Penelope Cruz also starred in the original film, directed by Alejandro Amenábar, and reprised her role for the American Remake. 

Both movies teeter between dreams and reality, as they tell a story of a man who is accused of a murder he didn’t commit. However, while the Spanish film was applauded for Amenábar’s ability to tell a gripping story that brushed between multiple genres, Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky was panned with critics claiming the movie couldn’t find the same graceful balance that the original film mastered so well.

A Fistful of Dollars is an Italian-made Spaghetti Western about the American West based on a Japanese action movie. The movie was released three years after the Japanese original, Yojimbo. Both films follow the same plot of rival gangs being pitted up against each other, just in different settings as A Fistful of Dollars features gunslingers, and Yojimbo showcases talented samurai.

In fact, the two films were so similar that A Fistful of Dollars had a delayed release in the United States out of fear that the production company would be sued by Yojimbo’s director, Akira Kurosawa. Additionally, while Yojimbo was nominated for an Academy Award and went down in history as one of the greatest movies of all time, its remake was critically panned and criticized for being full of clichés.

A little-known fact about the Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer action crime drama from 1995, called Heat, is that the movie was actually a remake of a made-for-TV movie called L.A. Takedown. Michael Mann wrote and directed both L.A. Takedown and Heat, adapting both movies from a script he wrote originally as a pilot for a TV series. When the series didn’t get picked up, the pilot was adapted for the television movie, and then eventually remade into the action classic starring an A-list set of actors.

Heat was critically applauded and is seen as an example of Mann’s mastery of the crime thriller genre. L.A. Takedown wasn’t received nearly as well as the movie’s remake was and was most criticized for the cast’s bad acting. However, Heat owes all of its success to its predecessor as working through both projects allowed Mann to master the story he wanted to tell.