Remakes have become a staple in Hollywood, so much that audiences have started to get tired of them. Many have received appropriate criticism (bloodthirsty audiences are always looking for the next film to bash), while others have been embraced and seen wide success.
Along with remakes, there has been a definite rise in franchise films, sequels, and reboots. This is neither inherently good nor bad and no one can deny the success of the films of the DCEU and MCU. In any case, let us explore some films from the 2010s that many may not know are actually remakes and judge each one on its merits.
Pet Sematary (2019)
While the original (1989) was a cult classic (even in a weirdly self-aware way) with all the expected appropriate camp of a movie based on a Stephen King novel (the obvious exception to the camp being The Shining), the remake changed quite a few things from the book and took itself all too seriously.
The book is about an ancient Native American burial ground that brings back the dead and it was quite serious in its themes. It was about familial trauma, love and loss and the lengths people will go to in order to have their loved ones close – whatever “close” means. The original film's campiness did not prevent it from being serious, as it respected its source material which provided the background on the characters that we need to deeply sympathize with them. This is something we just don't see in the remake.
Clash Of The Titans (2010)
While both the 1981 film and its remake are a mashup of the myth of Perseus, with other details and stories pulled from Greek mythology, these two films played out quite differently.
While they both are defined by their action and fantasy, the 81 film did not have the look of an epic blockbuster. It had a flashy 80s aesthetic that one can instantly recognize, and practical effects so bad it is surprising it is an 80s film.
The Wolfman (2010)
This film featured a talented ensemble cast, including Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and Hugo Weaving. While it had skillful performances and impressive special effects, it was considered an otherwise bland film, which was quite an unfair criticism: it had a beautifully haunting and dark aesthetic that was quite distinct.
Nevertheless, it managed to garner neither the cult fanbase nor the critical acclaim of the original 1941 film (which featured a young Bela Lugosi, famous for his role as Dracula). The original’s plot was also more straightforward, something the remake could have benefitted from.
Red Dawn (2012)
Let's be generous and just say that this film had many issues. While its plot was thinly veiled propaganda about American insecurities concerning its international enemies (namely North Korea and Russia), it was also about a brave team of young people defending their nation against all odds, simply because it’s the right thing to do. In other words, it was a huge cliché.
Chris Hemsworth made an honest effort at being a sympathetic protagonist, but the script just would not allow it. Also, the time of the remake itself was ill-chosen, seeing as the 1984 original concerned topical Cold War concerns, while the way in which the remake handled its themes of war and international relations hardly seems relevant anymore.
Exodus: Gods And Kings (2014)
Everyone knows the story… Moses was raised as brother to the Pharaoh, but with his heart set on his people. He went to the Pharaoh and said, “Let my people go” and then … Moses was Christian Bale and the Egyptian Pharaoh wassomehow Joel Edgerton.
As biblical epics go, it was impressive, but there were so many things wrong with this remake, from the lukewarm script to plenty of whitewashing, it was just too difficult to like. The film was a remake of the 1956 The Ten Commandments, which (while obviously still whitewashed) was a considerably superior film.
The Debt (2010)
This film was a remake of the 2007 Israeli film Ha-Hov/HaChov, or in English, The Debt. Not many changes were made from the original film, except the exact identity of the main antagonist. The remake starts with three older Mossad agents that are celebrated because of their achievement of killing Dr. Volger, a former Nazi that participated in the Holocaust. In 1965 they captured him, but he managed to escape.
Ashamed and disheartened, the agents lied about killing him, a lie that they stuck to for almost 35 years. However, when new details come to light about his whereabouts, they cannot hide anymore. Helen Mirren, Ciarán Hinds, and Tom Wilkinson play the older agents, while Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, and Marton Csokas play them in the flashbacks. The film was praised for its thrilling atmosphere and acting.
The Crazies (2010)
This movie is a remake of the classic 1973 horror sci-fi film by George Romero, who was famous for creating the Night Of The Living Dead franchise and other brilliant horror films. The remake stars Timothy Olyphant as the sheriff of a small town (yes, just like Justified) in Iowa, where the residents start behaving abnormally, a situation that soon escalates to violence.
The sheriff and his deputy discover that the town’s river was contaminated from a plane’s cargo that crashed, causing the zombification of the population. As the threat escalates and our protagonists run from both the army and the zombies, they uncover a conspiracy much wider than anything they had expected.
Piranha 3D (2010)
This comedy-horror film was a loose remake of the film Piranha, from 1978. The franchise consists of five films and the original itself was a parody of Jaws. The film starts with a chasm opening at the bottom of a lake following an earthquake. From inside the chasm, myriads of piranhas appear.
When a mutilated body is found on the lake, local Sheriff Julie Forester thinks about closing the lake, but hundreds of college students are there on spring break. As one can imagine, the piranhas cause mayhem and carnage.
Fright Night (2011)
This is probably the best remake of this list (with perhaps the exception of The Debt). A brilliant horror-comedy with the likes of Colin Farrell and David Tennant in supporting roles, it was a remake of Tom Holland’s (no relation to Spiderman) 1985 film of the same name.
Charley, a teenager living in the suburbs of Las Vegas, realizes that many recent missing persons reports coincide with the arrival of his new neighbor, Jerry. When his friend Ed insists that Jerry is a vampire, Charley fights with him, but mysterious occurrances and the disappearance of Ed make him realize that Ed was close to a terrifying truth.
The Tourist (2010)
This romantic action thriller with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp was a remake of the 2005 French film Anthony Zimmer by Jérôme Salle. Paul Bettany (known from his role as Vision in the MCU) and Timothy Dalton (a former James Bond) play in supporting roles.
Jolie plays Elise Clifton-Ward, a woman whose husband is being chased by the French Police, Scotland Yard, and a British mobster. She knows that he has received plastic surgery to become unrecognizable, and even she does not know what he looks like. Her instructions say to find a random man around her husband's age and convince those following her that he is her husband. She chooses Frank (Depp), a man with more secrets than it seems.