Do I have to like it better than the original, or can I just like it the same amount or in a different way?

@MacBean Sure you could do that…. the same. I basically asking what you think of remakes verus orginals.?

I usually & with good cause despise remakes. Especially when they maul British classics. The Italian Job & Get Carter being two prime examples. There are however a few that did in my opinion better their counterparts. These include : Mutiny on the Bounty 1962 with Brando & Howard, way better than the 1935 original with Gable & Laughton. The Fly, Cronenberg’s 1986 offering & Carpenter’s 1982 remake of The Fly. Not many of them around so to be treasured when you do find the odd one or two.

If I thought about it longer, I might come up with some remakes I think are better than their originals. At best, I may just like some differently.

Two examples: I love the original “Ocean’s Eleven” because of Sinatra and the Rat Pack. The boys play it like they do all their movies, fast and loose. And though the plot is campy and silly, it’s fun. In the Clooney & Company remakes, the plots get into mission impossible territory (something I’m getting a bit tired of), but all the acting and dialog are great. The thing I like most about both the original and the remakes is the camaraderie among the guys.

Then there are the two “The Hulk” films. First time I saw the Bana version, I hated the CGI, the darkness of the scenes, and the over-the-top subplot about his father. I liked the remake better. All the exposition is done away with under the opening credits, and the story is – if this is possible – marginally more credible. The CGI is excellent, and though I think Norton is miscast, still, I like him in it.

However, I recently watched the original on DVD and found I like it much better this time. Looks like the digital geniuses have brightened all the dark scenes, and since in the years since I’ve become more familiar with Bana’s acting, I like his performance better than originally. I also like Jennifer C. much more then Liv T.

Oh, and @ucme, I totally agree about the Brando version of “Mutiney.” Too bad the critics were so brutal when it came out.
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@Austinlad They were? Way before my time see, but I do love some “old stuff” particularly comedy. Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy etc.

The Fly was a pretty good update of the original. But the original fly was stellar in it’s own right. Both are awesome movies….creepy and awesome creepy!!
“help me!! HELP ME”!!

John Carpenter’s The Thing
The Fly
Little Shop of Horrors
12 Monkeys (remake of “Le Jet”)
Never Say Never Again (remake of “Thunderball”)

I liked Savini’s Night of the Living dead better than the original.
Maybe because Barbara wasn’t such a wimp in the remake

Movies that are more re-imaginings of books than remakes of older movies, & I like both:
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– Charlie and the Chocolate Factory / Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
– The Stepford Wives
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Remakes that were as good as the original:
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– The Omen
– The Birdcage
– Funny Games
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Remakes that I prefer to the original:
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– The Amityville Horror
– Pulse
– The Wicker Man (but it’s still garbage)
– The Last House on the Left (also still garbage)
– When a Stranger Calls
– The Thomas Crown Affair
– The Manchurian Candidate
– Jakob the Liar
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Note: When I watch originals and remakes, I watch them together, even if I’ve seen one before. The original first, then the remake.

There are very few remakes as good as the original. One is “I am legend”, which is a remake of “The Omega Man”.

I would have to say that the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street was a good remake, the remake of Clash of the Titans was much better than the original in my opinion, and 3:10 to Yuma was definitely better.

Hairspray is the first that springs to mind.

@Winters clash was better?! bah. The original clash of the titans is one of the best movies and they just completely butchered the hell out of it. If they would have kept the same story and just changed the effects to meet our current standards it would have been great, but no Hollywood had to go fuckin with it like they always do….. </ rant>

@rts486 Not really a remake. Another adaptation of the book. And it fucks up the ending and pretty much ditches the whole point of the source material. Will Smith was good in it, though.

@uberbatman Well, to each his own.

I have not seen seen any that were “better” just different.

The Fly is a good example. Something creepy about the original that cant be reproduced.
The remake was well done with a fresh approach.

The Omega Man would have been a great opportunity to take a classic of its time and give a solid modern twist. “I am legend” was a total flop, focusing on special effects and a weak story line in an attempt to out do the original plot.

Now I would LOVE to see A Boy and His Dog (1975) be remade.

Dune the second time was more in depth, and I thought The Shining was done much better the second time as well.

I like the new The Producers better, but that’s pretty rare. I HATE the new Stepford Wives, it totally ruins it and makes it pointless.

I’m actually not a fan of the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I much prefer the older version.

I am, however, a big fan of the remake of The Parent Trap (With Lindsay Lohan and Lindsay Lohan), I like it better than the older version, which we actually happen to own on VHS I think.

Chicago a remake of Roxie Hart which was also a very good movie.