Another Top 10 Worst Hollywood Remakes
movies, films, worst movies, remakes, worst remakes, worst hollywood remakes, the fog, the wolfman, a nightmare on elm street, swept away, arthur, red dawn, oldboy, clash of the titans, total recall, alice in wonderland, WatchMojo, top 10,
Script written by Matthew Thomas.
Why can’t we just leave things alone? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for another top 10 worst Hollywood remakes.
If you didn’t see a movie you think should be on this list, be sure to check out our first video of the Top 10 Worst Hollywood Remakes.
The only good thing this film seemed to have accomplished was that it’s tempered Madonna’s numerous attempts at acting, aside from a subsequent minor cameo in a Bond film as well as a voice-over role. Directed by her then-husband Guy Ritchie, this 2002 remake of the 1974 Italian comedy-drama managed the impressive feat of being the lowest rated movie of the starlet’s film career with a meager 5% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Alright, it might not be in the strictest sense a remake, but we think it’s absolutely close enough, especially considering it’s made by Disney, which also produced the ‘50s animated version. If there was any question that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton as a duo have lost their way, then this film put that debate to rest. It’s obvious that Burton attempted to make a colorful film, but “Alice in Wonderland” missed the mark with its heavy reliance on CGI and grotesque visuals that fall incredibly short of the magical worlds Burton had previously created. Worst of all, the film is bland and brings virtually nothing new to the legacy of the Lewis Carroll story.
At one time, Benicio del Toro was the patron saint of the film fan and film snob alike, and then he started movies like this awful horror film. A remake of one of the most legendary and enduring horror film classics of all time, “The Wolfman” could have worked. We can just imagine a film executive watching the original and exclaiming, “Let’s strip it of all emotion and grit and replace it with sanitary CGI effects and stilted acting for a good time!” Shockingly, that hypothetical executive got it all wrong, as you can tell by this flick.
The original “Total Recall” was a unique film with out-there characters and even crazier effects; we’ll never forget the first time we saw Arnie’s head expanding crazily in Mars’ atmosphere. By contrast, this remake is a boring by-the-numbers sci-fi film that seemed to think if they throw in a three-breasted lady it would live up to the expectations of fans. Sharing nothing but a few names and minor elements with the original, there is nothing unique or worthy in this film.
If Zeus were a movie fan, we could easily see his trusty lightning bolts being put to good use after he watched this travesty of a film. When a film so clearly fails to take advantage of stories that are so universal and compelling that they have been handed down for generations, you know something is wrong. But that was the case with this “Clash of the Titans.” And let’s not forget to mention its truly atrocious 3D conversion, which led director Louis Leterrier to refer to it as “famously rushed and famously horrible.”
In the last several years, director John Carpenter has seen a lot of his work remade to dubious results, and “The Fog” did nothing to redeem that trend. Earning a pathetic 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, this film is the lowest rated of any of the movies on this list. Every moment of the horror movie - save for the bloody deaths - are an exercise in tedium. Viewers everywhere left it feeling like they’d been beaten into a fog of disgust.
Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions.
- “The Stepford Wives” (2004)
- “Death at a Funeral” (2010)
- “Footloose” (2011)
- “Around the World in 80 Days” (2004)
- “When a Stranger Calls” (2006)
There are certain actors who are not equipped to be the leading man in a film, and if they were to elect a president of their club, Russell Brand would be a shoo-in – this movie’s proof. Tasked with taking over a role famously brought to life by the incomparable Dudley Moore, Brand fails miserably here. The thing that made the original film such a critical and financial smash was the legitimate affection you felt for the film’s leads. Arthur may not have been a boy scout, but he was incurably likeable. The new film substitutes him with an irritating jerk that we wish had never sullied the bad name of Arthur Bach. Did we mention it was a box office failure and the 2 Razzie nods?
Do you agree with our list? Which Hollywood remake do you think is the worst? For more entertaining Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
Another Top 10 Worst Hollywood Remakes
Why can’t we just leave things alone? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for another top 10 worst Hollywood remakes.
If you didn’t see a movie you think should be on this list, be sure to check out our first video of the Top 10 Worst Hollywood Remakes.
#10: “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (2010)
The story of Freddy Krueger has had a faithful following since Robert Englund first sported the razor glove and red and green sweater we’ve grown to love. And somehow with just one film, the people behind the 2010 reboot managed to strip him of everything that made him so frightful and “charming” to begin with. By playing up the sex deviant elements of the original story and dialling back any of the scariness or laughs he was known for made this modern Freddy, and by extension, the entire film just unpleasant.#9: “Swept Away” (2002)
The only good thing this film seemed to have accomplished was that it’s tempered Madonna’s numerous attempts at acting, aside from a subsequent minor cameo in a Bond film as well as a voice-over role. Directed by her then-husband Guy Ritchie, this 2002 remake of the 1974 Italian comedy-drama managed the impressive feat of being the lowest rated movie of the starlet’s film career with a meager 5% on Rotten Tomatoes.
#8: “Alice in Wonderland” (2010)
Alright, it might not be in the strictest sense a remake, but we think it’s absolutely close enough, especially considering it’s made by Disney, which also produced the ‘50s animated version. If there was any question that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton as a duo have lost their way, then this film put that debate to rest. It’s obvious that Burton attempted to make a colorful film, but “Alice in Wonderland” missed the mark with its heavy reliance on CGI and grotesque visuals that fall incredibly short of the magical worlds Burton had previously created. Worst of all, the film is bland and brings virtually nothing new to the legacy of the Lewis Carroll story.
#7: “The Wolfman” (2010)
At one time, Benicio del Toro was the patron saint of the film fan and film snob alike, and then he started movies like this awful horror film. A remake of one of the most legendary and enduring horror film classics of all time, “The Wolfman” could have worked. We can just imagine a film executive watching the original and exclaiming, “Let’s strip it of all emotion and grit and replace it with sanitary CGI effects and stilted acting for a good time!” Shockingly, that hypothetical executive got it all wrong, as you can tell by this flick.
#6: “Total Recall” (2012)
The original “Total Recall” was a unique film with out-there characters and even crazier effects; we’ll never forget the first time we saw Arnie’s head expanding crazily in Mars’ atmosphere. By contrast, this remake is a boring by-the-numbers sci-fi film that seemed to think if they throw in a three-breasted lady it would live up to the expectations of fans. Sharing nothing but a few names and minor elements with the original, there is nothing unique or worthy in this film.
#5: “Oldboy” (2013)
Sometimes when filmmakers decide to remake a film, it leaves observers and filmgoers scratching their heads. This is one of those cases. If you were given the task of successfully bringing a foreign language film that has a massive following from critics and fans alike to western audiences, it’ll undoubtedly be a daunting task. It seemed it was too daunting for the people behind 2013’s “Oldboy,” which added nothing new to the edginess of the original while simultaneously stripping the story of any of the grit or danger.#4: “Red Dawn” (2012)
Chris Hemsworth is the actor who brought “Thor” to life on the big screen and starred in the acclaimed film, “The Cabin in the Woods.” So you’d think his role in this war flick should have gained it the attention of filmgoers. Yet somehow, this remake of the eighties classic was so ill conceived that very few ever bothered watching it. Earning a Razzie nomination for worst prequel, “Red Dawn” managed the impressive feat of making the ridiculous plot of the original even less nuanced - and worst of all the film is not even so bad it’s good. It’s just plain bad.#3: “Clash of the Titans” (2010)
If Zeus were a movie fan, we could easily see his trusty lightning bolts being put to good use after he watched this travesty of a film. When a film so clearly fails to take advantage of stories that are so universal and compelling that they have been handed down for generations, you know something is wrong. But that was the case with this “Clash of the Titans.” And let’s not forget to mention its truly atrocious 3D conversion, which led director Louis Leterrier to refer to it as “famously rushed and famously horrible.”
#2: “The Fog” (2005)
In the last several years, director John Carpenter has seen a lot of his work remade to dubious results, and “The Fog” did nothing to redeem that trend. Earning a pathetic 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, this film is the lowest rated of any of the movies on this list. Every moment of the horror movie - save for the bloody deaths - are an exercise in tedium. Viewers everywhere left it feeling like they’d been beaten into a fog of disgust.
Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions.
- “The Stepford Wives” (2004)
- “Death at a Funeral” (2010)
- “Footloose” (2011)
- “Around the World in 80 Days” (2004)
- “When a Stranger Calls” (2006)
#1: “Arthur” (2011)
There are certain actors who are not equipped to be the leading man in a film, and if they were to elect a president of their club, Russell Brand would be a shoo-in – this movie’s proof. Tasked with taking over a role famously brought to life by the incomparable Dudley Moore, Brand fails miserably here. The thing that made the original film such a critical and financial smash was the legitimate affection you felt for the film’s leads. Arthur may not have been a boy scout, but he was incurably likeable. The new film substitutes him with an irritating jerk that we wish had never sullied the bad name of Arthur Bach. Did we mention it was a box office failure and the 2 Razzie nods?
Do you agree with our list? Which Hollywood remake do you think is the worst? For more entertaining Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
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