Top 10 Dumbest Movie Remake Decisions
#10: Converting to 3D
“Clash of the Titans” (2010) 3D is a powerful thing – it can elevate a movie to new heights… or make it look completely ridiculous. The 2010 remake of “Clash Of The Titans,” a film based on the Greek myth Perseus, is definitely the latter. And to think they almost completely avoided the mistake! The movie was originally set to premiere without any 3D effects whatsoever. However, upon the success of other 3D blockbusters like “Avatar,” the studio insisted that the film be converted. The results were… mixed. While the movie did relatively well initially, it didn’t take long for fans to realize that the effects were sloppy and that they actually cheapened many key aspects of the film – including the monsters and fight scenes.
#9: Making the Plot More About the Kids Than the Animals
“Dumbo” (2019) The original “Dumbo” is like many other Disney classics: a whimsical tale starring talking animals. While the original movie had its fair share of dark moments, there was also a ton of comedic relief. In the live action remake, however, the studio decided that they would trek a more realistic route. They replaced all of the supporting animal characters with human ones, including two children. While this might not have been the worst idea, the change ended up impacting the final story, as the plot starts to focus more on the kids’ backstory. To add insult to injury, one of the main characters from the original, Timothy Mouse, is reduced to a mere visual gag. In an attempt to do something unique, they instead just lost the charm of the original.
#8: Casting Madonna
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“Swept Away” (2002) Madonna isn’t exactly known for her acting chops. That much was evident in this 2002 remake, wherein a wealthy woman and a poor man are stranded on an island together. The main issues people have with Madonna’s performance is that she is unable to eventually make the character likable – something the original did wonderfully. This makes it harder for the audience to sympathize with her character, even when unfortunate things happen to her. The director also attempted to shift to a more romantic plot, completely going against the point of the original film. Overall, audiences found that there was nothing that could have saved this unfortunate reboot.
#7: Changing Godzilla’s Appearance
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“Godzilla” (1998) If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Up until this point in the Godzilla franchise, the monster had an easily recognizable and iconic design. While it may not have been the most polished, it was one that fans loved worldwide. So, when Godzilla suddenly emerged looking wildly different in the 1998 reboot, it was met with negative reviews. The redesign had completely lost the heart and charm of the original. Even the creators of “Godzilla” expressed their dislike for the reimagining of the creature, going so far as to imply that it was disrespectful to both the character and the creators.
#6: Whitewashing the Characters
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“Ghost in the Shell” (2017) This remake of the iconic manga series had the potential to be something great. The premise of the original movie – a world where humans have the ability to augment themselves – is one that is ripe for exploring, and has plenty of potential on its own. However, the studio made the controversial choice to cast Scarlett Johansson as the lead, instead of an Asian actress. This led to immediate online backlash, with many people accusing the actress and studio of cultural appropriation. This sunk the movie’s reputation before it even came out. By the time it was released, the damage was already done. Despite the remake having impressive visual effects and cinematography, it wasn’t enough for audiences to look past the casting.
#5: Trying to Start the Dark Universe
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“The Mummy” (2017) It seems inevitable that the success of Marvel’s cinematic universe would inspire other studios to start their own. 2017’s “The Mummy” was intended to be the first movie in Universal Picture’s “Dark Universe”, which was to be a series centered around the studio’s classic monsters. One thing Universal didn’t take into account, though, was that audiences wouldn’t have quite the same attachment to these characters as they do to those in the Marvel franchise. Additionally, they poured so much time and money into the branding, and put seemingly no effort into the actual movie… One of the trailers didn’t even have music! What was left was a marketing attempt disguised as a film and, needless to say, the Dark Universe fell before it even began.
#4: Making It PG-13
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“RoboCop” (2014) Fans of the “Total Recall” franchise will tell you that adjusting a movie’s rating to appeal to a younger audience just isn’t worth it.In a movie called “RoboCop”, what more could one expect besides an intense action film about a robot police officer fighting villains? While the original film glorified the violence caused by RoboCop, those in charge of the remake had other ideas and decided that the movie would be more accessible if it was given a PG-13 rating. What resulted was a sanitized version of the original character, one that fans just found boring. While “RoboCop” didn’t need to be excessively violent, the utter lack of it just felt unrealistic.
#3: Ape Lincoln
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“Planet of the Apes” (2001) The ending to the original “Planet of the Apes” is widely beloved by fans of the franchise, and is considered to be very poignant. So, naturally, when it came to the reboot, the studio decided to go in the opposite direction. (Why stick with what you know works, right?) The result of this unfortunate decision was Ape Lincoln: a version of the Lincoln Memorial where Lincoln is replaced with Thade, the general of the apes. This ending is a complete 180 from the original’s, and audiences complained that all of the meaning had been stripped for a throwaway joke. Up until that point, it hadn’t been bad, per se, but this ending caused audiences to look at the whole movie through a much more critical lens.
#2: Making the Movie Too Soon After the Original
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“Oldboy” (2013) The original “Oldboy” – a movie about one man’s revenge against an organization that kidnapped him – is considered by many to be a perfect movie. Besides the stellar technical aspects, fans loved that the story was genuinely tense and tragic, with a twist that stunned viewers. So, when it was announced that an American version of the film would be made so soon after the original, fans were skeptical, to say the least. Unfortunately, that skepticism was warranted. Many felt that the remake lacked heart and tension, and was tonally inconsistent. Ultimately, it seemed to hurt the original more than help it. It goes to show that a movie shouldn’t be remade simply because it was popular the first time around.
#1: Refilming the Movie Shot-for-Shot
“Psycho” (1998) The movie “Psycho” is one of the most revered horror movies of the last century. From the complex villain to the instantly recognizable soundtrack, it’s completely understandable that this movie would eventually be remade. Traditionally, audiences don’t appreciate reboots that change essential aspects of the original. So, the director of the 1998 version decided that the best course of action would be to refilm the entire movie almost shot-for-shot, and make little to no changes to the script or soundtrack. What resulted was essentially a worse copy of an already iconic movie, leading people to wonder why it needed to be remade in the first place.
