Tomb Raider, And Other Top Movie Remakes

This weekend Tomb Raider opens, which is a remake of the 2001 and 2003 films starring Angelina Jolie. Of course those films themselves were based on a popular video game series that has seen its story line change and evolve ever since it first appeared in 1996. As you are more than likely aware, remakes are a common thing in Hollywood, and they don’t always work. They are always being compared to the original, and in a lot of cases the original is better. Here are some of the top remakes though that stand out for being better than the original. 

Ocean’s Eleven: Sure the 1960 original had Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., but the 2001 version had George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. Plus, the remake was more stylish. The basic story of robbing casinos is still the same, and of course the character name of Danny Ocean, but other than that the two films are pretty different from one another. 

Scarface: Admit it, you didn’t know Scarface was a remake. When you hear the movie title you automatically think of the quote”Say hello to my little friend,” and think of Al Pacino playing a greedy Cuban who takes over a drug cartel. The original though was released in 1932, and while it is critically acclaimed, it doesn’t have the punch of the remake.

Casino Royale: This one should almost not count, since the original Casino Royale was played as a spoof of the James Bond series. While the movie was sort of based on the novel by Ian Fleming, which happened to be the first James Bond novel, it really goes off the rails quickly. The 2006 remake however is considered to be one of the best James Bond movies of all times. 

True Grit: John Wayne may have won an Oscar for the 1969 original film, but it looks dated and lacks, well grit. In 2010 a lot of people wondered why they would remake a film that a lot of people loved, but after receiving 10 Oscar nominations those doubts disappeared. 

The Maltese Falcon: As long as their have been movies, Hollywood has been remaking them. Even this 1941 classic film starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor was a remake. The original came out ten years earlier, and although it was still a good film, it was missing Humphrey Bogart who quite simply was born to play the role of private detective Sam Spade.