Nothing fills a film fan with as much dread as a remake of one of their favourite movies. Too often, our cinema screens are bombarded with horrendous “reimaginings” – think Lilo & Stitch (2025), Planet of the Apes (2001) orSnow White (2025) – that leave audiences disgruntled and out-of-pocket.
That said, there are other films that manage to honour the original while adding their own fresh spin on the characters or plot. Some have even gone on to win awards of their own, with critics and fans alike suggesting that maybe, just maybe, the remake was better.
Take note that a remake can often be mistaken for a reboot, such as the excellent Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) series of films. We’re talking about the literal remake, in which the essential plot, characters and dialogue are, for the most part, kept the same.
Here are 13 of the best remakes of great movies.
13. Cheaper By the Dozen (2003)
Tim Baker (Steve Martin) accepts a new job while his wife, Kate (Bonnie Hunt), embarks on a major book tour. Following the family as they navigate a big move and a fresh start at school for their 12 children, the film is based on the autobiographical novel by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey of the same name, published in 1948.
Well-received upon its premiere in 1950, the original film adaptation observes Frank Gilbreth (Clifton Webb) as he carries out unorthodox parenting techniques, from filming his children’s tonsillectomies to flirting with his teenage daughter’s classmates at the prom (no, it hasn’t aged very well). Still ridiculous in its nature, the 2003 version benefits from Martin’s offbeat comedy on top of his especially good chemistry between onscreen daughters Alyson Stoner and Hillary Duff.
12. Bedazzled (2000)
Brendan Fraser stars in the 2000 update of Bedazzled as Elliot Richards, a hapless IT employee who swears he’d do anything to go out with coworker Alison Gardner (Frances O’Connor). Enter the devil (Elizabeth Hurley) who will grant Elliot’s wishes in exchange for his soul. As the poor sap gets what he thinks he wants, those wishes end up being served with an unwelcome surprise.
The 2000 edition is a reimagining of Stanley Donen’s 1967 version, starring Dudley Moore as Stanley Moon with Peter Cook as the Devil. Fraser was at the height of his fame at the time, having received critical praise for films such as Still Breathing and Gods and Monsters, while also asserting himself as box-office dynamite in 1999’s The Mummy (another remake!).
Bedazzled (2000) succeeds in part thanks to Fraser’s dedication to the role, along with Deena Appel’s elite costuming that took the film’s humour to another level. Reserve praise for Hurley, too, starring in what The Independent’s Adam White branded “the ultimate Elizabeth Hurley movie, for it asks little from her besides being suitably withering and looking sensational in a parade of fantastic outfits”.
11. The Fly (1986)
David Cronenberg’s sci-fi horror stars Jeff Goldblum in his prime as scientist Seth Brundle who meets journalist Ronnie Quaife (Geena Davis) as he conducts experiments on himself that quickly go awry.
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Fitting in with Goldblum’s collection of sci-fi features – Earth Girls are Easy (1988), Jurassic Park (1993), Independence Day (1997) – this was the actor at his peak when it came to whacky, outlandish films.
Ultimately, it’s not Goldblum’s grotesque humanoid fly transformation that makes the film succeed, but the looming tension between himself and Davis that adds a sense of psychological terror.
10. True Grit (2010)
Based on Henry Hathaway’s 1969 original, the 2010 remake of True Grit stars Hailee Steinfeld in her breakout role as Mattie Ross, who hires the drunkard sheriff, Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), to hunt down murdering outlaw Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) with help from Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon).
The original starred John Wayne as Cogburn and is regarded as one of the all-time great John Wayne films. Quite the feat, then, to even come close to matching it. But, if anyone was perfect for creating a new take on the classic Western then it’s the Coen Brothers.
The duo had spent the previous decade adapting literary classics into films such as O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) and No Country for Old Men (2007). Their True Grit successfully honours the original screenplay while inserting tasteful humour on top of the exciting yet intense plot. The results earnt them an Academy Award nomination, along with a Best Actor nod for Bridges and Best Supporting Actor for the 13-year-old Steinfeld.
9. Freaky Friday (2003)
Arguably even better known than the 1976 original, which was in turn based on the novel by screenwriter Mary Rodgers, 2003’s Freaky Friday stars Lindsay Lohan as Anna, the rebellious, teenage daughter of Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis). Constantly at each other’s throats, the pair suddenly find themselves swapped into one another’s bodies after reading a fortune cookie.
The more recent version thrives on some fantastic chemistry between Lohan and Curtis, with the latter especially having a ball by playing a teenage girl trapped in the body of a boring, grumpy adult. There’s room for more poignant moments, too, such as scenes where Anna and Tess finally begin to understand one another.
8. Dune (2021)
The year is 10191 AG (After Guild) and Paul Atreides is navigating the pressures of his noble house’s expectations, political stirrings, and the prophecy that the arid planet Arrakis has for him.
Taking what had long been considered an unfilmable text, director Denis Villeneuve steered the franchise in a powerful new direction after David Lynch first adapted Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel in 1984.
Benefitting from cinema’s advances in special effects and the work of Paul Lambert, the film was brought to life in a way that had never been seen before.
7. The Parent Trap (1998)
Annie and Hallie (Lindsay Lohan) are from two different worlds: one hails from the sun-soaked vineyards of California, the other from rainy, sophisticated London. When they are thrown together at summer camp, though the pair realise they are identical twins separated by their parents (Natasha Richardson and Dennis Quaid) after they divorced.
Each wanting to get to know their estranged parent, they switch places, putting on accents and learning each other’s habits in order to deceive the unwitting adults. Lohan was superb in her role, easily succeeding Hayley Mills in the 1961 version with help from a fantastic supporting cast – including Elaine Hendrix in her iconic role as Meredith.
5. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Rick Moranis plays Seymour Krelborn – a poor, nerdy florist – in Frank Oz’s 1986 musical adaptation, Little Shop of Horrors. When Seymour brings in an alien plant, Audrey II, to help boost sales, he realises too late that its lust for human blood will never be satiated – and it will only get bigger!
Despite the controversial changes to the ending, the 1986 version stands out for its cult status in the film and musical theatre world – with outstanding comedic performances from Steve Martin as a sadistic dentist and true dedication from Oz’s direction.
4. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
Why would a billionaire need to steal Monet’s painting of San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk?Ask Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) a mega-rich mastermind who, in the 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, schemes to Trojan Horse the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was based on the 1968 original, with Steve McQueen in the title role. James Bond star Brosnan is cast perfectly as the smooth, suave Thomas Crown.
3. Scarface (1983)
Brian De Palma’s 1983 crime drama was a bold and frequently graphic retelling of the 1932 film, in turn based on Armitage Trail’s 1980 novel. It stars Al Pacino as ex-con Tony Montana, who arrives in Miami and sets about taking over a drugs empire – leaving a bloody trail of destruction in his wake. The film has left an indelible mark on society and pop culture, influencing everyone from hip-hop stars to actors, directors and even real-life mobsters.
2. Ocean’s 11 (2001)
An incredible remake from Steven Soderbergh that managed to succeed the original. Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is a newly paroled con artist who can never say no to a good heist. This time he’s creating a scheme to simultaneously rob three Las Vegas casino vaults to get back at his ex.
Outperforming Lewis Milestone’s 1960 film starring crooner Frank Sinatra as Ocean – alongside Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr – the 2001 version is mostly faithful to the original…But Soderbergh’s benefits from the comic, cool on-screen chemistry of castmates Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon.
1. Nosferatu (2025)
In 19th-century Germany, Ellen (Lily Rose Depp) finds herself pursued by the evil Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård).
Based on Dracula, Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic novel, cinema’s first ever vampire motion picture was the silent film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by the German filmmaker FW Murnau from Henrik Galeen’s screenplay.
More than a century later, Robert Eggers successfully captured the aesthetic and mood of Murnau’s silent masterpiece, aided by fantastic performances from a star-studded cast – including Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe and an unrecognisable Skarsgard.
