The Five Remakes
By Cameron Galvin
Compiled by Cameron Galvin and Brionna Raum
Some say that films should just be left alone. Others believe it is okay to remake them as-long as they respect their originals. We present to you another edition of the Daily Top 5, focusing on the top remakes or reboots. This was a particularly tough debate for our team of film buffs because sometimes remakes can be tricky. We decided that we wanted to make it clear that this was not a list of films that were better than their originals, but just the best of the remakes made. The deliberation was brutal (no one got hurt), but we feel we made the right choice. Here a few films that we thought should get an honorable mention, that didn’t reach the Top 5: War of the Worlds, Sweeny Tod: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and True Grit.
5. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
An old-fashioned heist film about a team of 11 criminals, who plan to pull off the biggest heist in history. The plan, take down 3 of the top casinos in Las Vegas. With much planning and tricks all masterminded by Danny Ocean (George Clooney) the team pulls it off at the end and everybody walks away with their pockets full. The real twist behind the heist is the personal vendetta Ocean has with the casinos owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) who stole Oceans girl (Julia Roberts). A lot like the original with a star studded cast, this film is not just a remake but more paying respect to an old classic.
4. The Fly (1986)
One of the most terrifying horror films ever made still to this day. Eccentric scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) is working on a new break-through invention of teleportation pods. It isn’t until his experiment goes totally wrong when he accidentally fuses his genes with a common house fly, that the movie starts to get just plain freaky. This gruesome journey of a man actually transforming into a fly, with his appendages falling off is now a classic. This is in fact a remake of a 1956 B movie with the same premise. More successful than the original, The Fly will leave with a weird feeling of, what in the world did I just watch?
3. Casino Royale (2006)
The first movie starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, the British secret agent with a license to kill. This film has a little difference than the original but it’s still centered on the famous poker game. In this film Bond has just gotten his 007 status on his first mission. He must stop a terriost banker by the name of Le Chiffre from winning money in order to stay alive in a poker game at Casino Royale. The enemy turns out to be a whole different animal after Bond wins the game. This is your typical Bond film with beautiful women and all the action you could possibly want. This film pays its respect to the original, but more paves the way for the new generation of this classic spy series.
2. The Departed (2006)
Winner of five Oscars including best picture of the year, this film has become a classic that everyone should see. In South Boston, the police are fighting a war with Irish-American organized crime. Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) is the leader of the gang ranging in all aspects of crime. With undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) working his way up to infiltrate the crime syndicate, while Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) a young criminal works his way up the ladder in the state police as an informant from Costello. This film doesn’t disappoint with deception, action, and just damn good acting has an ending that will leave at the edge of your seat. This film is based off a 2002 Chinese film called Internal Affairs with same premise of deception within both sides of the law. Although this original did not have the success of The Departed, we are happy of its existence because without it, we wouldn’t have had this masterpiece.
1. Scarface
A film that needs no introduction, Tony Montana (Al Pacino) leaves Cuba during the 1980s and heads for Miami with big aspirations. He begins working for a top drug dealer with his pal Manny, trying to make a name for them. It isn’t until a drug deal goes bad that Tony starts to second guess his boss and wants it all for himself. Tony builds his empire where he truly has it all, the girl, the big house, and the big operation. However, Tony’s thick minded head only gets him in trouble and puts a huge target on his back and it all comes crashing down with his death at the end. The same plot and idea as the original, a guy wants it all at whatever it takes until his ego becomes his downfall. This film is a great classic and in some way we can all relate to Tony as someone who just wants to fulfill their dreams.
