Top 20 Movies That Were Perfect Until......
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- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherLuke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.Where to begin with this one? Let's start with the totally unneccessary "special editions" where George first realised he hadn't milked this cow for all it was worth. Then came the prequel trilogy, where the only objective seemed to be to put as many wooden actors in badly written roles as possible and film them in front of nothing but a big green screen. "Don't worry about the backgrounds. They'll be added later.......along with the heart and soul of the film...oh wait, I forgot to write that".
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKaren AllenPaul FreemanIn 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.The whole Indiana Jones trilogy was great until it was ruined by the forth film (which I refuse to name, mostly because you can't do that without calling it an Indiana Jones film). Then the Money Brothers (Lucas & Spielberg) decide they can make more money from a CG-heavy, script-lightened pile of steamy doggy doo if they put a tried and true hero at the helm. Alas, even Indy couldn't save this film.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsTakashi ShimuraAkihiko HirataAkira TakaradaAfter a dinosaur-like beast - awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing - ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.Sure, some people consider the 27 Japanese sequels to this to be bad. I however consider the 1998 American production to be the only thing that came close to ruining the name of this mighty screen monster. It was nothing but the ultimate proof that anyone who gives Roland Emmerich money to make a movie should be automatically locked away for their own safety.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsNanako MatsushimaMiki NakataniYûko TakeuchiA reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.The subtle build up of tension and suspense in this Japanese horror film was completely mishandled in the Hollywood remake. The idea of waiting for the fright was ditched in favour of a "Hey look at me!!! I'm scary!!!" approach. One of, if not the best example of why Hollywood should leave Japanese horror movies to the Japanese.
- DirectorMerian C. CooperErnest B. SchoedsackStarsFay WrayRobert ArmstrongBruce CabotA film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.Peter Jackson was one of my favourite directors and I thought he could do no wrong...until I saw his shocking remake of this classic. A 3 hour long bore-fest that left my buttocks screaming at me to get up and walk around. I don't need to see Kong iceskating in order to feel sorry for him when he dies. The idea of humans taking a wonderful creature like him out of his environment and then killing him for not liking it does that.
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsNatalya BondarchukDonatas BanionisJüri JärvetA psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.If you haven't seen this, and think that the version with George Clooney was ok, then watch the original to see how it should have been done. Personally I hated the remake. It lacked the subtley that this version has. It has a tendency to tell you what you should be thinking or feeling, rather than leaving it up to the veiwer to make up their own mind.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsAdrienne BarbeauJamie Lee CurtisJanet LeighAn unearthly fog rolls into a small coastal town exactly 100 years after a ship mysteriously sank in its waters.Did they even try with the remake of this one, or did they already know it was going to be crap, so they just did whatever they wanted? Sure the original is far from a perfect film (as much as it pains me to say that about one of my favourites) but it does have the feel of a John Carpenter film. The remake has the feel of a film that is trying to be a John Carpenter film but failing miserably.
- DirectorUbaldo RagonaSidney SalkowStarsVincent PriceFranca BettoiaEmma DanieliWhen a disease turns all of humanity into the living dead, the last man on earth becomes a reluctant vampire hunter.The only proper version of Richard Matheson's "I am Legend". I loved "The Omega Man" but it still pales in comparison to this one. And as far as the movie that actually carried the name "I am Legend" goes, the less said the better. It is nothing but a horrid misuse of the name that takes nothing from the actual source material and tries to make up for a lacking script with explosions and CG.
- DirectorAndrew LauAlan MakStarsAndy LauTony Leung Chiu-waiAnthony Chau-Sang WongA story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.I liked "The Departed", but when put up next to the original it is obvious which is the better film. There is something that always gets forgotten when a remake of a foreign film is made by Hollywood, and that's the significance certain situations or actions are viewed with in their country of origin.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.The best way to compare this to it's remake is to simply say one is a work of genius by one of the greatest moviemakers of all time, the other is an hour and a half of pure rubbish. Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates, 'nuff said.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsMichael RenniePatricia NealHugh MarloweAn alien lands in Washington, D.C. and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.This is a great movie that so didn't deserve the horrbile remake it got. Why it was done at all is anyone's guess.
- DirectorRobin HardyStarsEdward WoodwardChristopher LeeDiane CilentoA puritan police sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the pagan locals claim never existed.Anyone who thinks that a cardboard cut-out of an actor like Nicholas Cage can match Edward Woodward for performance needs their head read.
- DirectorPaul BartelStarsDavid CarradineSylvester StalloneSimone GriffethIn a dystopian future, a cross country automobile race requires contestants to run down innocent pedestrians to gain points that are tallied based on each kill's brutality.I loved this movie. It is cheap and cheesey, but still highly entertaining. Imagine my horror then, when I found out there was to be a remake of this and that they were leaving out the best (and most famous) part of the original, that running over pedestrians earned you points. WHAT!!!! How do you do "Deathrace" without that? The answer is very poorly.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsHeather LangenkampJohnny DeppRobert EnglundTeenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.This is far from a perfect movie. It has many parts that you find yourself laughing uncontrollably at. But it's still a fun film. The remake, however, is painfull to watch. There isn't any of the feel that this version has. It's garbage, pure and simple.
- DirectorDesmond DavisStarsLaurence OlivierHarry HamlinClaire BloomPerseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.The special effects in this film are what make it. It didn't need to be remade into a big budget CG filled blockbuster. Just let us enjoy the perfect version of it we already have.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDonald PleasenceJamie Lee CurtisTony MoranFifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.When will people learn. Don't remake Carpenter films. It's not a good thing to try. From this, to "Assault on Precinct 13" and "The Fog" it's been done really badly by much lesser directors. With the remake of this Rob Zombie proves yet again that as film maker he makes a great musician. As if the long line of sequels to the original weren't bad enough.
- DirectorTomas AlfredsonStarsKåre HedebrantLina LeanderssonPer RagnarOskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.This is a great movie just the way it is. Where as I agree that as far as remakes go "Let Me In" isn't that bad, it still didn't need to be done. If you are going to remake a movie, why bother remaking it exactly the same as it was before? Why not just watch the original?
- DirectorIrvin S. Yeaworth Jr.Russell S. Doughten Jr.StarsSteve McQueenAneta CorsautEarl RoweAn alien lifeform consumes everything in its path as it grows and grows.I made the mistake of watching the remake of this and it instantly made me wish time travel was possible, so I could go back and warn myself not to do it. The original was only good because it had Steve McQueen in it. The best the remake can offer is Kevin Dillon.
- DirectorByron HaskinStarsGene BarryAnn RobinsonLes TremayneA small town in California is attacked by Martians, beginning a worldwide invasion.This is great example of putting a modern twist on a classic text. When it was made in the 1950's, sci-fi was at it's peak and was being made really well, with complex social issues and political views interwoven into a futuristic setting. Nowdays, the best we can come up with is the Spielberg version of 2005. Sheesh. How sad is it?
- DirectorGeorge WaggnerStarsClaude RainsWarren WilliamLon Chaney Jr.Larry Talbot returns to his father's castle in Wales and meets a beautiful woman. One fateful night, Talbot escorts her to a local carnival where they meet a mysterious gypsy fortune teller.There is nothing that needs to be said about the remake of this. It blows, pure and simple. They did their best to ruin a great movie. Thankfully, this version will always be around to show how great the concept truely is.