Vittorio De Sica's The Bicycle Thief is one of the crowning achievements of Italian cinema post-World War II. You would be hard pressed to find any directors working today who aren’t directly influenced by this indisputable work of art. What could you possibly add to it?
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Like most characters he played, the role of John Keating can only be played by Robin Williams. He was able to go from manic impressions to deadly somber in a matter of seconds. Even if you were able to come up with a great script, you could never replace Williams!
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The Coen brothers bring their own quirky brand of filmmaking into every story they tell. It might be tempting to try to recapture the atmosphere they created, but it just isn't possible. Plus, this film already has a cult fan base that would revolt if anyone ever tried to recast The Dude.
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Before 2001: A Space Odyssey, science fiction was seen as a less significant genre. This movie ushered in a new era that included creative storytelling and technological advances. Could any filmmaker actually put a unique spin on this story without betraying Stanley Kubrick’s innovative vision? I think not.
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From the nonlinear storytelling to the compelling conversations about seemingly meaningless topics, Pulp Fiction has Quentin Tarantino's fingerprint all over it. If you remade this movie, you would either lose its charm or directly rip-off the original.
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On paper, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off doesn’t look all that original, but the pieces came together just right to make a timeless classic that captured the voice of a generation. You can’t hope for lightning to strike twice! A remake would simply use the same gags for a completely different generation. It wouldn’t work.
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When Gregory Peck put on the glasses of Atticus Finch, there’s no way he knew he was stepping into the character that would define his career. While its messages still resonate today, To Kill a Mockingbird wouldn't pack the same punch as it did upon its release. Any attempt to remake this movie would simply result in a watered-down version of the original.
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In the 1970s, directors got away with certain things that wouldn’t fly today. For example, Martin Scorsese was able to depict both a deranged lunatic and a 12-year-old prostitute in Taxi Driver. This film is constantly being imitated, and for good reason. But a complete remake? Huge mistake!
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When you watch Jack Nicholson as Randle Patrick McMurphy, you have to wonder if Ken Kesey wrote his novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with Nicholson in mind. His hilarious, yet heartbreaking performance will forever be remembered as one of the greatest in film history. No one could compete with that.
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Widely regarded as the greatest film that’s ever been made, Citizen Kane created many of the cinematic technical achievements that we take for granted today. Orson Welles was able to portray an endearing story that captured the dangers of the American Dream. If you were to remake this film, so much would be lost in translation.
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Even though Rocky Horror Picture Show wasn’t a hit when it first released, it became a huge cult classic later. Now, it’s impossible to imagine the movie without seeing Tim Curry in tights. He absolutely made the film, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the cast wasn’t spot on. The chemistry between the group was undeniable, especially between Magenta and Riff Raff.
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Anyone that remade The Godfather wouldn’t do a great job. Why? Because the original was perfect. It’s widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, and as one of the most influential. It’s only ranked second to Citizen Kane, which is completely understandable.
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Gone with the Wind was a huge success. It won eight Oscars and was a testament to its time. Now, women still swoon at the idea of Clark Gable’s handsome smile. Not only was it amazingly romantic, but it was also pretty realistic with its depiction of slavery. It set a standard that was difficult to meet for ages to come.
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Hello, Clarice. It’s a line that some of us can still hear to this day with Anthony Hopkins creepy tone. Thanks to Hopkins, the movie grew to be so much more and even terrified Jodie Foster on set. Some of the reactions we see in the film are actually real. We do have one question, though. Have the lambs stopped screaming?
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It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or woman, The Princess Bride was a story for everyone. No one can replace Cary Elwes and his smirk. Not to mention Mandy Patinkin and his classic line, “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” That line cannot be read by anyone else, and we don’t want to see The Princess Bride without Andre the Giant.
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Donnie Darko is a pretty strange film, and there’s no denying it. It has a lot of elements that may be confusing to follow, but that’s part of its charm. The editor and director worked together to make something that required the audience to pay attention while also not being too hard to keep up. The actors and actresses also did a fantastic job relating to the role. Donnie’s scenes with the rabbit were great, but what would Donnie Darko be without real brother and sister fighting? Donnie’s sister was played by Jake’s real-life sister Maggie.
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The Breakfast Club seems like your typical high school, teenager movie, but it’s so much more. It explores what it’s like to live different lives in different socio-economic households. It realistically showed the stress each clique would deal with. The characters changed as the story progressed and had deep emotions that came across obviously without being too cheesy. Plus, we can’t ever see the brain, athlete, basket case, princess, or criminal played by anyone else. The cast was superb.
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Kubrick doesn’t accept scenes that aren’t perfect. That’s what he was known for, and this movie shows it perfectly. In fact, many of the scenes displayed real emotion. It’s easy to see how Jack Nicholson could play someone so terrifying and mentally unhinged, and it’s even more understandable that Shelley Duvall was so terrified of his character. What you may not know is that some of her emotions were real, and Kubrick would purposefully push her to the edge of a breakdown for a film. Horrible for Duvall, but it made a great thriller and horror.
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Tom Hanks played a character that would have been very difficult for even the most experienced of actors. In the film, he played a man that had the IQ of 75 but did it in a way that showed more. Forrest was innocent and kind, and so much more than we’d ever hoped. Few movies have reached the level of this film, and remaking it would destroy its legacy.
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Fight Club starred Edward Norton and the infamous Brad Pitt in his physical heyday. It was adapted from a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, and the film did a great job of translating it to the silver screen. This film doesn’t need a remake because we don’t need another interpretation. Few people could see the ending coming, and the actors did such a great job that replacing them would be an insult to the role.
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Alfred Hitchcock didn’t receive a ton of Oscars for his movies, but Psycho should have. It was terrifying, and it was another movie where the actress was terrified in the most thrilling scenes. In an interview, Janet Leigh even came out and admitted that she was terrified to take showers. Having seen the movie, it’s completely understandable.
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Back to the Future should never be remade because it’s just a product of its time. In fact, one of the dates visited just recently passed and was regarded as a “future” time. It was at the time, but now we can’t help but watch the movie and wonder where our hoverboards are. No one can reboot this classic without Michael J. Fox or Christopher Lloyd, either. It just wrong.
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Good Morning Vietnam is another movie that starred Robin Williams that could never be made without him. He brought such a depth to the character that few actors could replicate. Just to prove how amazing he was, most of Robin William’s broadcasts were completely improvised. Try to remake that!
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Jaws was one of those movies that scared the crap out of everyone. After the movie released, people didn’t want to go to the beach, and they were fairly deserted. Now that’s the mark of a good flick. Monster movies now can’t live up to the hype. The idea of remaking Jaws was brought up to Spielberg, the original director, who said he refused to remake this movie.
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There’s been a lot of discussion about expanding the Labyrinth universe, but everyone knows remaking this movie would be a horrible decision. The film is perfect as it is. It goes without saying that the movie also wouldn’t be the same without David Bowie swaggering around in his flowing costumes.
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Rebel Without a Cause was one of James Dean’s last movies, and it was his breakout role. It showed exactly what audiences had been looking for – a bad boy that was completely believable. James Dean was absolutely amazing, and it was a shame he passed away so soon after finishing the film. To remake Rebel Without a Cause would be a crime.
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Casablanca is one of the classic movies that should not and will not ever be remade. It’s a love story that will go down in history as one of the best films ever put onto the big screen. Humphry Bogart and Ingrid Bergman have such a connection that it brought the script to life, and the directing brought tears to our eyes. It’s no surprise that it’s one of the most popular films ever made.
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A Streetcar Named Desire started as a play before it became a movie. The play itself is written amazingly, but something is to be said about the film. Even though Marlon Brando plays an abusive character, it’s hard not to fall for him. We sympathize with the women but also aren’t sure how to feel ourselves. That’s the glory of the acting and directing. Stella!
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The Shawshank Redemption was easily one of the best films of the ‘90s, if not of all time. It was made without special effects or extra makeup. It was just extras in prisoner uniforms talking with each other. Even still, it managed to catch emotions that others can’t do with bloated budgets. We saw friendship, sadness, relief, hope, hardship, and so much more. A remake wouldn’t work.
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Goodfellas is probably one of the most understated movies ever made. It’s considered one of the biggest Oscar snubs of all time, and some even think it’s the best mob movie created. The cast was perfect, and the directing was some the best of the ‘90s, which goes a long way since Scorsese (the director of Goodfellas) also directed Dances with Wolves. Remaking it would just make another crappy sequel to an otherwise fantastic stand-alone film.
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