Sequels or remakes, and sometimes it's nearly impossible to tell the difference, are behind Hollywood's profit margins and its doom if trends continue. In that spirit, I present one list of the
Top 10 Worst Remakes of All Time
Get Carter, 2000: because remaking a Michael Cain classic is as pointless as most of the Rocky movies.
Arthur, 2011: because the charming wore off films about loveable alcoholics long before this one was made.
Around the World in 80 Days: a passable original likeable largely for its cast and light treatment of the adventure. The remake made the mistake of having a brighter star in the second position, as Chan's Passepartout steals the show easily from Coogan's wan Fogg without the film being written to accommodate the shift.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005: one in a series of poor choices and worse movies that began to unravel Depp's career and reputation.
The Pink Panther, 2006: only served to underscore the brilliance of Peter Sellers in absence and how we'd come to settle and overestimate less.
The Longest Yard, 2005: a very funny original is reproduced without finding the soul of that effort.
King Kong (any year that isn't 1933): because it was never about special effects.
Love Affair, 1994: a film made three times, first with Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne in a very good tale of love and redemption. Then remade with a more comedic flair with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, a more popular but less critically successful version. Then Warren Beatty and his wife decided to take a hack at it and boy did they.
lain:
The Karate Kid, 2010: a charming original gives way to a travesty of, well, no, not Biblical proportions. That honor is reserved for my last pick:
Ben-Hur, 2016: now THAT'S a failure of Biblical proportions.
