10 Great Movie Remakes That Turned Out Better Than the Originals

10. The Thing (1982)

You can’t imagine a list of the best horror movies in history without The Thing. Directed by John Carpenter, this brilliant film was a remake of 1951’s The Thing from Another World, but few people know about it. First, because Carpenter really made the concept his own, and second, because the original film was never exactly popular.

You can watch The Thing (1982) on Netflix and Prime Video.

9. Scarface (1983)

The original 1932’s Scarface was the pinnacle of a classic noir movie, following the same character on his way to build the most impressive criminal empire. But after Brian De Palma’s remake half a century later, barely anyone remembers the original: Al Pacino absolutely owned this movie. It’s his now, and who’s going to take it away?

You can watch Scarface (1983) on Hulu and Prime Video.

8. The Parent Trap (1998)

According to most people, only one director has ever made a movie called The Parent Trap, and it’s Nancy Meyers. It’s easy to see why everyone would think so: starring little Lindsay Lohan with a mighty impressive double performance, the 1998 remake of Disney ’s 1961 original immediately won over families’ hearts and minds.

You can watch The Parent Trap (1998) on Disney Plus and Prime Video.

7. The Mummy (1999)

Don’t tell us you even for a second assumed we’d call Tom Cruise’s version of The Mummy better than the golden Brendan Fraser classic! We’d never do such a thing — it’s just that Stephen Sommers’ 1999 The Mummy was also a remake. It’s just that pretty much no one remembers the 1932 original at this point, so Sommers it is.

You can watch The Mummy (1999) on Netflix and Prime Video.

6. The Departed (2006)

If you’re a movie director who created a great movie and learn that Martin Scorcese is working on a remake, you can pretty much expect to be forgotten. The original 2002 film was called Internal Affairs, but just four years later, Scorcese released his own take with a criminally star-studded cast, and the rest is history. Unfortunately.

You can watch The Departed (2006) on Netflix and Prime Video.

5. True Grit (2010)

You know what’s really hard to beat? A 1969 golden classic Western with John Wayne himself! However, the Coen brothers somehow managed to do it four decades later, creating a movie that largely re-established Western as a valid and respectable genre and allowed quite a few A-listers to finally put on cowboy hats.

You can watch True Grit (2010) on Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video.

4. It (2017)

Adapting Stephen King ’s novels and novellas is pretty much a sport for directors at this point, with many stories receiving several adaptations. It, the notorious murder clown’s story, was originally brought to life in the 1990s as a mini-series, but Andy Muschietti’s 2017 movie version completely overshadowed it. Nevermind It Part 2.

You can watch It (2017) on Netflix and Prime Video.

3. A Star Is Born (2018)

Speaking of truly impressive feats, most remakes on our list only had to compete with one previous version… But Bradley Cooper had to deal with the pressure of four (!) previous adaptations when he was developing his take on A Star Was Born. Without going into details, you’re unlikely to need any other version after his is out.

You can watch A Star Is Born (2018) on Max, Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video.

2. West Side Story (2021)

The original 1961’s West Side Story achieved cinematic immortality by being the most ambitious remake in its own right: it turned the classic Romeo and Juliet story into a more modern criminal drama about New York’s gangs. But four decades later, Steven Spielberg came around and made an even better and more memorable film.

You can watch West Side Story (2021) on Disney Plus and Prime Video.

1. Dune ( 2021)

Just like the mighty sandworms of Arrakis, Frank Herbert’s Dune proved immensely difficult to tame: back in (literally) 1984, even David Lynch couldn’t quite pull it off. It took a few decades of technological progress, but Denis Villeneuve finished what his celebrated colleague started, creating the ultimate Dune experience that belongs in a museum rather than on streaming services, and the old Dune is now forgotten.

You can watch Dune (2021) on Max, Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video.