As we know, Hollywood loves to remake movies. Sometimes it’s good (3:10 to Yuma), sometimes it leaves you feeling unsure (the new Ghostbusters movie), and other times you want to scream at executives “NO! STOP!” (Jumanji). This list is that mainly that last one. It’s nine movies I think should NEVER be remade, but they probably will because Hollywood doesn’t like new ideas and loves to capitalize on nostalgia. I’m not counting superhero movies because those have set a precedent at being remade.
9. Cool Hand Luke
This is a classic Paul Newman movie about a man who refuses to submit. It has some amazing scenes that I don’t think can be replicated. No one is as charming as Paul Newman or could even try to be.
8. Die Hard
In a lot of ways Die Hard changed action movies. The hero could get hurt, a lot, and still overcome it to save the majority of the people. Some of the lines are quoted constantly and quite frankly no one else could pull it off besides Bruce Willis.
7. The Wizard of Oz
This is one that just shocked people. It went from black and white to full on in-your-face color. The songs are amazing and the cast really pulls it off. I think the world might be too cynical now to believe the naïveté most of the characters have.
6. Gone with the Wind
Personally, I don’t care for this movie. Clark Gable is great, but I always want to slap Scarlett in the face. The classic line that Clark Gable says near the end can’t be replicated. I don’t know if anyone today has the star power of old Hollywood, but I guess that’s never stopped new Hollywood before.
5. Casablanca
Another classic movie that has already been slightly dented by Hollywood. It was colorized in the ’80s which was a major mistake. To remake it would be another dent and of course it would never be a classic like the original. Again, I don’t think anyone has a screen presence like Humphrey Bogart and I doubt they could find anyone to match him.
4. Them!
My mom loves this ’50s B-sci-fi movie. It’s about giant ants, from nuclear testing in the New Mexico desert, kind of like Godzilla, who came from nuclear fallout in Japan. The ants want to do what ants do, but they are massive and kill a lot of people. It’s cheesy and fun, and any remake would not do it justice.
3. The Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit
One reason this should not be remade, ever, is that they can’t get any better than they are now. Everything was in perfect alignment for both trilogies, from the actors to the locations. They are relatively new movies and perhaps too long to remake, but I wouldn’t put anything past Hollywood.
2. The Thin Man
I’m pretty sure I’ve professed my love for The Thin Man movies before, and I’ve heard rumors of a remake, which makes me shiver in horror. William Powell and Myrna Loy had the best chemistry and no way can anyone replicate that. Any remake would try to update it to modern times, which would just make it worse. I hope this never happens.
1. The Princess Bride
How can you improve on perfection? The Princess Bride is one of the best movies ever made. It’s funny, moving, and just amazing. Any attempt to remake it would fail because it would not have Andre the Giant and thus be a lesser movie right away. Everything about this movie is magic and I just cross my fingers that no one ever gets the idea to remake it.
I was half worried that once I put this list out, they would be remade. They are probably already on the minds of producers. Let’s all cross our fingers and hope that these nine never get remade.
