Some movies are so nice, they've got to make them twice. Or three times. Or four...
The best remakes offer new filmmakers their chance to deliver a unique vision just as audiences discover new appreciations on classic stories.
These are the 50 best remakes of the past 50 years. On this list, you'll find your old favorites and new movies that are screaming to be added to your future movie watching list.
Enjoy and leave your thoughts in the comments!
The best remakes offer new filmmakers their chance to deliver a unique vision just as audiences discover new appreciations on classic stories.
These are the 50 best remakes of the past 50 years. On this list, you'll find your old favorites and new movies that are screaming to be added to your future movie watching list.
Enjoy and leave your thoughts in the comments!
Rio Lobo (1970)
71%
Adjusted Score: 73.165%
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Critics Consensus: Howard Hawks and John Wayne reunite to riff on their own Rio Bravo, and while the results are less memorable the movie does offer a curiously cynical perspective.
Synopsis: John Wayne, in the last of his Civil War characterizations, portrays Cord McNally, a Union Army colonel who loses a gold shipment in a Confederate...
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Directed By:
Howard Hawks
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50
Three Men and a Baby (3 Men and a Baby) (1987)
75%
Adjusted Score: 76.812%
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Critics Consensus: The American remake of the popular French comedy mostly works a charm under the combined talents of the three leads, who play nicely against type -- although forced plot elements and sentimentality at times dampen the fun.
Synopsis: Three Men and a Baby is an Americanized remake of the 1985 French comedy hit Three Men and a Cradle. Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg play...
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Directed By:
Leonard Nimoy
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49
The Birdcage (1996)
77%
Adjusted Score: 79.111%
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Critics Consensus: Mike Nichols wrangles agreeably amusing performances from Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in this fun, if not quite essential, remake of the French comedy La Cage aux Folles.
Synopsis: Director Mike Nichols teams up with his former partner/screenwriter Elaine May for the first time in many years and for the first time together in...
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Directed By:
Mike Nichols
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48
Piranha 3-D (2010)
73%
Adjusted Score: 75.741%
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Critics Consensus: Playing exactly to expectations for a movie about killer fish run amok, Piranha 3-D dishes out gore, guffaws and gratuitous nudity with equal glee.
Synopsis: After a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop...
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Directed By:
Alexandre Aja
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47
Cape Fear (1991)
76%
Adjusted Score: 79.353%
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Critics Consensus: Smart and stylish, Cape Fear is a gleefully mainstream shocker from Martin Scorsese, with a terrifying Robert De Niro peformance.
Synopsis: Martin Scorsese's remake of Cape Fear provided the director with a box-office success to follow up the critical success of the previous year's...
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Directed By:
Martin Scorsese
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46
Peter Pan (2003)
77%
Adjusted Score: 80.416%
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Critics Consensus: Solid if far from definitive, this version of Peter Pan is visually impressive, psychologically complex and faithful to its original source.
Synopsis: Director P.J. Hogan (Muriel's Wedding, My Best Friend's Wedding) helms this live-action retelling of J.M. Barrie's classic children's play Peter Pan....
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45
12 (2007)
78%
Adjusted Score: 79.123%
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Critics Consensus: Loosely based on 1957's 12 Angry Men, Nikita Mikhalkov's superbly acted 12 is clever and gripping like its predecessor, but with a distinctly Russian feel.
Synopsis: When a Russian youth is put on trial for the murder of his adoptive father, it's up to a room full of jurors divided by racism and prejudice to...
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Directed By:
Nikita Mikhalkov
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44
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
75%
Adjusted Score: 79.757%
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Critics Consensus: A kinetic, violent and surprisingly worthy remake of George Romero's horror classic that pays homage to the original while working on its own terms.
Synopsis: The feature-film debut of director Zack Snyder, Dawn of the Dead is a modern retelling of George Romero's 1978 horror classic, which was actually the...
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Directed By:
Zack Snyder
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43
The Good Thief (2003)
77%
Adjusted Score: 80.447%
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Critics Consensus: Bolstered by Nolte's strong performance, The Good Thief brims with seductive style.
Synopsis: Loosely based on Jean-Pierre Melville's French film noir Bob le Flambeur, this heist film from director Neil Jordan (Interview With the Vampire, The...
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Directed By:
Neil Jordan
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42
War of the Worlds (2005)
74%
Adjusted Score: 82.174%
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Critics Consensus: Steven Spielberg's adaptation of War of the Worlds delivers on the thrill and paranoia of H.G. Wells' classic novel while impressively updating the action and effects for modern audiences.
Synopsis: An ordinary man has to protect his children against alien invaders in this science fiction thriller, freely adapted from the classic story by H.G....
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Directed By:
Steven Spielberg
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41
The Thing (1982)
79%
Adjusted Score: 83.435%
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Critics Consensus: Grimmer and more terrifying than the 1950s take, John Carpenter's The Thing is a tense sci-fi thriller rife with compelling tension and some remarkable make-up effects.
Synopsis: John Carpenter's The Thing is both a remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 film of the same name and a re-adaptation of the John W. Campbell Jr. story "Who...
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Directed By:
John Carpenter
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40
Enchanted April (1992)
82%
Adjusted Score: 83.407%
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Critics Consensus: Mike Newell's adaptation of Elizabeth von Arnim's moves at a more generous pace than the 1935 version, allowing excellent performances from Miranda Richardson and Joan Plowright to flourish.
Synopsis: Previously filmed in 1935 with Ann Harding, Enchanted April, a romantic novel by Elizabeth, was remade in 1992. The first film skips along...
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Directed By:
Mike Newell
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39
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
80%
Adjusted Score: 82.954%
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Critics Consensus: Overblown in the best sense of the word, Francis Ford Coppola's vision of Bram Stoker's Dracula rescues the character from decades of campy interpretations -- and features some terrific performances to boot.
Synopsis: Based on Bram Stoker's classic 1897 novel, this film from Francis Ford Coppola and screenwriter James Victor Hart offers a full-blooded portrait of...
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Directed By:
Francis Ford Coppola
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38
Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)
84%
Adjusted Score: 85.707%
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Critics Consensus: An enjoyable farce that relocates Jean Renoir's Boudu Saved From Drowning to '80s California, offering fine comedic performances from Nick Nolte, Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler.
Synopsis: Down and Out in Beverly Hills is an updated remake of the 1932 Jean Renoir film Boudu Saved From Drowning. Philandering businessman Dave Whiteman...
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Directed By:
Paul Mazursky
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37
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
81%
Adjusted Score: 86.429%
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Critics Consensus: While not the classic its predecessor is, this update is well-acted and conjures a chilling resonance.
Synopsis: Jonathan Demme directed this updated remake of John Frankenheimer's 1962 cult favorite The Manchurian Candidate, a pioneering examination of political...
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Directed By:
Jonathan Demme
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36
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
82%
Adjusted Score: 86.669%
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Critics Consensus: As fast-paced, witty, and entertaining as it is star-studded and coolly stylish, Ocean's Eleven offers a well-seasoned serving of popcorn entertainment.
Synopsis: A rag-tag group of con artists and ex-cons team up for the heist to end all heists in this high-profile remake of the 1960 Rat Pack favorite. As with...
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Directed By:
Steven Soderbergh
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35
The Parent Trap (1998)
86%
Adjusted Score: 88.19%
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Critics Consensus: Writer-director Nancy Meyers takes the winning formula of the 1961 original and gives it an amiable modern spin, while young star Lindsay Lohan shines in her breakout role.
Synopsis: The husband-and-wife team of Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer, who scored with their 1991 remake of the 1950 Father of the Bride, returned for this...
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Directed By:
Nancy Meyers
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34
De Battre mon Coeur s'est Arrêté (The Beat That My Heart Skipped) (2005)
85%
Adjusted Score: 87.472%
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Critics Consensus: Stylish and visceral, this able remake is infused with realism, grit, and a taut performance by star Romain Duris.
Synopsis: A man finds his heart and soul torn between loyalty to his family and a need to be redeemed from his violent lifestyle in this powerful drama from...
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Directed By:
Jacques Audiard
#
33
Springtime in a Small Town (Xiao cheng zhi chun) (2002)
88%
Adjusted Score: 88.345%
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Critics Consensus: Director Tian Zhuangzhuang's remake of the 1949 Chinese classic may be too measured in pace for some audiences, but it's a visually sumptuous, well-acted piece.
Synopsis: For his first feature since 1993's acclaimed The Blue Kite, director Tian Zhuangzhuang chose to remake a classic 1949 Chinese film, Springtime in a...
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Directed By:
Zhuangzhuang Tian
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32
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
82%
Adjusted Score: 89.114%
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Critics Consensus: Closer to the source material than 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is for people who like their Chocolate visually appealing and dark.
Synopsis: Director Tim Burton brings his unique vision and sensibility to Roald Dahl's classic children's story in this lavish screen interpretation. Willy...
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Directed By:
Tim Burton
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31
Homeward Bound - The Incredible Journey (1993)
88%
Adjusted Score: 89.008%
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Critics Consensus: Disney's remake of The Incredible Journey successfully replicates, and in some ways improves upon, the simple charms of the original, with its cross-country animal odyssey sure to delight kids.
Synopsis: Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, Disney's 1993 remake of the 1963 hit The Incredible Journey, follows three household pets as they travel...
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Directed By:
Duwayne Dunham
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30
Zatôichi (The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi) (2003)
86%
Adjusted Score: 88.852%
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Critics Consensus: Colorful, rich with action and wonderfully choreographed, Takeshi Kitano takes on the classic samurai character with his own brand of cinematic flair.
Synopsis: Beat Takeshi Kitano directs and plays the title role in this tribute to the wildly popular "blind swordsman" of Japanese cinema who was the hero of...
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Directed By:
Takeshi Kitano
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29
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
87%
Adjusted Score: 89.971%
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Critics Consensus: A throwback to the high-gloss screwball comedies of the 1940s, Heaven Can Wait beguiles with seamless production values and great comic relief from Charles Grodin and Dianne Cannon.
Synopsis: Opting for light entertainment after the critical satire of Shampoo (1975), producer-director-writer-star Warren Beatty remade the 1941 comic fantasy...
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28
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
88%
Adjusted Score: 90.05%
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Critics Consensus: A buoyant, clever update of the conman flick Bedtime Story, with plenty of comedic jousting resulting from a winning chemistry between Michael Caine and Steve Martin.
Synopsis: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a remake of the 1964 film farce Bedtime Story. Steve Martin and Michael Caine take over the roles originally played by...
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Directed By:
Frank Oz
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27
Twelve Monkeys (12 Monkeys) (1995)
88%
Adjusted Score: 91.779%
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Critics Consensus: The plot's a bit of a jumble, but excellent performances and mind-blowing plot twists make 12 Monkeys a kooky, effective experience.
Synopsis: An intense film about time travel, this sci-fi entry was directed by Terry Gilliam, a member of the comedy troupe Monty Python. The film stars Bruce...
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Directed By:
Terry Gilliam
#
26
King Kong (2005)
84%
Adjusted Score: 92.393%
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Critics Consensus: Featuring state-of-the-art special effects, terrific performances, and a majestic sense of spectacle, Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong is a potent epic that's faithful to the spirit of the 1933 original.
Synopsis: One of the greatest adventure stories in Hollywood history gets a new interpretation in this action drama from Academy Award-winning director Peter...
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Directed By:
Peter Jackson
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25
Scent of a Woman (1992)
88%
Adjusted Score: 90.61%
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Critics Consensus: It might soar on Al Pacino's performance more than the drama itself, but what a performance it is -- big, bold, occasionally over-the-top, and finally giving the Academy pause to award the star his first Oscar.
Synopsis: Driven by an extravagant, tour-de-force performance by Al Pacino, Scent of a Woman is the story of Frank Slade (Pacino), a blind, retired army colonel...
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Directed By:
Martin Brest
#
24
Freaky Friday (2003)
88%
Adjusted Score: 91.635%
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Critics Consensus: Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan charm in Mark Waters' nicely pitched -- and Disney's second -- remake of the 1976 hit.
Synopsis: A high-strung mom and her punky daughter learn what it's like to walk in each other's shoes -- literally -- in Disney's second update of their 1977...
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Directed By:
Mark Waters (VIII)
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23
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
86%
Adjusted Score: 93.088%
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Critics Consensus: Full of pith and Grand Guignol grossness, this macabre musical is perfectly helmed and highly entertaining. Tim Burton masterfully stages the musical in a way that will make you think he has done this many times before.
Synopsis: Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thriller comes to the big screen in this adaptation directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, Helena...
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Directed By:
Tim Burton
#
22
Scarface (1983)
89%
Adjusted Score: 94.58%
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Critics Consensus: Director Brian De Palma and star Al Pacino take it to the limit in this stylized, ultra-violent and eminently quotable gangster epic that walks a thin white line between moral drama and celebratory excess.
Synopsis: Al Pacino stars as Tony Montana, an exiled Cuban criminal who goes to work for Miami drug lord Robert Loggia. Montana rises to the top of Florida's...
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Directed By:
Brian DePalma
#
21
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
90%
Adjusted Score: 94.198%
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Critics Consensus: Remixing Roger Corman's B-movie by way of the Off-Broadway musical, Little Shop of Horrors offers camp, horror and catchy tunes in equal measure -- plus some inspired cameos by the likes of Steve Martin and Bill Murray.
Synopsis: It started as a 1960 Roger Corman horror comedy, filmed in two days; it then inspired a lavish 1982 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Alan...
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Directed By:
Frank Oz
#
20
Pale Rider (1985)
92%
Adjusted Score: 93.614%
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Critics Consensus: Nearly a decade after The Outlaw Josey Wales, Clint Eastwood returns as a director to the genre that made his name with this elegant, spiritual Western that riffs on the classic Shane.
Synopsis: A mysterious and possibly otherworldly stranger comes to the rescue of a frontier town in this Western, which was strongly influenced by the George...
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Directed By:
Clint Eastwood
#
19
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
89%
Adjusted Score: 94.235%
?
Critics Consensus: With its iconic pairing of Paul Newman and Robert Redford, jaunty screenplay and Burt Bacharach score, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid has gone down as among the defining moments in late-'60s American cinema.
Synopsis: Opening with a silent "movie" of Butch Cassidy's Hole in the Wall Gang, George Roy Hill's comically elegiac Western chronicles the mostly true tale of...
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Directed By:
George Roy Hill
#
18
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
88%
Adjusted Score: 94.832%
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Critics Consensus: The remake of this classic Western improves on the original, thanks to fiery performances from Russell Crowe and Christian Bale as well as sharp direction from James Mangold.
Synopsis: Russell Crowe plays a desperado whose accomplices stage an ambush after he is taken into custody by a determined local sheriff in this remake of the...
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Directed By:
James Mangold
#
17
The Fly (1986)
91%
Adjusted Score: 95.956%
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Critics Consensus: David Cronenberg combines his trademark affinity for gore and horror with strongly developed characters, making The Fly a surprisingly affecting tragedy.
Synopsis: Considered fairly gruesome in its day, the original 1958 The Fly looks like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood compared to this 1986 remake. Jeff Goldblum...
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Directed By:
David Cronenberg
#
16
Let Me In (2010)
89%
Adjusted Score: 94.476%
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Critics Consensus: Similar to the original in all the right ways -- but with enough changes to stand on its own -- Let Me In is the rare Hollywood remake that doesn't add insult to inspiration.
Synopsis: John Ajvide Lindqvist's celebrated vampire novel makes the leap to the big screen once again with the second feature adaptation in so many years...
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Directed By:
Matt Reeves
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15
Insomnia (2002)
92%
Adjusted Score: 97.084%
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Critics Consensus: Driven by Pacino's performance, Insomnia is a smart and riveting psychological drama.
Synopsis: Director Christopher Nolan follows up his breakthrough sophomore film Memento with this remake of a stylish Norwegian thriller. Al Pacino stars as...
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Directed By:
Christopher Nolan
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14
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (Nosferatu the Vampyre) (1979)
95%
Adjusted Score: 98.342%
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Critics Consensus: Stunning visuals from Werner Herzog and an intense portrayal of the famed bloodsucker from Klaus Kinski make this remake of Nosferatu a horror classic in its own right.
Synopsis: For Werner Herzog's 1979 remake of F.W. Murnau's classic 1922 silent horror-fest Nosferatu, star Klaus Kinski adopts the same makeup style used by...
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Directed By:
Werner Herzog
#
13
13 Assassins (2011)
96%
Adjusted Score: 98.771%
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Critics Consensus: Takashi Miike's electric remake of Eiichi Kudo's 1963 period action film is a wild spectacle executed with killer, dizzying panache.
Synopsis: Cult director Takeshi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Audition) delivers a bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of...
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Directed By:
Takashi Miike
#
12
Hairspray (2007)
91%
Adjusted Score: 97.795%
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Critics Consensus: Hairspray is an energetic, wholly entertaining musical romp; a fun Summer movie with plenty of heart. Its contagious songs will make you want to get up and start dancing.
Synopsis: Adam Shankman's adaptation of the stage musical Hairspray, itself an adaptation of the non-musical John Waters film of the same name, stars Nikki...
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Directed By:
Adam Shankman
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11
Victor Victoria (1982)
96%
Adjusted Score: 97.891%
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Critics Consensus: Driven by a fantastic lead turn from Julie Andrews, Blake Edwards' musical gender-bender is sharp, funny and all-round entertaining.
Synopsis: On the verge of starvation in 1930s Paris, erstwhile entertainer Victoria (Julie Andrews) is rescued by gay cabaret performer Toddy (Robert Preston)....
[More]
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10
No Way Out (1987)
92%
Adjusted Score: 94.816%
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Critics Consensus: Roger Donaldson's modern spin on the dense, stylish suspense films of the 1940s features fine work from Gene Hackman and Sean Young, as well as the career-making performance that made Kevin Costner a star.
Synopsis: No Way Out is told in flashback as Naval officer Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) is grilled by his superiors regarding a recent "unpleasantness." While at...
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Directed By:
Roger Donaldson
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9
A Little Princess (1995)
97%
Adjusted Score: 98.719%
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Critics Consensus: Alfonso Cuarón adapts Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel with a keen sense of magic realism, vividly recreating the world of childhood as seen through the characters.
Synopsis: A privileged, free-spirited young girl tries to adapt to life in a strict boarding school in this charming, critically acclaimed children's fantasy....
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Directed By:
Alfonso Cuarón
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8
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
95%
Adjusted Score: 99.691%
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Critics Consensus: Employing gritty camerawork and evocative sound effects, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a powerful remake that expands upon themes and ideas only lightly explored in the original.
Synopsis: This remake of the 1956 horror classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers moves the action from small-town USA to 1970s San Francisco and replaces at...
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Directed By:
Philip Kaufman
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7
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
97%
Adjusted Score: 100.363%
?
Critics Consensus: Lean, taut and compellingly gritty, John Carpenter's loose update of Rio Bravo ranks as a cult action classic and one of the filmmaker's best.
Synopsis: Cops, secretaries, and prisoners stuck in a soon-to-be-shuttered L.A. police station fight off a horde of murderous gang members in director John...
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Directed By:
John Carpenter
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6
The Departed (2006)
92%
Adjusted Score: 99.382%
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Critics Consensus: Featuring outstanding work from an excellent cast that includes Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon, The Departed is a thoroughly engrossing gangster drama with the gritty authenticity and soupy morality that has infused director Martin Scorsese's past triumphs.
Synopsis: Legendary director Martin Scorsese takes the helm for this tale of questionable loyalties and blurring identities set in the South Boston organized...
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Directed By:
Martin Scorsese
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5
Casino Royale (2006)
95%
Adjusted Score: 102.02%
?
Critics Consensus: Casino Royale disposes of the silliness and gadgetry that plagued recent James Bond outings, and Daniel Craig delivers what fans and critics have been waiting for: a caustic, haunted, intense reinvention of 007.
Synopsis: Actor Daniel Craig assumes the role formerly occupied by such screen greats as Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Timothy Dalton to set out on the...
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Directed By:
Martin Campbell
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4
Angst Essen Seele auf (Ali: Fear Eats the Soul) (1974)
100%
Adjusted Score: 101.92%
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Critics Consensus: Regarded as one of the high-water marks in German New Wave cinema of the 1970s, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is at once an intense portrayal of a relationship and a tribute to one of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's film heroes, Douglas Sirk.
Synopsis: Rainer Werner Fassbinder not only directed Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Angst essen Seele auf), but also scripted the film, designed the sets, and...
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Directed By:
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
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3
A Fistful of Dollars (Per un Pugno di Dollari) (1964)
98%
Adjusted Score: 102.467%
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Critics Consensus: With Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo as his template, Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars helped define a new era for the Western and usher in its most iconic star, Clint Eastwood.
Synopsis: By the time Sergio Leone made this film, Italians had already produced about 20 films ironically labelled "spaghetti westerns." Leone approached the...
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Directed By:
Sergio Leone
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2
True Grit (2010)
96%
Adjusted Score: 103.142%
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Critics Consensus: Girded by strong performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, and lifted by some of the Coens' most finely tuned, unaffected work, True Grit is a worthy companion to the Charles Portis book.
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) joins an aging U.S. marshal (Jeff Bridges) and another lawman (Matt Damon) in tracking her father's...
[More]
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