Yes, believe it or not, one of the best James Bond films was actually a remake of a much older 007 movie, which shared the same title. Though it’s not exactly considered to be part of the official cannon, 1967’s Casino Royale starred David Nivens as the famous superspy and, like the 2006 version, was based on Ian Fleming’s novel. Though a success financially, critics weren’t too kind to it, calling the film a “goofy, dated parade of spy cliches,” among other things. Good thing then that the novel finally got the adaptation it deserved when Daniel Craig came along.
2007’s 3:10 To Yuma is a fantastic Western in its own right, but the film it’s based on is widely considered to be a classic. The 1957 version starred Glenn Ford and is one of the greatest Westerns ever released. It was so well-loved, in fact, that it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” I’m not sure if the remake will ever reach the same status, but it’s still a damn fine film and one of my personal favorites.
Insomnia is far from Christopher Nolan’s best work, but the film that it was based on, a Norwegian 1997 movie of the same name, was widely praised upon its release. Featuring a chilling performance from Stellan Skarsgard, the original Insomnia is a haunting thriller that, in this writer’s opinion at least, is a lot better than the remake.
Billed as an explosive action movie, James Cameron’s True Lies was actually based on a French comedy called La Totale! Its inspiration on the 1994 action romp is loose at best, but it did contain many of the same plot beats and is even considered by some people to be better than Cameron’s remake.
Michael Mann’s crime saga Heat is classic of the genre, but what most people don’t know is that the film is a remake of a made-for-TV movie which was also directed by Mann. L.A. Takedown was originally filmed as a pilot for NBC but wasn’t picked up. So, instead of wasting the work he had done, Mann turned it into a stand-alone TV film which would eventually serve as the basis for one of the greatest crime movies of all-time.
I Am Legend is based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel of the same name, but it’s actually the third film adaptation of the source material. The first attempt to adapt Matheson’s work resulted in 1964’s The Last Man on Earth, followed by 1971’s The Omega Man. While the latter stuck closer to the source material, The Last Man on Earth was a fairly influential film, with directors like George A. Romero citing it as the inspiration for Night of the Living Dead.
Though widely considered to be one of the greatest horror films of all-time, and rightfully so, John Carpenter’s The Thing was actually a remake of Howard Hawks’ The Thing From Another World. Though that 1951 flick obviously didn’t have the same level of make-up and effects to create its titular creature, many critics regard it as one of the better sci-fi efforts of the 1950s and like 3:10 To Yuma, it was also selected for preservation by the United States Library of Congress. Carpenter’s film might offer up more genuine scares and chills, but Hawks’ version of the story is definitely worth a watch as well.
Martin Scorsese’s The Departed is based on an excellent Hong Kong crime-thriller called Infernal Affairs. Released back in 2002, the original, like the remake, received universal acclaim and numerous accolades, including a nomination at the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film. Quite frankly, Infernal Affairs surpasses The Departed in some areas and while both are excellent films, I actually prefer the original myself.
The Wizard of Oz that we all know and love was released in 1939, but believe it or not, it was far from the first adaptation of this classic story. 1910 saw a short film released that adapted L. Frank Baum’s famous work while 1925 brought with it a silent adaptation of the novel. Unfortunately, that version sent its studio into bankruptcy and never received a wide release.
