In 2001 “Ocean’s Eleven” was a very popular hit with American audiences. It was remade from the 1960 film that starred the “Rat Pack” of Frank Sinatra., and the gang that was frequently invited to the White House for dinner by the President. It did not hurt the gang’s status that his brother in law was actor Peter Lawford either. This remake followed the same story line of robbing casinos, but George Clooney does a much better job as an intriguing heist man, and mature women find him extremely sexy, and very classy. The movie keeps the light humor, but uses new technology to rob and thieve their way into cash, with slick style.
There have been hundreds of movies remade from the early 1920s to today in the 21st century. It bears true that not all of the remakes were any better than the original, and most are lying somewhere in a dusty Hollywood vault, and decaying with time. However, there are a few that have gained a lot of popularity and critical acclaim, and need to be noted as a few outstanding remakes today.
“The Thing” in 1951 left people a little scared from the theaters just like “The Blob” did later in 1958. “The Thing” was based on a short story in the early 1950s, but in the 1982 remake it was a cult hit. Starring Kurt Russell and a group of scientists that are running from a monster that can change forms, it is not as campy in dialogue, and the monster is much more believable in form because of neat special effects. The movie never slows down, and the audience does not loose interest in the dialogue.
As with classics, the remakes of them depend a lot on the lead actor to make them better. It does not all necessarily depend just on special effects. One of the best actors around, and usually not placed as a lead role in many films, is Jeff Goldblum. He brings to the screen a human factor that the original did not, compassion for his character’s helplessness. The dialogue is touching and sensitive, and leaves the audience with sadness. Also, in “The Fly” unbelievable special effects of transforming Goldblum into a fly, when an experiment has gone wrong, make the movie a true classic remake too.
