15 Amazing Movies You Likely Didn't Know Were Remakes

Hollywood loves a good remake, even too often they end up making bad ones. In today's film landscape, remakes and reboots make up a large swath of the offerings that audiences can choose from, whether it's streaming releases or prestige projects taking the theatrical exhibition route. Interestingly enough, there seems to be a large portion of the moviegoing audience that wants to see remakes, but there's no denying that they can be a total mixed bag when it comes to quality and improvement upon the source material.

That said, there are quite a few excellent ones that have stood the test of time, as well as a large handful of remakes that are better than the original. Further still, there are several great remakes that are so good, most folks don't even know they're a remake in the first place. One telltale sign of a great film is how much it immerses you, and those remakes that flew under the radar are so engrossing and strong that they've surpassed their origins — a true feat for any artwork attempting to revisit an old story.

Here are 15 amazing movies you likely didn't know were remakes.

Let's get this one over with right up front: Yes, the 1983 classic is, in fact, a remake, and it might potentially be the most surprising one of this list. The '80s version of "Scarface," which starred Al Pacino and was directed by Brian de Palma, was a remake of a banned 1930s crime movie, which has mostly been eclipsed by the Pacino output. The original 1932 film was loosely inspired by Al Capone's story, which took place in Chicago, but the Pacino version reimagines the tale with a Cuban immigrant as the lead. His dramatic rise to power in the Miami underground becomes the stuff of legend and chaos ensues, as you'd expect, which is something this version does have in common with the original.

The 1932 feature was also an adaptation of the 1930 novel of the same name by Armitage Trail, and it was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1994.

Gore Verbinski's "The Ring" was something of a cultural phenomenon in 2002 — and I can say that as someone who was a terrified 10-year-old at the time, totally bewitched by Samara and her haunting story. But something I didn't know at the time was that this film was a remake of a storied Japanese horror classic "Ringu," which was released in 1998. Interestingly enough, that film was a remake too, reimagining a 1995 TV movie of the same name. Ultimately, all of these films are adaptations of a 1991 novel, also called "Ringu," by Koji Suzuki.

Both the 1998 J-horror classic and the 2002 American output are truly excellent movies, and they each serve as beautiful showcases for the filmmakers, as the directorial choices are what make these films. But there's no denying that the English attempt, which starred Naomi Watts, has largely overtaken its source material in the public consciousness and evolved into a masterpiece.

Robert De Niro's performance as psychopath Max Caddy in the 1991 thriller "Cape Fear" will go down as one of the best villain performances of all time, but before him came Robert Mitchum, who played De Niro's role in the 1962 original film. Gregory Peck (in his final film role) played lead Sam Bowden in the 1962 output, and Nick Nolte played the character in the 1990s version, which was directed by none other than Martin Scorsese. All in all, it's a remake of an absolutely underrated crime thriller. 

Both films were adapted from the 1957 novel "The Executioners" by John D. MacDonald, and both Mitchum and Peck make small appearances in Scorsese's version as an homage to the first film. But this is another film that sort of eclipses its source movie to become something greater in the eyes of the overall zeitgeist. For the 1991 movie, that transition to greatness lies mainly in De Niro's performance, which is looked at as one of his undeniable best. Plus, he got totally ripped for the role, which is enough to make it memorable on its own, if you ask us.

David Cronenberg's 1986 classic "The Fly" is so bizarre that it totally makes sense as part of his vast filmography, but ultimately, he didn't conceive of the story himself. Despite the fact that Cronenberg did write his beloved film, it is actually a remake based on the 1958 film of the same name. Both films are, at their core, an adaptation of a 1957 short story by George Langelaan.

Cronenberg's film, which starred Jeff Goldblum as a man who would end up slowly and grotesquely turning into a fly over the course of the story, was both a commercial and critical success, and it has since become a staple in the horror genre, cited far more frequently than its first version 28 years prior. Chris Wallas and Stephan Dupuis even ended up winning an Oscar for Best Makeup for the film's most gruesome visuals, which... makes complete sense. After all, there is only one real contender for the greatest body horror movie of all time. 

Mike Nichols' 1996 film "The Birdcage" is arguably one of the most essential American comedies, and it's one of the most striking and influential moves in LGBTQ+ representation in cinema. But it's also another remake, this time of a French film that debuted in 1978 called "La Cage aux Folles." Both films are an adaptation of a 1973 farce play of the same French title.

The movie is absolutely stacked as far as the cast (and the costumes!) go, which is a major reason why it holds a more prestigious spot in the zeitgeist over its source material. "The Birdcage" features Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in leading roles, with Calista Flockhart, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest, Hank Azaria, and Christine Baranski in supporting roles. Plus, the hilarious script, which was written by Nichols' collaborator Elaine May, was a key standout to audiences, and those two elements allowed it to become iconic over the years.

Here's another shocker for ya: Martin Scorsese's 2006 crime thriller "The Departed" is, you guessed it, actually a remake. The movie, which garnered Scorsese his only directing Oscar to date, is an English-language remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs," but it uses the real-life Winter Hill Gang of Boston as a framework. It's hard to overstate how much of a phenomenon this film was when it premiered in the mid-2000s and how much it is still regarded as one of the great crime thrillers. Even now, it's considered the best remake of all time according to IMDb. It's also still considered one of the best of Scorsese's filmography, which says a lot considering he's no stranger to crime and mob stories and has long since done them well.

Part of the success of this film, especially as it relates to the original film it's based on, is the star-studded cast, which was truly excellent. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson go head to head in this movie with career-best performances, with Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, and Anthony Anderson playing supporting roles. With a cast like that, how could it not be unforgettable?

Iconic 1941 film noir "The Maltese Falcon" is one of the pinnacles of early golden age cinema, and you probably didn't know it was a remake. The movie reimagines the 1931 pre-Hays code version of the story, and both films are adaptations of the 1930 novel by Dashiell Hammett. The big difference between the versions, though, is that the later stars the legendary Humphrey Bogart, so needless to say, the movie easily overshadowed its predecessor upon its successful release.

The film, which follows a private detective who takes on a case with a priceless statue at its center, was directed by the legendary John Huston and also stars Mary Astor and Peter Lorre. The film has become such a cinematic staple over the years that it was one of the first 25 movies to be selected by the Library of Congress to be included in the National Film Registry in 1989, nearly 50 years following its release. Ultimately, the 1941 version helped shape film noir as a genre. 

We've got another English-language remake, people. The 2021 Best Picture winner "Coda," directed by Sian Heder, is a remake of the 2014 French-Belgian film"La Famille Bélier." This newer American version garnered a healthy helping of fame when it won three Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for star Troy Kotsur and Best Adapted Screenplay, both for its heartfelt story and also for its sort of unexpected triumphs during awards season. It certainly came out of the woodwork, and if anything, the original film "Coda" is based on is even more in the woodwork than "Coda" was originally.

Plus, the Best Picture win was a first for a streaming service, with the trophy going to Apple TV+ as distributors. It was also the first Sundance premiere, debuting at the festival in 2021, to win Best Picture. The project is known for using deaf actors to play its deaf characters, including Kotsur. Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, and Marlee Matlin also starred alongside him. Plus, the movie was produced by Philippe Rousselet, who produced the original film, but it definitely became the more recognizable of the two.

The 2002 rom-com "Meet the Parents" is simply an elite early aughts comedy that will go down in history as a wealth of hilarious quotable lines and a ridiculous sequence of events, but we'll never be over how one of Ben Stiller's best roles came in a surprise remake. This movie reimagines a film from 10 years prior, also titled "Meet the Parents." The original was directed by Greg Glienna, who also starred in the film and wrote it.

The 2002 version, which was directed by Jay Roach and written by Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg, had a killer cast that helped cement it in the greater comedy canon with their iconic performances. Stiller starred in the film alongside Robert De Niro, with Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, and Owen Wilson rounding out the supporting cast. Everyone is just on their A-game when it comes to the laughs in this one. It really is no surprise it ended up being such a major hit, one that left its much darker original in the dust. 

Steven Soderbergh's 2001 heist comedy is now one of the classic heist films, spoken in the same breath as greats like "Heat" and "The Italian Job." But before "Ocean's Eleven" came the legendary 1960 version of the story in a film that starred Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop, no less. The original "Ocean's Eleven" owed a lot to the Rat Pack's improv, but believe it or not, it was met with mixed reviews at the time of release. So it seems as though Warner Bros. had enough confidence in the story to give it a second shot, which was clearly the right move. 

The 2001 heist hit also had an incredible ensemble cast that helped usher it into greatness. George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Elliot Gould, Bernie Mac, Scott Caan, and Carl Reiner star in the film, which went on to be the fifth highest grossing movie the year it was released. It's been such a success that there have been two sequels and a prequel, with more supposedly on the way.

"The Taking of Pelham 123," the 2009 thriller directed by Tony Scott and written by Brian Helgeland, saw Denzel Washington and John Travolta going head to head as train dispatcher and hijacking criminal respectively, aboard a subway train full of passengers. But it turns out, this isn't the first time this story has made its way to the silver screen. Yep, it's a remake.

The original film of the same name premiered in 1974, and it was the first of three adaptations of Jon Godey's 1973 novel of the same name. The 2009 output wasn't a critical success, but it did decently at the box office, unlike the original film, which was a smash and also received critical acclaim. But either way, Scott's version of the story was so much more fun than its critical reception made it out to be, and over the years, Travolta and Washington's performances have become the face of this story.

Michael Haneke's 2007 psychological thriller "Funny Games" is a horror classic at this point, particularly when it comes to meta and satirical narratives — but it is also a remake. That said, though, this is a remake with a bit of a twist. Haneke's 2007 film is actually an English-language, shot-for-shot remake of his own 1997 film of the same title. It's the only shot-for-shot remake on the list and also the only instance on this list where a filmmaker remade their own movie.

The original film starred Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, and Arno Frisch, and it took place in Austria, while the second version stars Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, and Brady Corbet, and it's set in a nondescript American lakeside town. The addition of well-known actors definitely made the 2007 version stand out and overtake its predecessor in the zeitgeist over the years, but Frisch's turn as Paul from the 1997 film is still as impactful and lasting as Pitt and Corbet's work was at the time.

Joel and Ethan Coen are masters of the midwest, so it makes sense that they would be at the helm of 2010's "True Grit," which is, you guessed it, a remake of a 1969 western of the same name. Both movies are adaptations of the 1968 novel of the same name by Charles Portis.

The original film, directed by Henry Hathaway, was a commercial and critical success, which makes sense considering the legendary John Wayne starred in the project. In fact, he was so good in the picture that he ended up winning both the Academy Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama for his work. The Coen Brothers' remake, though, was just as acclaimed for its performances, particularly the work of 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld, who stars in the film alongside Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. Steinfeld's work, in her film debut no less, was impressive enough to catapult her to stardom and keeps this excellent remake in the forefront of the mind of the modern audience despite the success of the original.

David Fincher's techno-noir thriller "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" was a major success when it was released in 2011, but despite the filmmaker's originality in bringing the story to life, the movie was always, at its core, a remake. The film is a reimagining of the 2009 Swedish movie of the same name, directed by Niels Arden Oplev and starring Noomi Rapace. Both projects are adaptations of the hit 2005 novel of the same name by Stieg Larsson.

Fincher's version starred Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara in the central protagonist roles and Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, and Robin Wright in supporting roles. The performances are no doubt stacked in this film and it is that combined with Fincher's stylish edge of an aesthetic that made this movie the critical and commercial success that it was — to the point where it is arguably considered the best version of this story.

The beloved 2003 Disney comedy "Freaky Friday" comes from a somewhat long line of Freaky Fridays. The movie, which stars Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, is a remake of the 1975 film of the same name directed by Gary Nelson. It starred acting icons Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster and was a major success. After that came the 1995 remake directed by Melaine Mayron. This one starred Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffmann and was made for an episode of "The Wonderful World of Walt Disney."

The 2003 film and both prior versions were all adaptations of the 1972 novel of the same name by Mary Rogers, who also wrote the script for the original 1975 movie. With Lohan and Curtis at the helm, the 2003 output quickly became a memorably hilarious Disney staple and a clear-cut favorite version of the story, as well as a perfectly nostalgic watch for those who grew up with Lohan and Curtis rocking out on guitar.