There are dozens of movies that have been successfully remade. Some of which were first created in a less advanced era in films, but were successful in their day. Some of which weren’t very well made at first. But their stories had the potential to be something so much better. A prime example would be Conan the Barbarian, although the remake was even worse than the original in this case! But Hollywood can only work at a certain pace until AI comes and destroys human jobs in the industry. Until then, there are always going to be neglected movies that deserve a reboot but just don’t receive it. This is a list of 10 of those movies.
Creature From The Black Lagoon
This is one of the all time classic monster movies. A group of scientists go deep into the Amazon rainforest as part of a research trip, only to be confronted with a several hundred year old prehistoric monster with a thirst for blood. The scientists do what any maniacs would – attempt to capture it. Bringing it back to America would make them rich and famous. That’s easier said than done though. The movie was a huge success, which makes me wonder why they haven’t remade it already. With modern technology it could be better than ever! Luckily, it was announced last year that work has begun on plans for a remake.
The Seventh Seal (1957)
The Seventh Seal was great. It focused on a game of chess between an ordinary human man and the grim reaper. The reaper was about to take the man’s life when they decided to play a game of chess. During the game, the man asks the reaper all kinds of questions. The film is set during the arrival of the black death in Europe. Despite being a Swedish language film it became popular worldwide as it was produced in a very cunning way. This movie really needs a reboot – the plot alone is enough for that if you ask me.
Flash Gordon (1980)
Flash Gordon was a crazy scifi adventure flic released in 1980. It’s remembered in a comical way because Brian Blessed was in it and because the film itself was incredibly camp. But it’s got the bones for a box office success in my opinion. It follows the story of Flash Gordon, a talented footballer who travels to a distant galaxy to defeat a powerful intergalactic emperor named Ming the merciless. Ming wanted to destroy our world, so Gorden did what he had to. To be honest I see this as one of the last truly original scifi movie scripts.
Mortal Kombat (1995)
This should have been a good movie in theory, but in reality it was just kinda good. Based on the fighting video game series by the same name, Mortal Kombat follows three men in their quest to fight and kill an evil wizard. They are guided on their journey by a mystical god who helps them in each of their battles. The battles take place on a mysterious island because that’s where these things happen. The film brought in about 122 million at the box office, which is a good sign a remake would do well. The game series has gone from strength to strength – which makes me surprised they haven’t already remade this movie. But last year new plans for a reboot were announced.
Machine-Gun Kelly (1958)
This is a largely forgotten movie but that would just make it a better candidate for a reboot. You’ll be able to judge from it’s name that the movie follows the notorious bank robber and gangster who went by the name “Machine-Gun Kelly”. He become public enemy number one after committing a particularly brutal bank robbery. Perhaps feeling the pressure that comes with this, his next robbery doesn’t go down so well. There are so many movies that need to be remade but we can’t ignore this old gem! The film wasn’t exactly a box office hit, which was expected considering it was a low budget production. But it was surprisingly well received among critics.
Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
Night Of The Living Dead changed the world, not just the genre of horror. It introduced what we would probably now recognize as zombies. Before this, zombies were just seen as regular people raised from the dead by Voodoo magic. Night Of The Living Dead was actually the first ever major film to feature a black man playing the lead role. It brought in about 12 million dollars, making it a financial success. I would normally advice again rebooting a classic movie like this. But the sequel, Dawn of the dead was successfully remade a few years ago.
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
Fantastic Voyage is one of those films that everyone has sort-of seen even if they haven’t. What I mean by that is that the film has been parodied by animations like the Simpsons for decades. It follows the story of a small group of scientists who are transformed into a microscopic-sized version of themselves and injected into a man’s body while in a tiny space ship. Their goal is to find a way to awaken him after he was knocked unconscious in an attempt to take his life. It’s a great plot, and is quite different from most recent scifi films. The good news is that the possibility of remaking the movie is currently being discussed.
The Towering Inferno (1974)
The Towering Inferno wasn’t just a great name, it was a great film too. At least, that’s what my mother always thought. The 1970s saw many disaster movies and the Towering Inferno is probably the ultimate of such. It tells that story of a recently erected building – the tallest building in the world. During construction corners were cut, so the tower suddenly set on fire during it’s opening night. The inhabitants are trapped inside and disaster follows! It was a reasonably low budget film but it brought in around 140 million, making it the most successful of the year.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four was the famous Dystopian novel written by Orwell in an attempt to scare people into resisting government tyranny. It’s genuinely one of the greatest works of fiction ever written, so why hasn’t it been adapted into a movie?? It already has twice. But you’ve never heard of the movies because they were both terrible. Or, at least, terrible compared to what a Nineteen Eighty-Four movie should have been. The novel is set in the future, when the government is constantly dominated by one single dictatorial party who brainwashes humans from young. It follows one man’s attempt to resist the party. With modern film technology, a reboot of this film could be something really good.
Citizen Kane (1941)
This one is a pretty controversial choice as it’s generally considered the greatest movie ever made. But it was made so long ago I think the risk is worth it for the chance of a successful remake. Citizen Kane tells the story of a print media mogul’s life, as compiled by journalists following his death. The character was actually based on William Randalph Hurst. Most couldn’t;t include it in a list of movies that need to be remade for fear of butchering it’s legacy. But what could really go wrong?