I disagree on the following remakes mentioned in this thread:
- Scarface (both movies are excellent and very different, but Hawks' original is at least as good as De Palma's remake and a milestone in the gangster movie genre)
- Cape Fear (one of Scorsese worst movies imo, the original with Peck and Mitchum is miles ahead)
- The Departed (at least a decent remake by Scorsese this time, but the original is better imo)
- War of the Worlds (original is far far better imo)
- The Mummy (same)
I agree on one movie mentioned: Ocean's Eleven. It's better than the original, though I don't like either movie.
I think there's a chance that I would like the remake of The Thing (from Another World) more than the original, but I can't judge as I've never seen the original, only a trailer on Youtube.
I think there's a high chance that I'd still like the original of Clash of the Titans more than the remake even if I had seen the remake. The original is stupid but very charming and has gorgeous Harryhausen stop motion effects.
BTW: No offense, but I doubt that everyone who mentioned movies in this thread have seen both versions. Especially Scarface, Cape Fear and 3:10 to Yuma.
Finally my own contribution:
- His Girl Friday (1940, Howard Hawks, with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell)
- The Front Page (1974, Billy Wilder, with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau)
Both are remakes of another great movie from 1931 (The Front Page, Lewis Milestone).
This is an interesting case, because I think it's probably the only time in movie history where all 3 movies are excellent, the original and the two remakes. I like the two remakes from '40 and '74 more though. His Girl Friday and Wilder's version of The Front Page are two of the best comedy movies I've ever seen.
