Top 10 Worst Movie Remakes of All Time

The 2003 South Korean Oldboy, directed by Park Chan-wook, is a masterpiece of revenge and mystery. The 2013 American remake by Spike Lee couldn't come close. The story of a man locked up for twenty years without explanation who then seeks answers and revenge remains intriguing, but many fans felt the remake lacked the nuance and depth of the original. A reminder that not every story needs to be retold, especially when the original is already perfect.

Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 Psycho is an undisputed masterpiece of psychological horror. Gus Van Sant's 1998 remake was a shot-for-shot copy of the original, leaving many to wonder what the point was of remaking an already perfect film. It was widely considered a pale imitation.

The 1975 Rollerball is a sci-fi sports film about a deadly, violent game in the near future. The 2002 remake by John McTiernan lacked the original's nuance and was seen by many as poorly executed and unnecessary. The story strayed so far from the original that many viewers wondered why it was even called Rollerball.

The original 1987 RoboCop, directed by Paul Verhoeven, is an iconic film about a fatally wounded police officer turned into a cyborg in a dystopian Detroit. The 2014 remake lacked the original's nuance and satire, becoming a pale imitation of a film that mocked itself and the action genre.

The original 1990 Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger is a cult classic. The 2012 remake with Colin Farrell couldn't match it. The story of a factory worker who visits a company that implants memories remains intriguing, but many fans felt the film didn't do the concept justice, and the absence of the Mars setting was heavily criticized.

In the 2019 Jacob's Ladder, a young man returns from Afghanistan after losing his brother in combat and descends into a confusing, twisted, paranoid state. Unlike the remake, Adrian Lyne's 1990 original was well received by audiences and critics. Many movie lovers considered the 2019 version a shameful take on a brilliant masterpiece.

Red Dawn shows what happens after North Korean troops invade the United States and take over Spokane, Washington. A group of teenagers, including Josh Peck and Josh Hutcherson, and an Iraq veteran played by Chris Hemsworth flee to the woods to form a resistance group. Unlike the 1984 original led by Patrick Swayze, the 2012 action thriller is widely considered completely pointless.

The biggest problem with the live-action Mulan seems to be that it loses the essence of the original. The story still follows the daughter (Yifei Liu) of an honored warrior who poses as a man to take her father's place in battle, but many believe the film completely neglects the inspiring themes of the animated classic.

Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 original was one of the most memorable films of its decade. The 2015 remake revolves around a team of extreme sports athletes behind elaborate corporate heists. Many viewers found it redundant, especially since the original story had already been retold in the first Fast and the Furious film.

This remake of William Wyler's 1959 epic, itself a remake of a 1925 silent film, stars Jack Huston as Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother (Toby Kebbell) who returns years later for revenge. Many Reddit users agree that Timur Bekmambetov's 2016 version is considerably worse than the original.