17 terrible remakes that no one asked for (18 photos)

Hollywood has a bad habit of remaking movies that don't need to be remade. So when Reddit user tinglep asked the good folks at r/moviecritic to name the worst remake of all time, they had an answer.





1. “On the Crest of a Wave” (original: 1991, remake: 2015)



“The film will be good if you want to enjoy stunts. All the action was done with a bang. However, everything rests on the loose skeleton of the Point Break plot, using the names of the original characters. The biggest departure from the original story is the fact that Johnny Utah is shown as an amateur who doesn't know what he's doing. Overall, great stunts, crappy plot, worse acting. And there’s no Gary Busey either.”

2. “Total Recall” (original: 1990, remake: 2012)





“Honorable mention for Total Recall. The remake has more in common with the book than the original film in many ways. But that doesn't change the fact that it's mind-blowingly tasteless garbage."

3. “Ghostbusters” (original: 1984, remake: 2016)



“I will say right now: I 100% agree that women can play leading roles in a film, etc. It was just a bad film. Although I really liked Chris Hemsworth as the secretary."

4. “The Karate Kid” (original: 1984, remake: 2010)



“You mean 'Kung Fu Kid'? I actually liked it, but it was really a kung fu movie."

5. “Red Dawn” (original: 1984, remake: 2012)



“I recently rewatched Red Dawn. When I said that Red Dawn was a good movie, people kept asking me, “Which one?” Because this is extremely offensive, I have cut these people out of my life. Patrick Swayze forever."

6. "White Men Can't Jump" (original: 1992, remake: 2023)



"I don't know. I completely missed this remake. Don't mess with Wesley Snipes movies."

7. “The Wicker Man” (original: 1973, remake: 2006)



“You'll see Cage in a bear costume running through the streets and punching women in the face. The absurdity of what is happening is worth the price of admission. I think if you know in advance that you're in for some crazy absurdity and incompetence, you can enjoy the show as it's presented."

8. “Flatliners” (original: 1990, remake: 2017)



“Truly the worst movie I've ever seen. Incredibly stupid."

9. Planet of the Apes (original: 1968, remake: 2001)



“I was so excited when I saw that the remake was coming out. I went with my wife (my girlfriend at the time) and saw it in the theater. After the session I looked so disappointed that she couldn't help but laugh. Every time this film comes up, she still starts laughing, years later.”

10. “Poltergeist” (original: 1982, remake: 2015)



"If Sam Rockwell can't save the movie, it's crap."

11. A Nightmare on Elm Street (original: 1984, remake: 2010)



"It's not a remake, it's just bullshit, and it set the franchise back over a decade."

12. "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"/ "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (original: 1971, remake: 2005)



“The first movie was weird and iconic. Gene Wilder is insane perfection. Tim Burton's film is more faithful to the book in some details, but also featuresWonka's strange origin story - they say his father was a dentist. This wasn't in the books. The music in Tim Burton's film is worse, and the costume and character designs are terrible, especially the Oompa Loompas."

13. “Oldboy” (original: 2003, remake: 2013)



"I don't think the remake is terrible, but it suffers greatly from the original, which is just awesome."

14. “RoboCop” (original: 1987, remake: 2014)



“I fell asleep in the cinema. I asked my friend what I missed because I slept for 20 minutes and he said nothing. That describes this remake very well.”

15. “The Lion King” (original: 1994, remake: 2019)



“All Disney live-action remakes suck.”

16. “Ben-Hur” (original: 1959, remake: 2016)



“Why even remake a timeless classic? Although, to be fair, 1959's Ben-Hur is itself a remake of the 1925 silent film. I watched the original Ben-Hur last year for the first time in my life, and there were several scenes where my jaw dropped. I have no idea how the hell they made this before CGI. Firstly, a chariot race, and secondly, an incredible naval battle. I've been rewatching it to figure out how they did it, and I still don't understand."

17. And finally, Psycho (original: 1960, remake: 1998)



“The new Psycho is not so much a remake as a repetition of all the scenes, re-shot one after another, but in color. Why it was approved, I have no idea.”