While there are a number of classic sci-fi movies that have earned remakes over the years that disappointed, a few remakes beat the odds and actually turned out better than the originals. The sci-fi genre offers the chance for filmmakers to tell big movies with big ideas and original concepts. When one of these thought-provoking sci-fi ideas strikes a chord with the audience, it usually doesn’t take Hollywood long to capitalize on that popularity, with even the most iconic sci-fi movies not safe from getting remakes.
However, though remakes often get lumped in with the negative narrative that there are no more original ideas in Hollywood, that doesn’t mean they can’t be good sometimes. It is true that there have been some sci-fi remakes that have fallen far short of the originals, like Tim Burton’s take on The Planet of the Apes and the dull 2012 version of Total Recall. There have also been some solid ones that can’t quite match what came before, like Steven Soderbergh’s Solaris. However, these sci-fi remakes broke the trend and improved on the story.
10
The Invisible Man (2020)
Remake Of The Invisible Man (1933)
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells is a literary classic of the sci-fi genre that has inspired many movies, including the classic 1933 version that became part of the Universal Monsters universe. It follows a mad scientist who discovers a way to turn himself invisible and proceeds to cause mayhem and murder with his new powers. It is a fun and surprisingly dark sci-fi movie from Old Hollywood that got a great modern remake.
The 2020 version of The Invisible Man takes a similar approach in a story of a brilliant but sadistic man who builds a suit that makes him invisible to the naked eye. However, instead of focusing on the villain as the original movie does, The Invisible Man follows his ex-girlfriend as she slowly loses grip on reality with the idea that someone is watching her and destroying her life without her seeing. It is a complex and thrilling sci-fi horror movie with a standout performance from Elizabeth Moss.
9
Dredd (2012)
Remake Of Judge Dredd (1995)
Judge Dredd is a beloved cult comic book character who was the subject of one of the most derided comic book adaptations of all time. Action superstar Sylvester Stallone decided to play the character in a 1995 sci-fi movie about the ultimate lawman who punishes criminals without hesitation. However, Stallone almost immediately lost fans of the comics when his hero took off the trademark helmet, something that is never done in the comics.
When Dredd came along nearly two decades later, Karl Urban took on the role, and they were smart enough to stick to that simple rule of always having him in his helmet. However, that was only one small example of why the movie was so much better. Urban’s gruff and unsympathetic delivery was perfect for the flawed yet entertaining hero, while the R-rated action sequences were thrilling despite the movie’s low budget. Even with all of the fan love, they are still waiting for Dredd 2 to finally happen.
8
The Fly (1986)
Remake Of The Fly (1958)
The 1958 film The Fly is an intriguing sci-fi horror movie about another scientist meddling in some dangerous work. André Delambre is working on experiments with a molecular transporter only for a common house fly to get mixed into the device and splice its DNA with his own. As a result, he begins to slowly transform into a grotesque human-fly hybrid. While the scene of the fly caught in a spider web is still creepy all these decades later, the movie’s tame approach isn’t likely to shock modern fans.
In comparison, David Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly is one of the most gruesome and unsettling body horror movies of all time. The creature effects are brilliant and nauseating, but it is also a much more complex story. The vicious and cold descent of Jeff Goldblum’s protagonist is compelling, while there is a tragic love story aspect to the movie as Geena Davis plays his lover who sees him gradually become a monster in more ways than one.
7
The Blob (1988)
Remake Of The Blob (1958)
1958’s The Blob is best remembered as one of the first starring roles of young Steven McQueen before he became a movie star. The drive-in classic centers around a goo-like alien creature that crashes on Earth and gradually begins consuming everything in its path, growing larger as it does. As it threatens to take over an entire town, the heroic young McQueen seeks to stop it.
The practical effects also deliver some surprisingly effective death scenes that make this an underrated sci-fi horror ride.
While the original has a lot of campy love around sci-fi fans, few could have anticipated that the 1988 remake would be such a darker and gorier update to the tale. The story is very much the same, but The Blob remake delights in subverting the audience’s expectations, killing off several characters early on who feel like they were going to be leading heroes. The practical effects also deliver some surprisingly effective death scenes that make this an underrated sci-fi horror ride.
6
I Am Legend (2007)
Remake Of The Last Man On Earth (1964) & The Omega Man (1971)
The 1954 novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson is a beloved sci-fi story that has been remade into a few high-profile Hollywood productions. The first take on the story was The Last Man on Earth, starring Vincent Price as a man who is seemingly the last living person after a plague wiped out humanity and turned them into vampiric creatures. This was remade into the Charlton Heston movie The Omega Man, which was a more action-focused take on the story.
The big-budget modern version finally kept the original тιтle and delivered the best version of I Am Legend to date. Will Smith stars in this remake as the last man in search of a cure, long after humanity was seemingly wiped out. The movie is elevated by Smith’s intense and emotional performance, while the scenes depicting an empty New York City are amazing. I Am Legend‘s ending angered a lot of fans, but the alternate ending was closer to the source material and will be adopted as the true ending for I Am Legend 2.
5
Dune (2021)
Remake Of Dune (1984)
While Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is more of an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s first Dune novel rather than a remake of David Lynch’s 1984 movie, it is hard not to compare the two movies to each other. Both movies attempt to be faithful tellings of the complex and epic sci-fi story of Paul Atreides and his fight for survival on the harsh planet of Arrakis as his family’s powerful enemies betray them and wage war.
Lynch’s movie is an ambitious take, beloved by many fans but also considered to fall apart due to too much studio interference. In the end, it is an impressive attempt that seems to prove that Herbert’s novel can’t be adapted. Villeneuve later came along to prove that to be untrue, delivering a big-budget take on the story with an all-star cast, incredible action, and successful world-building that has not only managed to tell the first novel successfully, but will lead to further adaptations of the book series.
4
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Remake Of Godzilla (1954)
The first Godzilla film was way back in 1954 and remains an iconic monster movie that introduced one of the most famous creatures in pop culture. Of course, the creature effects don’t hold up after all this time, but that doesn’t take away from the spectacle of the movie and the impressive filmmaking on hand. It is also a smart allegory beneath all of the entertaining and thrilling destruction from the тιтular monster.
Unlike most Godzilla movies, it is also populated with interesting human characters, so the audience isn’t just waiting around for the monster to show up.
Godzilla Minus One is not quite a remake of the original, but rather a reimagining. It takes the action to an earlier era of Japanese history, with the story following Godzilla’s emergence as Japan was still recovering from its defeat during World War II. Godzilla Minus One delivers incredible special effects on a modest budget, creating truly memorable set pieces. Unlike most Godzilla movies, it is also populated with interesting human characters, so the audience isn’t just waiting around for the monster to show up.
3
12 Monkeys (1996)
Remake Of La Jetée (1962)
As one of the most acclaimed sci-fi movies of the 1990s, there are likely a number of fans who would be surprised to learn that 12 Monkeys is a remake. Indeed, the Terry Gilliam surreal time travel movie actually took its inspiration from a 1962 French short film called La Jetée. The short film tells the story of a prisoner in a post-nuclear war future who is selected to travel back in time to help save the current world from the devastating developments of the past.
It is not surprising that 12 Monkeys is able to be the superior version of the story, as it is able to expand on the story and build up to the brilliant twist ending that exists in both versions. However, Gilliam’s distinct style also makes 12 Monkeys stand out as a bizarre and engrossing sci-fi movie. There are also some outstanding performances, with Brad Pitt stealing the show with his Oscar-nominated performance.
2
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
Remake Of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
The 1956 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a brilliant sci-fi masterpiece. It is also a clever twist on the alien invasion movie, with the alien takeover happening quietly under everyone’s noses until it is too late. The movie centers around alien spores landing on Earth and growing pods that allow them to duplicate the appearance of any human, gradually taking over a small town with plans to conquer the world.
While there is little fault to find in the original movie, the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is even more effective with its slow burn approach to this story. It is a thrill for the audience to see the danger at hand as the characters slowly begin to realize what is happening. It also somehow manages to top the chilling conclusion of the original by delivering one of the best twist endings of all time.
1
The Thing (1982)
Remake Of The Thing From Another World (1951)
John Carpenter’s The Thing is not just a movie that surpᴀssed the excellent original movie, The Thing from Another World, but it is also called the best horror movie of all time by many fans. Both versions of the story are adaptations of the novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr, telling the story of the discovery of an alien spacecraft in the Arctic, where a crew of remote workers soon find themselves hunted by the creature who has thawed out inside.
The Thing gets its biggest advantage over the original by including the alien’s shapeshifting abilities, which the original movie leaves out. This aspect raises the tension in the movie, making it as much a story about the paranoia of the humans not knowing whom to trust. It also makes way for the outstanding creature designs in the movie, with the practical effects of the transformations becoming gruesomely beautiful creations.
