They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Well, sometimes it is, and sometimes it’s one huge insult. Here are five movies from 2007 that were remakes of classic films; some stand up to the original and some should have left well enough alone…
1. 'The Omega Man' - 1971
Warner Brothers
Long before Will Smith was the last man standing in I Am Legend, Charlton Heston was Doctor Robert Neville in The Omega Man. Battling "the family," mutated humans who survived a deadly plague, Heston fights his way through a post-apocalyptic world in an attempt to save the last sliver of humanity left alive on the planet. While the monsters in the 1971 original retain more of their human traits than their computer-generated contemporaries, they're just as determined to kill Neville. Also, don't miss the 1964 version titled The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price.
2. 'Rear Window' - 1954
Paramount
Rear Window remains one of my favorite Hitchcock films of all times. In 2007, it inspired Disturbia, a vehicle for up-and-coming young actor Shia LaBeouf. Both feature a man confined to his home who thinks he sees a murder take place next door. Not only does Rear Window star the indomitable Jimmy Stewart, but Grace Kelly is simply stunning as Stewart's girlfriend who has to be persuaded that something evil is taking place. Seen through a camera lens and binoculars, Raymond Burr plays the object of Stewart's obsession as the maybe-killer across the courtyard in this tense thriller.
3. 'Sleuth' - 1972
Sony Pictures
In 1972, a young Michael Caine starred opposite Laurence Olivier in Sleuth; in 2007, a young Jude Law starred opposite Michael Caine in the Sleuth remake. Switching roles from young lover to cuckolded husband provides the versatile Caine with great perspective on the story. Based on a play by Anthony Shaffer, both versions of Sleuth are worth watching as the men play a cat-and-mouse game with each other. (While we’re on the topic of Michael Caine and Jude Law, don’t forget Alfie. Caine played the title role in 1966 and Law reprised it in 2004.)
4. 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' - 1956
Allied Artists
Sometimes remakes featuring today’s biggest stars are absolute flops. Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig’s The Invasion was a poor imitation of the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, one of the great Cold War paranoia sci-fi flicks of the 1950s. Remade effectively in 1978 and not so well again in 1993, the original holds strong as pod people take over the country. Star Kevin McCarthy makes a cameo in the 1978 version, but nothing tops his hysterical screaming at the end of the original film, “They’re here already. You’re next!”
5. '3:10 to Yuma' - 1957
Columbia Pictures
Despite some additions to the genre every couple of years, the heyday of Westerns is long over in American cinema. However, the 2007 remake of 3:10 to Yuma, starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, is a fine take on the original and on the classic genre. Van Heflin and Glenn Ford played the original duo in 1957: Evans (Heflin) is a farmer determined to bring the outlaw Wade (Ford) to the 3:10 train to Yuma before Wade’s men can free him. It doesn’t matter which you opt to see. Both are great Westerns.
