RedFive said:
The Manchurian Candidate
Anyone mention this yet? I actually heard the remake wasn't bad (never saw it), but that's beside the point - it was totally unnecessary.
Yeah, don't bother seeing it. Watch the original if you haven't already. It's better in every way and, as you said, the remake is totally unnecessary.
I've seen some good remakes, but overall, most of them are pointless and often disappointing. (The Day the Earth Stood Still 2008... *barf!*)
Looking at a list, here are some I've seen both versions of:
Good
- Angels in the Outfield (the original has Janet Leigh...rowr!)
- The Magnificent Seven (Western remake of The Seven Samurai, lots of fun)
- Cape Fear (I prefer the original)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (I prefer the original)
- Freaky Friday (2003; forgettable compared to the original, but amusing)
- Fun with *** and Jane (better than the original)
- The Karate Kid (better than I figured, but then, Jackie Chan is in it)
- Mighty Joe Young (it gots Charlize Theron in it...rowr!)
- You've Got Mail (remake of The Shop Around the Corner, both fun)
Bad
- The Day the Earth Stood Still (the original has been a top favorite since I was a wee tot, however! This one really bugs me...)
- The Manchurian Candidate (2004; as mentioned, pointless)
- Planet of the Apes (forgettable compared to the original)
- Psycho (1998; SO very, very pointless!)
- The Time Machine (2002; again, the original is one I've loved for most of my life, and this one was just...weird, especially the addition of that stupid "uber-Morlock")
Looking through the list (linked above), there are a lot I've still only seen one version of.