These days, filmmakers seem to be running out of stories even though the world is more colourful than it has ever been. Which means, we get to watch a lot of remakes. But there are some films, that are so perfect that they need to be protected. These are a few of those movies.
1. Breakfast Club
If you can trace back the origin of buddy comedies, this is where you would actually end up. And when Judd Nelson himself says that the film shouldn’t be remade, it most definitely shouldn’t be remade. There is a handful of films that can truly be called classics, and this film definitely makes it to that list. Why fix something that isn’t broken?
2. Goodfellas
It’s Martin Scorsese. It’s Robert De Niro. It’s Joe Pesci. It’s Ray Liotta. This is quite possibly the best movie in the gangster genre. If you haven’t watched it yet, I have no idea what you’re doing with your life.
Because if you’ve watched it, there’s absolutely no way, you want it remade. All 3 of the above-mentioned actors steal the show in ways you can’t imagine. And if they decide to remake it, I am pretty sure, De Niro will end up punching them in the face.
3. The Shawshank Redemption
Can you ever imagine anyone else saying ‘Get busy living or get busy dying’? Can you? Anything other than no is the wrong answer. You could have God himself narrating the story and it still wouldn’t be a good as Morgan Freeman.
There is a reason this is the highest-rated film on IMDb. And that reason is that this is perfect. The cast, the story, the raw emotion, the story of one Andy Dufrene, simply cannot be repeated.
4. The Matrix
The original cast of The Matrix is returning for The Matrix 4. So, a remake is a big nope. Mind you, the OG film is still one of the best Sci-fi action thrillers made to date. I mean, god damn, every second action sequence in every sc-fi movie gets compared to The Matrix. Also, there is absolutely nobody that can be a better Agent Smith than Hugo Weaving.
5. Dead Poets Society
There are some films that are so good that they live within you for the rest of your lives. This is one of those films. We have all wanted someone like Robin Wiliams to be there for us. Nobody can replace him. And that doesn’t even begin the list of reasons why this film should never be tampered with.
6. Life Is Beautiful
The 1997 film about the Holocaust is an ocean of emotions. It shows the grim reality of what Hitler and the Nazis did to millions of innocent people just because they were Jew. But it also uses humour as a shield, that a father uses to protect his son from the hatred that was coming for them. Never touch this with the intention of making it better.
7. The Silence Of The Lambs
Hannibal Lecter is a fascinating character- a man of great intellect who eats other people. That, in itself, is a fascinating story. But when you realise that Sir Anthony Hopkins, who plays Hannibal, won an Oscar for just 14 minutes of screen time, you truly begin to appreciate its genius.
So yeah, go ahead and make a million TV shows but remaking this film and the horror it induced is a task next to impossible.
8. Moonlight
You’ve heard about this film from the La La Land Oscar fiasco, LOL. But here’s the thing. This film is so much more than that. For starters, this is a film about homosexuality that has people of colour. Secondly, it’s just such a pure and beautiful journey of a kid who finds guidance in Juan, a drug dealer, who makes an impression on him that lasts a lifetime.
9. Pulp Fiction
When all is said and done at the end of human civilisation, one of the last memories of our times will be that of Quentin Tarantino and his storytelling ability. And that ability shines brighter in this film than in any of his other works.
Coupled with great acting and a very compelling soundtrack, Pulp Fiction is one of the true immortals of filmmaking and should remain that way. Oh, and if you’re looking for a plot explanation here, trust me, you wouldn’t dare if you had watched the film.
10. Scarface
Remember when you were telling people how good The Irishman was and some of them asked you if it was better than Scarface? And you said, yeah it was and then they looked offended and asked you to shut the fuck up, noob.
Yeah, that’s how good this Al Pacino movie loosely based on the life of notorious mobster Al Capone is. The script, the direction, the fucking acting, all of it just keeps you hooked till the bitter end.
11. Pretty Woman
Now, in 2020, this movie has a shit ton of flaws. But when it released, it was just beautiful. It’s got a really pretty woman and a fantastic actor in Julia Roberts, who plays a sex worker. Richard Gere plays a rich white guy (duh!) who falls in love with her and the two of them try to bridge the ago between their worlds.
12. Citizen Kane
Orson Welles was at the peak of his powers as a filmmaker when he gave us Citizen Kane. He captured the dramatic shift of balance between excess and innocence and gave us a film that has truly stood the test of time. Yup, it released in 1941.
13. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Most of you were probably not even born when this released but if you think spoilers are a big deal now, you should have been in the 70s when Darth Vader revealed to Luke Skywalker that he was his daddy.
Look, quite honestly, the original Star Wars trilogy were all classics and should never ever be touched even by George Lucas.
14. Dazed & Confused
This isn’t that great of a movie. It won’t make you think or change how you live your life but this is where Matthew McConaughey’s iconic ‘Alright, Alright, Alright’ was born. It’s a pretty fun movie though. Watch when you’re stoned. It’s on Netflix.
15. Jojo Rabbit
Taika Waititi has a way of bringing good old humour to circumstances that aren’t just funny, like the holocaust. And this movie is a prime example of that. It’s harrowing but also light-hearted and takes you through the last days of Nazi rule in Germany through the eyes of a child whose oly friend is imaginary and he’s Hitler.
16. The Dark Knight
Imagine, you decided to remake this film. How are you planning on doing it? Because let’s be honest, nobody can actually do what Heath Ledger did as the Joker. Not even Joaquin Phoenix. Every superhero movie that has since been made has been compared to this Nolan masterpiece. You just can’t make it different.
17. Parasite
I imagine some of you might not have seen this film, so I won’t spoil it for you. But you’ve all heard rumours of Hollywood trying to remake it. Well, in that case, we gotta do something, guys. Because, this film is so simple and yet so perfect that it should be kept in the Smithsonian so that when aliens try to study us, they get a real picture of what our world actually looked like.
18. Arrival
Now, for a lot of our younger readers, Amy Adams is just Lois Lane. To those readers, I must ask to watch some movies without cape wearing weirdos in them.
Cos, there are some excellent sci-fi movies out there without these superheroes and Arrival is one of them. Here Adams’ character is a linguistics expert who is trying to decode alien language from a mysterious spaceship. BTW, this is full-on emo, so be careful with that.
19. Lion
How neither Dev Patel nor Nicole Kidman won an Oscar for this film, I’ll never know. Lion is the tale of an Indian boy adopted by Australian parents, who travels back to India to find his birth mother and his brother.
The chemistry between Kidman and Patel as a mother and child is something you only seen in real life and for that very reason, this film should never be remade by anyone.
20. Hunt For The Wilderpeople
This 2016 classic directed by Taika Waititi revolves around Ricky Baker and his foster father Hector Faulkner, who are hunted by everyone after being lost in New Zealand’s vast wilderness. It’s not that popular a film in India but if you get a chance to see it, please do and you’ll understand why it makes the list.
21. Fences
Would it suffice to say that one of Denzel Washington’s movies should ever be remade, even with Denzel as the lead?
Again, this is a film most of you haven’t watched, so I’ll not spoil it for you, but this is a take of a father and a son and racism that affects them breaching the walls of generation. It will make you cry, get you angry but you’ll understand.
22. The Big Lebowski
I was suggested this film when I was in college and the guy who suggested it said and I quote, ‘well, it’s like The Dude and… man, you gotta watch it to get it.’ His exact words, I swear. And ever since I too have failed to explain this movie to anyone.
I mean, this movie is a meme fest, guys. Why would you ever change that?
23. Green Book
In the 1960s southern America, an African American pianist hires an Italian American bouncer to drive him through his venues. Now, if you know anything about 1960s America, you understand that a white man working for a black pianist was unheard of.
Besides, the film has Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen quite possibly giving the best performances of their lives.
24. Hackshaw Ridge
Mel Gibson is a very problematic creature. That being said, this is a work of art. Andrew Garfield’s performance as Pfc. Desmond T. Doss, who went headfirst into the frontline of World War II as a medic but refused to use a gun for the fear of harming anyone will bring you to tears…
… as will Hugo Weaving’s performance of a father, a World War I veteran suffering from serious PTSD who doesn’t want his son ever seeing the face of battle.
25. Taxi Driver
I was saving the best for the last. The 1976 film works every time you watch it. The neo-noir psychological thriller drama starring Robert De Niro as Travis, Vietnam War veteran tasks us through his world of pain and suffering and the loneliness that can only be associated with war. The film stays with you forever, thus eliminating the need for a resurrection.
Like I said at the beginning of this article, why fix something that ain’t broken?