7 Great Sci-Fi Remakes That Surpassed The Originals

While a lot of fans dismiss most remakes and reboots of classic movies, there are some great sci-fi remakes that were even better than the originals. While most fans claim they want to see original stories and new ideas in movies, the remakes are just as profitable as the endless sequels because they already have a name brand. When it comes to remakes, the best idea for a movie is to take an older film that people have heard of, but is not widely considered a great movie, so there is a chance to make it better. This could include older films that had budgetary limitations, or cult favorites that are beloved since they had interesting ideas, even if they weren’t as good as they could have been.

From some of the best sci-fi films of the 1980s to new blockbusters, here are the best sci-fi remakes that surpassed the originals.

7) Dredd (2012)

Dredd is based on the long-running comic book series 2000 AD, with Judge Dredd as a law enforcer in a dystopian future where the “Judges” serve as the judge, jury, and executioner. The original movie adaptation was released in 1995 with Sylvester Stallone starring in Judge Dredd. The film was a commercial and critical flop, with some of the complaints going toward its terrible humor, including a role by Rob Schneider.

The remake, while also a box office failure, was better critically received and was praised by fans of Judge Dredd comics as a great adaptation of the character. While the box office failure caused the hopeful sequel to get shelved, this is still miles better than the original movie and remains one of the best sci-fi action movies of the 2010s.

6) Dune (2021)

When Denis Villeneuve remade Dune in 2021, it was a massive hit and ended up creating a huge franchise for Warner Bros. This was a lot more successful than the first time that Hollywood tried to adapt the Frank Herbert sci-fi space opera. That original version was released in 1984 by David Lynch. While Lynch ended up as one of the most beloved cult directors in history, this movie was such a failure that Lynch has disowned it.

However, Villeneuve is a fantastic director and elevated the material onto the big screen. With a great cast, incredible set pieces, and intense action, the new Dune was everything that David Lynch wished he could have done when he had a chance to adapt the story.

5) 12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys is an interesting case. It is a remake of a 1962 short film called La Jetée by Chris Marker. That short film was an experimental release that was made entirely from still photographs, yet it still works great as a 28-minute timeloop story about a post-nuclear war experiment in time travel. Their goal is to send a man back in time to learn what caused the world’s downfall.

While that experimental film was a magnificent experiment, the 1995 remake by Terry Gilliam was a sci-fi masterpiece. 12 Monkeys told the same story, with Bruce Willis playing a prisoner sent back in time to find out the case of an outbreak that decimated humanity. The film was a brilliant sci-fi time travel epic, earned two Oscar nominations, and remains a respected genre entry 30 years later.

4) The Blob (1985)

One of the best reasons to remake an older movie is that the original has a name brand, but wasn’t as good as it could have been. In 1958, a young Steve McQueen starred in the sci-fi horror film The Blob, a story of a carnivorous alien that lands on Earth and begins to consume any human it comes in contact with. McQueen stars as a teenager who has to deal with it. While the movie is memorable, it was a low-budget film that wasn’t really that good.

In 1985, Chuck Russell directed a remake of The Blob and surpassed the original in almost every way, except at the box office. While the movie was a box office failure, it was a better movie, with better acting and superior special effects. Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith starred as the teens trying to survive the alien blob, and The Blob has gone down in time as a cult classic that one-upped the McQueen movie.

3) The Fly (1986)

The Fly is a 1958 sci-fi horror movie that is fondly remembered thanks mainly to the casting and performance of icon Vincent Price in the lead role. That movie told the story of a scientist who was turned into a human-fly hybrid thanks to a transporter he was experimenting with. The film was a success and spawned two sequels, although every movie was a micro-budget affair.

In 1986, David Cronenberg remade the movie, and as expected from a name like Cronenberg, it was better in every way. Jeff Goldblum stars as Seth Brundle, the scientist who turns into the fly-human hybrid, and Cronenberg’s budget and eye for practical special effects helped achieve the body horror that the original movie could only dream of creating. The original film was a classic, but the remake is a masterpiece.

2) The Thing (1982)

In 1951, a sci-fi horror movie called The Thing from Another World was released, which adapted the John W. Campbell novella Who Goes There. That story had an alien crash-land on Earth who ended up endangering society. In that story, the alien was plant-based, but a malevolent creature that feeds on blood. It was an interesting film, but the remake is considered one of the best horror movies ever made.

John Carpenter’s The Thing took the original novella and created a more faithful adaptation of an alien who arrives on Earth and can shapeshift into other forms, including exact replicas of humans. When it invades an Antarctic research station, it begins to kill the men there and take their forms. It is an allegory for the Cold War fears and the idea that no one can trust anyone else, not even their closest friends. The remake was a box office failure, but it went on to become highly regarded a decade later, thanks to home video.

1) Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Released in 1956, Don Siegel directed the sci-fi horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which starred Kevin McCarthy as a man who realizes that aliens have already invaded Earth and are replacing humans by abducting them, placing them in pods, and replicating their appearance to assimilate into society. That film was a great success and is part of the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress.

While that movie is a bonafied classic, the remake in 1978 is even better. Directed by Philip Kaufman, the remake has a great cast, with Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, and Brooke Adams. It also has a cameo by Kevin McCarthy, the star from the first movie. It has better effects, the Cold War fears are more pronounced, and it dared to have a darker ending than the more hopeful original. This is a case where both sci-fi movies are highly regarded, but the remake is just that much better.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

This Iconic Sci-Fi Franchise Has Two Masterpieces, and They Both Flopped at the Box Office