The recent trend in cinema of remaking classic films with a modern twist has met with varied results. Here, we look at an example of the best and worst remakes of recent times.
by Cyril-Rana!!
Batman the Movie (1989) vs Batman Begins (2005)
When Tim Burton released the massively popular Batman the movie in 1989, it seemed that this film had set the bar for all future adventures of Batman. The film was a world away from the camp 1960’s television series and re-established Batman as a dark, flawed and serious hero.
In 2005, incredibly, Christopher Nolan’s reimagining of the story improved on this. It managed to be even darker, having a more substantial story and featuring unforgettable performances. The sequel to this film, The Dark Knight from 2008 featured the incredible appearance of Heath Ledger’s Joker, which was arguably the greatest movie portrayal of a comic book bad guy in cinema history.
Both Ocean’s 11 (1960) vs Ocean’s Eleven (2000)
The first Ocean’s 11 combines two icons of 1960s glitzy imagery, Las Vegas and The Rat Pack. With Frank Sinatra leading Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr, the group hopes New Year’s Eve will make security operations too busy to notice robberies at four Las Vegas casinos: the Flamingo, the Riviera, the Sands, and the Desert Inn.
Oscar-winning director Lewis Milestone used the city for its bright lights and glitzy look, but had less control over his cast members, who seem more interested in ambling around with each other than acting. That similarity to the Rat Pack’s off-screen image of providing extemporaneous, relaxed fun at their Las Vegas shows worked for audiences of the day, and Oceans 11 remains a quintessential Vegas film.
Updating the film to Ocean’s Eleven (2000) meant jettisoning some sexist attitudes and dealing with heightened security issues for casinos whose cash intake grew substantially. Caesars Palace and the Flamingo make cameo appearances in the film’s beginning flashback about failed heists, but the film’s primary robberies move to newer operations, the Bellagio and MGM Grand. You could have your own crack at beating the bank with a custom trading tool in one of Betfair’s great apps.
The 1960 version of Ocean’s 11 was a sloppy excuse for Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack to hang out in Vegas. The remake is far slicker, with an all-star cast, a story that keeps you guessing and classy direction from Steven Soderbergh. If you can erase all memories of the smugger-than-thou sequel, George Clooney’s Ocean’s Eleven scores highest.
