10 Reboots That Completely Missed The Point Of The Original Movie

Reboots are nothing new in Hollywood. In fact, they've been around since the dawn of cinema, as many of literature's greatest works have been adapted multiple times for the screen. But the notion of remaking an original film has only increased in recent years, as studios have banked upon a recognizable title getting people in seats at the multiplexes. Sometimes a reboot can match — or even improve upon — the original, showing there was good reason to rehash an old idea. But more often than not, a reboot does little to justify its existence outside of making more money. In the worst case scenario, a reboot fails so spectacularly that it can't even manage to do that, leading one to wonder why good cash was spent on it to begin with.

The best reboots zero in on what made the original film so special and expand upon it, deepening the themes and complexities that were already present and re-contextualizing them for a modern audience. Yet some reboots seem to miss what made the original so great to begin with, going through the motions of remaking and updating the story without exploring what was going on underneath the surface. 

At the end of the day, the only reason these titles exist is to remind audiences that there's a much better version of the same movie out there that you can watch from the comfort of your couch. Here are 10 reboots that completely missed the point of the original movie.

In the Farrelly Brothers' 2007 remake of "The Heartbreak Kid," 40-year-old bachelor Eddie Cantrow (Ben Stiller) marries the beautiful Lila (Malin Åkerman) after dating for just two months. On their way to their honeymoon in Mexico, Eddie starts to pick up on certain personality traits of Lila's that grate on his nerves, and before long, he realizes he's made a terrible mistake in marrying her. That realization is compounded when he meets Miranda (Michelle Monaghan), who's on vacation with her family from Mississippi. Convinced Miranda is his soulmate, Eddie leaves a sunburned Lila in their hotel room and starts spending all of his time with Miranda, setting the wheels in motion for a honeymoon wife-swap.

Elaine May's "The Heartbreak Kid," released in 1972, portrayed Lenny Cantrow's (Charles Grodin) attempts to dump his obnoxious bride (Jeannie Berlin) for a blonde-haired, blue-eyed ideal (Cybill Shepherd) as a hero's journey without a hero, the story of a man who sees himself as charming and upright when he's really creepy and selfish. The remake, meanwhile, tries to slap a happy ending on material that doesn't warrant it, claiming that true love is possible even for lying stalkers. Worst of all, it sacrifices the wit and sparkle of May's original for gross-out gags that wouldn't have made the final cut of "There's Something About Mary."

• Cast: Ben Stiller, Michelle Monaghan, Malin Åkerman, Jerry Stiller, Rob Corddry, Danny McBride
• Directors: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 116 minutes
• Where to watch: Prime Video, Kanopy, Apple TV

In Tim Burton's 2001 "Planet of the Apes" remake, astronaut Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) and his monkey Pericles crash-land on a planet where talking apes rule supreme over imprisoned humans. He immediately runs afoul of General Thade (Tim Roth), a vicious chimpanzee who hopes to gain control of the ape army, thus cementing his power. He also finds himself torn between the love of human slave Daena (Estella Warren) and chimp activist Ari (Helena Bonham Carter). As tensions between humans and apes rise, Leo becomes a leader among the humans, but his return to Earth yields a stunning discovery about the consequences of his actions.

If there's one improvement that Burton's "Apes" has over Franklin J. Schaffner's 1968 original, it's the much more impressive transformation of human actors into talking apes. Yet Rick Baker's remarkable makeup effects are about the only good thing about this film, which muddles the satire and societal critiques of Pierre Boulle's novel to make room for mindless action spectacle. It also bungles the famous twist ending, making it more confusing than necessary. As Troy McClure once said, this reboot made a monkey out of us. Thankfully, 2011's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and its sequels came along to wash the bad taste out of our mouths.

• Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Estella Warren, Paul Giamatti
• Director: Tim Burton
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Where to watch: Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV

In Ericson Core's 2015 remake of "Point Break," former motocross star-turned-FBI trainee Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey) starts to suspect extreme sports enthusiasts are behind a string of high-stakes robberies. He goes deep undercover to infiltrate the gang of thieves, becoming close friends with their leader, Bodhi (Édgar Ramírez), an ecoterrorist who is arranging these heists to honor the forces of nature. As Utah becomes increasingly embedded with the thrill-seeking group, his FBI handlers begin to question his motives.

When the original "Point Break" was released in 1991, few critics picked up on the artistry Kathryn Bigelow brought to the muscular thriller about a rookie FBI agent (Keanu Reeves) who grows close with a gang of surfing bank robbers and their charismatic leader (Patrick Swayze). That artistry became more apparent with time as Bigelow was embraced as an Oscar-winning auteur who used action cinema as a means of exploring the thin line between obsession and heroism, and it became abundantly clear when the reboot hit theaters. 

Although former cinematographer-turned-director Core does a good enough job filming the extreme sports sequences, he's less successful when trying to make the film into some sort of critique of environmentalism and capitalism. Anyone who thought Bigelow's "Point Break" was a glossy, mindless entertainment quickly retracted those words when they got a load of this, which is certainly mindless, but far from entertaining.

• Cast: Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Delroy Lindo, Ray Winstone
• Director: Ericson Core
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 114 minutes
• Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

In José Padilha's 2014 reboot of "RoboCop," OmniCorp is looking to bring the military drone technology they've deployed across the globe to the United States, but it's banned by Congress. Hoping to still make a profit off crime fighting, OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) enlists Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) to develop a human-robot hybrid to serve on the police force. They get a prime candidate in Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman), a young cadet who is critically wounded in a car-bomb explosion. Alex awakens to find himself transformed into RoboCop, a moneymaking machine unable to shake the beating heart still inside him.

Although it was released in 1987, Paul Verhoeven's "RoboCop" could just as easily have been released today, as its critique of corporate greed, commercialization of the news, and the militarization of the police has grown more relevant. Part of its impact comes from its violence, which implicates the audience for enjoying extreme gore without considering the consequences on real people. While it's bad enough that the remake waters the violence down to PG-13 levels, what's worse is how it waters down the satire. All the CGI money can buy can't mask what is ultimately a hollow retread of a rich text. To paraphrase Macbeth, it's a tale filled with sound and fury, signifying nothing.

• Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish
• Director: José Padilha
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• Where to watch: Prime Video, Kanopy, MGM+, Apple TV

In John McTiernan's 2011 remake of "Rollerball," a violent new form of roller derby that employs roller skates, motorcycles, and a lot of hitting has captured a global audience. Its star player, Jonathan Cross (Chris Klein), starts to suspect the sport's chief promoter, Alexi Petrovich (Jean Reno), is intentionally causing violent accidents to boost the ratings. As Jonathan and his teammates, Marcus Ridley (LL Cool J) and Aurora "Black Widow" (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), work to uncover this scandal, they suddenly find themselves playing for more than just a trophy.

Released in 1975, Norman Jewison's "Rollerball" took the anxiety of societal decay permeating throughout the decade to the extreme, imagining a futuristic world in which humanity has degraded so much that death and murder have become a prime time sport. That message is lost in the reboot, which fails to critique our growing national obsession with violence and mayhem, spurned on by a media ecosystem that profits off bloodshed.

Choppy, sloppy, and incoherent, the remake became a sad anchor around the life and career of McTiernan, who was sent to prison after hiring Anthony Pellicano to illegally wiretap the film's producer, Charles Roven, over creative disagreements. Were it not for that unfortunate context, this critical and commercial disaster would have been swept into the dustbin of history a long time ago.

• Cast: Chris Klein, Jean Reno, LL Cool J, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Pink
• Director: John McTiernan
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 98 minutes
• Where to watch: Prime Video, Tubi, Apple TV

In Frank Oz's 2004 revamp of "The Stepford Wives," reality TV producer Joanna Eberhart (Nicole Kidman) decides to make a fresh start with her husband, Walter Kresby (Matthew Broderick), and their two children when her career ends in scandal. Joanna and Walter move from Manhattan to the suburb of Stepford, Connecticut, a haven of perfection from the homes to the lawns to the housewives themselves. Although Walter instantly falls in love with Stepford, Joanna feels decidedly out of place, and she starts to suspect something is amiss about the town's women. Eventually, she uncovers a dark secret about how the husbands have domesticated their wives, and acts to avoid that same fate herself.

Adapted from Ira Levin's novel, the 1975 version of "The Stepford Wives" was a chilling parable about conservative backlash to the feminist movement, building tension and unease as Joanna (Katharine Ross) realizes her husband (Peter Masterson) doesn't recognize her autonomy. The remake takes a comedic approach, and while that's a noble effort, it's ultimately an unsuccessful one. Parts of Paul Rudnick's script zip by with satiric zingers and winking camp, but its attempts to add sentimentality to unsentimental material ring false. It's a shame, because at various times you can see Oz, Rudnick, and Kidman getting towards a razor-sharp critique of impossible beauty standards and male chauvinism. 

• Cast: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Christopher Walken, Faith Hill, Glenn Close
• Director: Frank Oz
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 93 minutes
• Where to watch: Prime Video, MGM+, Paramount+, Apple TV

In Rod Lurie's 2011 remake of Sam Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs," actress Amy Sumner (Kate Bosworth) and her screenwriter husband, David (James Marsden), relocate from LA to her Mississippi hometown, giving David peace and quiet to finish his newest script. The meek and mild David feels intimidated by Amy's macho ex-boyfriend, Charlie Venner (Alexander Skarsgård), and his friends. Amy is raped by one of Charlie's friends, and a violent confrontation takes place when David allows an intellectually disabled townsperson (Dominic Purcell) to take refuge in their home after he's accused of a crime and hunted by a mob.

Peckinpah's original was one of many films released in 1971 (along with "The French Connection," "A Clockwork Orange," "Dirty Harry," and "Shaft") that spoke to a growing sense throughout the culture that the only way to deal with a violent world was through more violence. It's understandable why Lurie would find this material suitable for a reimagining, which makes it all the more baffling that it so profoundly misses the mark.

Peckinpah's film was decried as a justification for vigilante justice and rape apologia, which showed the effectiveness of its filmmaking; its anti-violent message was conveyed through its implication of a cheering audience. Lurie's version, on the other hand, tries too hard to make clear that violence is never the answer, which makes its depiction of it feel all the more unseemly.

• Cast: James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård, Dominic Purcell, James Woods
• Director: Rod Lurie
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• Where to watch: Prime Video, Roku, Apple TV

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Directed by Guy Ritchie, 2002's "Swept Away" finds spoiled socialite Amber Leighton (Madonna) on a private cruise with her millionaire husband, Tony (Bruce Greenwood), and two other rich couples. While sailing from Italy to Greece, Amber butts heads with one of the deckhands, Giuseppe Esposito (Adriano Giannini), treating him like dirt beneath her feet. She forces him to take her out on a private dinghy despite his warnings of an impending storm, and they end up shipwrecked on a deserted island. Given his survival skills, the power dynamics are quickly flipped, and Giuseppe enacts revenge against Amber for her bad behavior. Before long, Amber finds herself falling in love with Giuseppe and avoiding rescue, happier than she's ever been.

Released in 1974, Lina Wertmüller's "Swept Away" (full title: "Swept Away ... by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August") was an absurdist satire about the clashes between capitalism and communism, played out in the power struggle between the socialite (Mariangela Melato) and the shipmate (Giancarlo Giannini). Any trace of social commentary is completely absent from the reboot, which tells its story with all of the subtlety of a circus clown wielding a large rubber mallet. The lack of satire would be forgivable if the love story were convincing, but that's impossible given how unlikable Amber is, matched only by Giuseppe's blandness. By the end of its 89 minutes, you'll be praying for a rescue ship.

• Cast: Madonna, Adriano Giannini, Bruce Greenwood, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Elizabeth Banks
• Director: Guy Richie
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 89 minutes
• Where to watch: Prime Video, Roku, Apple TV

In Len Wiseman's 2012 remake of "Total Recall," futuristic factory worker Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) finds himself having strange dreams about an alternate life as a secret agent. Needing a break from his humdrum life, he decides to turn these dreams into reality by way of the Rekall company, which implants fake memories into the human mind. Something goes horribly wrong with the procedure, and suddenly Quaid — now renamed Carl Hauser — is on the run from the police. Douglas/Carl joins forces with underground resistance leader Melina (Jessica Biel) to take down the corrupt Chancellor Vilos Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), who rules over the United Federation of Britain with an iron fist.

Adapted from Philip K. Dick's short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," 1990's "Total Recall" is one of Paul Verhoeven's wildest critiques of capitalism, consumerism, and militarism, made in the director's typically gonzo, ultra-violent style. The remake is a more straightforward adaptation of Dick's story — which is to say, less interesting. While the set pieces are certainly impressive, there doesn't seem to be much reason for this to exist other than to make more money off the title (which, of course, misses the point of Verhoeven's film entirely), and its CGI sheen makes one yearn for the practical makeup and special effects of yore.

• Cast: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, John Cho, Bill Nighy
• Director: Len Wiseman
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• Where to watch: Prime Video, Tubi, Apple TV

Neil LaBute's 2006 take on "The Wicker Man" finds reclusive policeman Edward Malus (Nicolas Cage) contacted by his ex-fiancée, Willow Woodward (Kate Beahan), when her daughter, Rowan, goes missing. He travels to a remote island off the coast of Washington state, where Willow has joined a pagan cult led by women who fled during the Salem witch trials. His search for the missing girl exposes disturbing truths about the village's customs that lead him to believe something sinister has happened to her. He soon realizes he's been led there under false pretenses, and it's actually he who's in danger of being sacrificed to the pagan gods.

The original "The Wicker Man," released in 1973, is an unsettling parable about the dangers of religious fundamentalism and a cornerstone of the folk horror genre, told with a macabre sense of humor and musical interludes that underscore the chilling finale. The remake takes the satire of Robin Hardy's original to absurdist heights, but misses the mark spectacularly. Cage has always been an actor who gleefully goes over the top, which is utilized to great effect in his best movies. Yet here, that tendency undermines any chance this film might have to disturb us. Instead of forcing us to sit with the implications of ritualistic sacrifice, LaBute instead has us laughing unintentionally as Cage screams about burned dolls. Whereas the original was a cult classic, this barely registers as a camp one.

• Cast: Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Beahan, Frances Conroy, Molly Parker, Leelee Sobieski
• Director: Neil LaBute
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV