Empire:

" The Thing is a peerless masterpiece of relentless suspense, retina-wrecking visual excess and outright, nihilistic terror. ... Back in 1997 Carpenter told Empire that 'You'll never, ever, see anything like The Thing again.' Like MacReady and Childs we're still waiting. We might be for a long time yet."

"Little Shop of Horrors" (1986)

Warner Bros.

Remake of: "The Little Shop of Horrors" (1960)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% / 92%
Metacritic: 81%

Sure, the original may have had Jack Nicholson in it, but that was in a small, small role. While the critical reception for the original may edge out the remake, Frank Oz's rendition of the musical based off the original film with Steve Martin and James Belushi helped make it a cult classic.

The New York Times:

"WHO could have imagined that ''Little Shop of Horrors,'' the 1960 comic horror film shot by Roger Corman in two days' time, would continue to grow bigger, mightier and more formidable, much like the man-eating plant that is its unsung star? … Mr. Martin's solo number has been hilariously staged, as he combines Elvis Presley posturing with a wonderfully wicked delivery of phrases like ''root canal.'' Seldom has one single film sequence, in which Mr. Martin gleefully terrifies his patients and brandishes the most ghastly array of instruments, done as much to set back the integrity of an entire profession."

"Fatal Attraction" (1987)

Paramount

Remake of: British television movie "Diversion"
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Metacritic: 67

Technically, we're still going to count this one since it's probably not well known that this was an adaptation of a TV movie.

Fun fact: "Diversion" writer and director James Dearden actually wrote the screenplay for the Hollywood film adaptation. The movie went on to become the highest-grossing film of the year worldwide and received six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director.

"True Lies" (1994)

Fox

Remake of: French film "La Totale!" (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes: 72% / n/a

We'll admit, we've never seen the French film from Claude Zidi; however, you can't beat a James Cameron film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger secretly working as a government agent while his wife (Jamie Curtis) believes he's a computer salesman.

The film received an Oscar nod for Best Visual Effects. At the time, the film was one of the most expensive ever made (an estimated $115 million)

"Ocean's Eleven" (2001)

Warner Bros.

Remake of: "Ocean's Eleven" (1960)
Rotten Tomatoes: 82% / 46%

The Rat Pack may have starred in the original, but it was George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt, who made robbing a Las Vegas casino look awesome while also infuriating Andy Garcia.

Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers:

"What is Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh doing remaking a 1960 Rat Pack flick best remembered for Frank Sinatra's orange sweaters and Dean Martin being Dino? Answer: having a ball ... Forget Oscar, Ocean's Eleven is the coolest damned thing around."

"The Departed" (2006)

Departed trailer

Remake of: "Infernal Affairs" (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% / 95%
Metacritic: 86 / 75

Another phenomenal casting list comprised of Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, and Alec Baldwin about an undercover cop (DiCaprio) trying to discover a mole (Damon) in the Massachusetts State Police force.

The film won four Oscars including Best Picture of the Year and Best Director.

Roger Ebert gave the film four stars, highlighting the positives of both films, while not discrediting either.

"The story is inspired by " Infernal Affairs " (2002) by Alan Mak and Andrew Lau , the most successful Hong Kong film of recent years. Indeed, having just re-read my 2004 review of that film, I find I could change the names, cut and paste it, and be discussing this film. But that would only involve the surface, the plot and a few philosophical quasi-profundities. What makes this a Scorsese film, and not merely a retread, is the director's use of actors, locations and energy, and its buried theme."

"True Grit" (2010)

Paramount / True Grit trailer

Remake of: "True Grit" (1969)
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% / 90%
Metacritc: 80

Though John Wayne made the original film a classic and earned an Oscar for his performance, the update from the Coen brothers starring Jeff Bridges as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn along with Matt Damon and Josh Brolin was celebrated by critics and moviegoers not only for sticking closer to the source material, but also all of the actors' performances.

However, despite 10 Oscar nominations — including Best Picture, Director, and Actor — it won none.

The Denver Post's Lisa Kennedy:

"This 'True Grit' makes the original almost unwatchable except as a curio ... In the new version, Portis' novel is returned to its proper locale: the post-Civil War frontier where the James brothers raised such a nasty ruckus."

Ebert:

"In the Coen Brothers' “True Grit,” Jeff Bridges is not playing the John Wayne role. He's playing the Jeff Bridges role — or, more properly, the role created in the enduring novel by Charles Portis , much of whose original dialogue can be heard in this film. Bridges doesn't have the archetypal stature of the Duke. Few ever have. But he has here, I believe, an equal screen presence. We always knew we were looking at John Wayne in the original “ True Grit ” (1969). When we see Rooster Cogburn in this version, we're not thinking about Jeff Bridges. … Bridges' interpretation is no doubt closer to the reality of a lawman in those years of the West."

*Denotes critical reviews for the remake and original, respectively when applicable.
**Audience score

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