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Home · Celebrity

Can't Touch This: 12 Movies That Should Never Be Remade

Sure, we're excited about the upcoming Sister Act remake, but there are some movies that should just never be remade. Sequels are okay, but when it comes to completely redoing these movies, please—don't mess with perfection!

By Taylor Lewis · June 4, 2015October 27, 2020
01
‘Coming to America’

Twenty-seven years ago, Prince Akeem and Semmi came to America. Let’s leave it at that. We have a feeling that the remake wouldn’t consist of anything but slapstick comedy and bad accents. 

02
‘The Color Purple’

We’re okay with The Color Purple‘s Broadway adaptation, but please, please, please, don’t try to bring this movie back to the silver screen. Whoopi Goldberg brought Celie’s character to life (as heartbreaking as it was), and we’re afraid that a remake would simply suck the life out of everything and everyone.

03
‘The Lion King’

“Hakuna matata” allegedly means “No worries,” but we think it means “Seriously. Never remake The Lion King.” It was the Disney movie that defined a generation, and we can’t even entertain the thought of different voice actors or—horror of all horrors—new songs.

Disney Enterprises
04
‘B.A.P.S’

It’s probably the roles that Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle Reid want to forget about, but we want to remember Nisi and Mickey forever. They were the perfect homegirls, and anyone who tries to step into their patent leather shoes would fall flat—both literally and figuratively.

Island Pictures
05
‘The Wood’

Our hearts melted while we watched Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs grow up as childhood best friends. And honestly, if we were to see three other men living out their friendship, we would automatically turn our backs.

06
‘Amistad’

No, this movie wasn’t easy to watch, but we’re OK with that. The 1997 movie was based on a true story about a group of slaves who were tried after overthrowing their captors, and we don’t want to risk a remake where we dishonor our ancestors’ struggles.

07
‘Boyz in the Hood’

To this day, people commend this movie for telling an all-too familiar story within the Black community. We’re afraid if they try to retell that story in the form of a Boyz in the Hood remake, it would fall flat and undo the work of the original.

08
‘School Daze’

You could make the argument that an updated School Daze featuring a modern-day crop of social justice issues would be interesting, but is there anyone who could replace Laurence Fishburne and Spike Lee? Until we find our modern-day Dap and Darrell, we’re going to have to put this movie on our Do Not Touch list.

09
‘Do the Right Thing’

It should be a rule that you can never remake a Spike Lee film. Like Boyz in the Hood, Do the Right Thing captures the Black experience (albeit it a little differently), and in our minds, a remake would come out looking like a Black Sesame Street.

10
‘Friday’

You love this movie. We love this movie. Your goldfish loves this movie. Everyone loves this movie. It gave us some of the best quotes of the 90s, and if the movie gods deigned to touch this film for a round two, we would have no choice but to say Bye Felicia.

New Line Cinema
11
‘Purple Rain’

Oh, Prince. This movie was so bad it was good. We love it for what it is, and it did its job. However, a remake would just be bad. Besides that, Prince would probably come after all of Hollywood for touching his film.

Paul Natkin/ Getty
12
‘Gone With the Wind’

Gone With the Wind was racist when it came out in 1939, but it was a different time back then. If Gone With the Wind were to come out now… there would be riots. 

Read More

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