Gremlins & 9 Other 80s Movies That Deserve A Remake

From Child’s Play to Robocop, Hollywood is mining 1980s movies for the remake treatment, with more on the way like Dune and Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Remakes are often thought of negatively, but a remake can update movies in a positive way.

Remakes of 1980s movies can update the special effects, setting, and cultural mores. There is nothing wrong with bringing a certain story into the modern era and give it a 21st-century touch. The original will always remain, and a remake might even bring new fans to discover it. There are some ’80s movies that deserve to get remade, rethought, or maybe even improved.

10 Night Of The Comet (1984)

Night Of The Comet was a 1984 sci-fi comedy made for $700,000 and grossed $14 million, eventually becoming a cult classic. The story concerns a couple of girls who find themselves on the run from zombies in an empty Los Angeles after the tail of a comet passes Earth.

In an age obsessed with zombie movies, and when more movies are putting the emphasis on female empowerment, a great update for this low-budget gem would be a welcome addition to today’s market and might bring new fans to the original.

9 The Running Man (1987)

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this Stephen King adaptation where criminals’ run to escape death is broadcast on television. The film was a moderate success but received mixed reviews upon release.

The Running Man is the perfect candidate for an update because audiences today enjoy, more than ever, competitive reality shows. Also, The Running Man is one of the few Stephen King adaptations he doesn’t enjoy due to the differences from his novel. A remake that closely resembles the novel more, and makes the author happy might make audiences happy too.

8 Enemy Mine (1985)

1985’s Enemy Mine starred Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr as a human and an alien who, despite their differences, must survive together after being stranded on an inhospitable planet.

Enemy Mine has such a creative concept of tolerance between species, but at times succumbs to silliness and dated special effects. Given that people are more divided than ever, a look at tolerance through a science fiction lens would be evocative for audiences. With updated special effects, an Enemy Mine remake could greatly improve on the forgotten original.

7 Howard The Duck (1986)

The George Lucas-produced 1986 film Howard The Duck was a critical and commercial flop with many critics calling it one of the worst films ever made. Based on the Marvel Comic, Howard The Duck concerns an anthropomorphic Duck, from Duckworld, named Howard who finds himself on Earth.

Howard The Duck was the first feature-length film based on a Marvel Comics character and since the Marvel Cinematic Universe is so prevalent now, it makes sense that Howard should have another shot at the big screen. Seth Green briefly played Howard in Guardians of the Galaxy and a new film with modern-day special effects could improve the comic-book character’s cinematic reputation.

6 Trading Places (1983)

Trading Places was a 1983 John Landis-directed comedy starring Dan Ackroyd and Eddie Murphy. The movie was a huge hit and helped launch Eddie Murphy’s movie career. Inspired by The Prince and The Pauper, the story concerns the switching of worlds between a wealthy man and a poor street hustler.

The movie has a mixed legacy with some praising it as one of the best comedies ever made while others criticize its dated elements. However, given that the income inequality gap has grown wider since the movie’s release, an updated version could be very relevant.

5 They Live (1988)

They Live, received negative reviews when released in 1988 but was a minor success. It has since gone on to become a cult classic, partly due to its social commentary. In the film, by using special glasses, the main characters can see people for the aliens they really are, and the subliminal messages they hide in mass media to control us.

Since mass media has grown exponentially since 1988, an updated version could be a commentary on the role the influential social media plays in shaping our everyday lives. Audiences today hear more media, see more, and can make it themselves. Thus, an updated version, warning of its dangers, would be very prescient.

4 The Big Chill (1983)

The Big Chill was a 1983 film about baby boomers reconnecting 15 years after attending college together when their friend commits suicide. The film and its soundtrack were a critical success and received several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

An updated version could feature friends from the Millennial generation coming together and reflecting on the memories, music, and challenges of their age. There have been rumors in the past of an African-American version of The Big Chill in the works, but a diverse cast for a remake would greatly reflect the makeup of the newer generations depicted.

3 Gremlins (1984)

Screenwriter Chris Columbus’ initial draft of Gremlins was much darker and while the movie is a classic, it’s hard not to think about whether it would have been better without the cartoonish humor and embraced the horror it was originally conceived as.

Gremlins didn’t need to be a comedy and some of the humor is forced, silly, and now culturally dated. The film has such a great premise with brilliantly conceived elements and rules, so a version that stayed closer to Columbus’ original vision could show audiences finally what Gremlins was meant to be.

2 The Terminator (1984)

The Terminator franchise has exhausted and confused audiences with three different sequel timelines, and the sequels either followed the same formula or failed at doing something different.

The very first Terminator is very different from what the franchise became and overdid. At its core, it’s a slasher film, and if Hollywood ever wants to bring back The Terminator franchise, they should enlist Blumhouse to produce a low-budget, gritty, Terminator movie with the independent spirit of the original.

1 Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola directed this 1986 Oscar-nominated film about a woman in the 1980s who wakes up in her teenage body in the 1960s.

During the last twenty years, the world has changed so much that the 1990s have become a more innocent time by comparison. Certain events have shaped people’s lives, and audiences might enjoy watching a 30-year-old woman in today’s world revisiting what it was like being a teenager on the verge of the changing world of the 2000s.

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