Let's clarify. I'm not talking remakes where you thought the original and remake were decent, or you saw the remake and thought it was good and then saw the original and also thought it was good. I'm talking about a film that you loved for many years, likely owned it, watched it many times, and then they remade it ... and you loved the remake.

For many reasons -- personal nostalgia, Hollywood idiocy, etc -- I think this is a relatively rare occurrence.

Recent discussion on the upcoming sequel got me thinking about this, and the only one I can think of at this time is Ocean's Eleven. I had loved this film for so many years, and when they announced the remake I was pissed. Not only did I expect it to suck, but I had enjoyed the relative mainstream obscurity of the film and didn't look forward to all the new (often younger) viewers watching it after seeing the remake and telling me it wasn't any good. Well, the latter certainly happened, but to my surprise, the former did not. As more details were released about the film it sounded more and more promising, then the ad campaign was good, and ultimately the film captured the essence of the original without repeating it. It was a great accomplishment, a pleasant surprise, and I now find myself with two films that I love (although the original will always be my favorite*).

Typically, I find most remakes to be unnecessary at best and at worst? Well, let's not talk about Planet of the Apes. So it seems to me a very uncommon thing to love an original and then end up loving the remake as well, so share what films you had a similar reaction to.

das

* I recognize this is a minority opinion

Note: I searched on "remake*" and "reimagin*" but if I missed a similar thread, just point me there.

Dawn of the Dead. It helped that the remake was very loose, the only commonality was the mall and the zombies.

I liked Purple Noon and The Talented Mr. Ripley equally. Again, there are a lot of differences between them.

Hitchcock's remake of The Man who Knew Too Much is superior, although I enjoy the original quite a bit. In this case, the films are very similiar, sometimes shot-for-shot.

Cape Fear
Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Fly - loved both remakes, still love the originals.

A Star Is Born is vintage Garland with an outstanding score, and I still enjoy the Janet Gaynor version as well.

Sabrina

Thought of another one. Again, the two films are very different making it easy to enjoy both: The Thing.

I enjoy both the Japanese and American versions of The Ring as well.

12 Angry Men and Inherite the Wind are tow favorites of mine, I've seen them many times.

I was amazed by how much I liked the late 1990 remakes, both featuring Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott.

ITW is the better of the two (both remakes and originals). Jack Lemmon is a great stand in for Spencer Tracy.

THE FLY is a good choice.

I did love the two PSYCHOs, which isn't a popular opinion, I know...

The Last of the Mohicans (1992) was a terrific remake of the 1936 Randolph Scott version which is also a favorite of mine.

Errol Flynn's Adventures of Robin Hood has long been a favorite. I really enjoyed Costner's version too.

Ditto Banderas in The Mask of Zorro. Loved it even more than another favorite version with Tyrone Power. Heck, though I only saw it recently Douglas Fairbanks' silent version is great too!

Also The Bounty with Gibson/Hopkins is pretty good. I'm also a big fan of the 1935 Gable/Laughton version as well as the '62 Brando/Howard version. It's been 20 years so I'd be open to even one more go round with this tale.

I know I'm forgetting some others.

The Thing - loved the first version for the longest time and saw the remake with little expectations and was equally impressed

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - (see above)

Gaslight - For the lonest time, I had only seen the US version. When I finally saw the original British version, I was simply spellbound.

The Thing, Cape Fear, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The Blob/Beware the Blob

King Kong

Reading the title of this thread, Ocean's 11 was the first movie I thought of as well...The first one had a real good style and appeal to me, and I thought the 2nd one did well where most movies fail in duplicating that feel for a newer aduience and time period. And I had my doubts because I never really cared for Clooney, and I didnt think in anyway he would be able to fill Sinatra's role, but I think he did a pretty good job in it.

The Ladykillers
Psycho

The Thing
Dawn of the Dead
Night of the Living Dead
The Fly

The Thing
Dawn of the Dead
Cape Fear
The Ring
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Fly
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (78)
Nosferatu

another vote for 12 Angry Men

Good choice! I actually prefer the remake, which puts me in a minority of 1 (even Herzog prefers the original).

Night of the Living Dead

Savini did an amazing job with the remake.

also:
The Thing

Night of the Living '90, i like it even more than the original

I liked both of versions of The Getaway (1972, 1994).

I also liked both versions of Insomnia.

None of these can really be considered remakes. Last of the Mohicans is an adaptation of a novel, not a remake of the earlier movie. It would be like saying the TV miniseries version of The Shining is a remake of Kubrick's film. Or that Damon's Bourne Identity is a remake of Chamberlain's.

Costner's Robin Hood is a take on a British legend, not a remake of Flynn's movie (where's Sir Guy and Prince John?). The same with Banderas's Zorro -- he isn't even Don Diego, but an all new dude. And I don't think we could call the upcoming Batman Begins a remake of Burton's or Schumacher's films, or Bryan Singer's upcoming Superman film a remake of Donner/Reeve's.

That having been said, the one I look forward to most is Jackson's King Kong. Also, groin.

Red Dragon

I'm going to 3rd Psycho. I love the original and I'm also quite a big fan for the remake. Not very well liked by most but liked by me non the less.

I doubt that you would find many who'd be a gree a bull.