As good as it gets: 20 iconic films that should never get a remake

The Sound of Music is utter perfection, and you don’t mess with perfection. Julie Andrews is inimitable, and it’d be futile for any filmmaker to try to recapture the magic that is this movie. It’s been done perfectly once and must be left untouched. 

There is no movie set as enchanting, no message as universally relatable, or plot as exciting as The Wizard of Oz. It was done right the first time, and it doesn’t need to be done again. The multiple off-shoots we’ve gotten throughout the years have been entertaining, but there’s no need for a true remake. 

Christmas movies aren’t often remade and for good reason. It’s not necessary, especially when it comes to It’s a Wonderful Life. A movie should only be made when its message would be better understood through a modern lens, and that’s not the case when it comes to this holiday classic. 

There aren’t actresses today like Audrey Hepburn. She had a rare combination of qualities that Hollywood starlets just don’t exhibit anymore. No one else could play Holly Golightly as well as Audrey Hepburn in 1961.

The Godfather is pure cinematic excellence. The cast, the script, the performances — it doesn’t get much better than this. Any filmmaker would be foolish to think they could improve this movie … or even come close. It’s best left untouched. 

There’s an argument to be made that The Birds could be made even scarier by using modern CGI technology (and if it were remade, it would probably be a lot safer for the lead actress as she likely wouldn’t have to have actual birds thrown at her for two weeks to film the final scene). Still, it’s not the birds themselves that are scary. The underlying sense of unease that Alfred Hitchcock created made it so scary, and no technology can replace a truly brilliant director. 

Casablanca is one of the greatest love stories of all time. The writing couldn’t be better, and Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman gave performances of a lifetime. People are still quoting this movie, and it was released in 1942. If that’s not a sign that it shouldn’t be remade, nothing is. 

Since there were about a billion sequels to this movie, it could easily be seen by filmmakers as a franchise worth rebooting, but it needs to be left alone. Rocky isn’t a character like James Bond or Batman that anyone can put a spin on. Sylvester Stallone made Rocky who he is, and no one can ever replicate that. 

Some musicals have been remade very well, like Spielberg’s West Side Story . But not all directors are Steven Spielberg, and not all movies are West Side Story. Grease is fun and campy, and if it were remade, some of its kinks would most certainly be ironed out, which would take away from its charm. Not all issues need to be fixed. Some are worth keeping. 

Titanic is another one of the greatest films of all time, and since it’s a period piece, there’s absolutely no reason ever to remake it. Its visuals still hold up, thanks to James Cameron’s brilliance. Anyone stepping into Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet’s roles would be facing a losing battle for natural chemistry. 

One of the best rom-coms of all time, When Harry Met Sally… is great for a multitude of reasons, many of which have to do with Nora Ephron. The writing is spectacular, the cast is perfect, and every shot is beautiful. This movie will never get old, and it should never be remade. 

Hollywood should just follow the standard that anything that wins Best Picture is off-limits for a remake. Tom Hanks gave the performance of a lifetime in Forrest Gump, and no one could even come close. Forrest Gump is still culturally relevant, and if we’re still talking about a film, we don’t need a remake. 

John Hughes knew how to make a movie, and The Breakfast Club was one of his best. He struck lightning in a bottle with his cast. They each knew how to slowly cut the tension in just an hour and 37 minutes of film. Finding another group that can do that so flawlessly would be a futile mission. 

There’s so much magic in A Christmas Story. From Ralphie and Randy walking to school and visiting Santa to the Old Man displaying his lamp for the neighborhood to see and taking the whole family out for Chinese food on Christmas Day, it’s got a charm about its scenes that were captured well the first time. A sequel was made that the public had virtually no interest in, and a remake would go over about as well. 

Jaws is another film that one might argue could be made better with modern technology, but it’s not the shark itself that makes the film what it is. Once again, it’s directorial brilliance. Steven Spielberg is allegedly on a mission to prevent a Jaws remake, and we’re absolutely in support of his crusade. 

John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis — it’s unbelievable a film got a group of actors as perfect as that, to begin with. Quentin Tarantino has a vision unlike any other director, and no one else could create the films he creates. A remake of this, or any Tarantino movie for that matter, would be a waste of everyone’s time. 

The Truman Show shouldn’t be remade, and thankfully, it probably couldn’t be. It’s so wonderfully bizarre there’s no way anyone could recreate that. We’re not quite sure how the filmmakers did it in the first place. The closest we need to a remake of this movie is Jury Duty. 

Normally we’d say that anyone who thinks they can give as good of a performance as Morgan Freeman is welcome to try, but when it comes to The Shawshank Redemption, we don’t suggest anyone try. 

Comedies aren’t typically first in line for remakes, but if we’re going to leave one in its original form, it’s Airplane! This film is the standard by which all comedies should be made. Its timing, joke structure, and writing are master classes. When something’s been mastered, it doesn’t need to be done again. 

We’re fairly certain no one is going to reanimate Toy Story, but it doesn’t need the live-action treatment either. Many of the Disney live-actions have been spectacular, but applying that same technique to toys would be creepy, and it could potentially sully the legacy of Toy Story. Four animated films in the franchise was enough.