You only have to watch the recent versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Robocop and Total Recall to see how money-driven remakes can destroy the essence of much-loved films. Put together by committee and stripping them of everything that might alienate the broad demographic they're aimed at, they become shadows of their former cinematic selves. The decade so far has had its share of cheap and lazy remakes (although thankfully nothing has come close to the awfulness of the remake of The Wicker Man), but while some great movies should never be touched there are plenty of average ones ready to be improved upon, as well as more obscure titles which would benefit from an update. A good filmmaker is able to identify what was lacking and inject a fresh perspective, or see a new angle on the material which changes its tone and meaning. Hollywood might have the biggest reputation for producing remakes - and they feature on the line-up of mainstream movies on an annual basis - but independent and non-English language filmmakers are not averse to getting in on the act as well. The results can be surprisingly good, even sometimes surpassing the original. From updated versions of classic Westerns to reimagining cult horror movies, here are the 15 best remakes so far this decade.