8 Alternative Awards For 2016's Movies

8. Remake We Didn't Need - Ben Hur

Even before movies learned to talk, Hollywood realized it could recycle its old hits. First filmed (in one reel) in 1907, Ben Hur reached the big screen again in 1925, and when the first talkie version appeared in 1959, it went on to win an unprecedented 11 Oscars.

Timur Bekmambetov directs the 2016 version, and it’s the movie that this year deserves: it feels longer than it really is, and you can’t wait for it to be over. Though the trailer promised epic battles and effects-heavy action sequences, its only Morgan Freeman’s dreadlocks that distinguish it from Gladiator, 300, Gods Of Egypt et al.

Ben Hur is the perfect example of one of 2016’s most annoying trends – the remake that nobody wanted (or went to see) that still managed to persuade Hollywood to open its coffers. Along with The Magnificent Seven, Ghostbusters and Pete’s Dragon, it helped make 2016 one for the record books – for all the wrong reasons.