10 Movie Remakes Better Than The Original
8. A Star Is Born (2018)
While other movies on this list might have one or maybe two classic prior instalments to be compared to, Bradley Cooper's most recent take on A Star is Born had three other iterations to better, all of which were a defining product of their time, be it in their depictions of the 1930s Hollywood system or the 1970s music scene.
With three different versions to analyse though, Cooper had the benefit of identifying the strongest elements from each and avoiding the weakest. His film succeeds, then, partly by amending the sins of the past, particularly in how the central relationship is more balanced this time around, leading to far more compelling drama.
That's not to say there's nothing original in the mix, of course, and the stellar opening hour in particular is brilliantly inventive. The way the two leads get to know each other and grow into one another feels so truthful, with heavily improvised scenes naturally selling the believability of the central relationship. The actual songs and performances themselves are outstanding as well, and by shooting live and on location Cooper achieves something so many directors fall short on: actually capturing the atmosphere of playing to a huge crowd.
Each version of A Star is Born has defined its respective era, but Cooper's take might just be strong enough to make a fourth remake redundant. Then again, who am I kidding? This is Hollywood we're talking about...
[Josh Brown]