10 Movies That Would Actually Benefit From A Remake

6. Reign Of Fire (2002)

How could a movie with such a simple, yet brilliant, pitch wind up being so dull? Rob Bowman's post-apocalyptic action movie is the very definition of 'great concept, poor execution'. With Pacific Rim, The Desolation of Smaug and early reaction to Godzilla footage proving audiences still haven't tired of watching giant lizards causing havoc on a global scale, an updated Reign of Fire could fulfill the potential the original failed to deliver on. The idea that dragons wiped out the dinosaurs and have been in hibernation for thousands of years, waiting to exterminate the next wave of inhabitants, is as high-concept as it gets. An atmospheric opening scene shows the re-appearance of the first fire-breather, before a montage and voice-over effectively establish that humanity is on its last legs. Sadly, from there we are treated to pitch-black, murky action sequences (although the sky-diving sequence is thrilling) and Christian Bale and his people hiding in a castle, musing on the banalities of life. Even a scenery-chewing Matthew McConaughey can't liven things up, despite his utterly demented performance and glorious death scene. Reign of Fire failed to even deliver on the promise of its concept art, something advances in CGI could easily accomplish. The potential is there to deliver massive-scale destruction, charred cityscapes and terrifying aerial assaults, all balanced against a central human story. The original does have its fans, but the sheer potential of the premise could lend itself to something brilliant.