12 Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movie Remakes Ever

To clarify, we don’t mean that 1978’s super bleak and well-regarded re-imagining of 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an underrated remake. Yes, the Donald Sutherland-starring seventies version does a great job of updating the somewhat corny fifties original, dropping the film noir style narration in favour of a more realistic and gritty take on the material. But it’s pretty well-loved critically speaking, so not great material for this list.

The Driller Killer helmer Abel Ferrara’s gorier 1993 revisiting of this material, however, is rarely mentioned in discussions of the definitive screen portrayals of pod people, and the more horror-oriented retelling deserves its own moment in the spotlight. Critics wrote the film off as an emotionless re-tread, but by transporting the action to a military base Ferrara adds a dark satirical edge to proceedings and elevates the material to darker, grittier territory than either of his cinematic predecessors.

Add in an ensemble cast including R Lee Erney, Meg Tilly, and Forest Whitaker, and you’ve got a wildly underrated iteration of the iconic source material.