10 Movies With Serious Wasted Potential That Should Be Remade

Many movies have the potential to be a hit with viewers, but upon release, may fall below expectations. At first glance, some movies seem like they have an interesting story and feature a talented cast that could result in critical and financial success. But upon release, they sometimes don’t live up to the initial expectations and the final result may disappoint critics and viewers.

In Hollywood, some movies have a great story that would make for an entertaining watch but were let down by certain production aspects. Some movies may be bundled with too many extra elements, or they may be adaptations from celebrated books or TV shows that lose what made their source material a success. Movies that had the potential to be successful upon their initial release deserve to be recognized and could benefit from receiving a remake.

10

City of Ember (2008)

Directed by Gil Kenan

Released in 2008, City of Ember stars Saoirse Ronan and Bill Murray and depicts the citizens of Ember living underground for 200 years, after a global catastrophe. When a mysterious box set to point the citizens in the right direction is ignored, the generator begins to fail and the city slowly falls into disrepair. When two young children, Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, discover the box, they realize it is their only hope of leaving the city and finding survival.

City of Ember was adapted from the 2003 award-winning novel by Jeanne DuPrau; it was among several children’s books that were adapted into movies in the 2000s. The movie was due to be the first in a new franchise, but it only received a mixed reception from critics; it also failed at the box office, grossing only $17.9 million, resulting in sequel plans being canceled. While the movie received a mixed critical response, viewers did see its potential as a fantasy adventure that could be utilized further if a remake was considered and franchise plans were revisited.

9

Downsizing (2017)

Directed by Alexander Payne

This 2017 film, starring Matt Damon, looks at a world where shrinking has been perfected, resulting in many citizens shrinking their bodies to better their lives. A married couple, Paul and Audrey, decide to join this program and shrink themselves down to five inches tall, to rebuild their futures. When Audrey backs out at the last minute, Paul is left alone at only five inches tall and must find his place in a new, smaller world.

The movie had an interesting concept, offering a view into what life is like when one is only five inches tall; it also contained a talented cast of Matt Damon and Hong Chau. However, after this concept is visited, the movie shifts into a standard romance between Paul and his new partner, Ngoc, which proved disappointing to critics. Downsizing had the potential to be an engaging “what if” story and could have done more in exploring its main story, rather than turning it into a romance, something that should be considered for a remake.

8

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Directed by The Wachowskis

Written and directed by the Wachowskis, Jupiter Ascending focuses on a young cleaner, Jupiter Jones, whose life is changed forever when she learns that she is the heiress of an intergalactic nobility and aliens have been sent to kill her. With the help of a mercenary, Jupiter learns that she must fight against the assassins who want her dead if she has any hope of reaching her true destiny. The movie stars Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum and was one of several fantasy films released in the 2010s.

Jupiter Ascending was visually stunning, with interesting set designs and had the potential to be a thrilling adventure about a young woman discovering her family legacy. However, the movie was heavily criticized for the unnecessary romance sub-plot and lack of true character development; many critics felt that the movie missed the opportunity to create a thrilling sci-fi movie centered around a female character and focused on too many plot elements; a remake could downsize on this and retain the focus on Jupiter uncovering her destiny.

7

Eragon (2006)

Directed by Stefan Fangmeier

Starring Jeremy Irons and Ed Speleers, Eragon tells the story of a young farm boy who discovers a dragon’s egg; when the egg hatches into a dragon, Eragon takes the dragon as his pet and nurtures her for years. Their peaceful lives are ruined when the evil king learns about the dragon and sets out to capture it, forcing Eragon and his new pet to flee their hometown with a storyteller who teaches him the way of dragon-riding.

The original novel was written by Christopher Paolini and is considered one of the greatest children’s books ever written; the movie adaptation was announced in 2004 and was set to begin a new franchise based on Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle. However, upon release, Eragon was negatively received by critics for its stilted performances and for straying too far from the source material. The movie failed to properly showcase the magical elements that were present in the novel, which resulted in plans for a sequel being canceled; in 2022, it was announced that Eragon would be remade into a live-action series by Disney that has the potential to revamp the story.

6

Cats (2019)

Directed by Tom Hopper

The 2019 musical movie Cats depicts a white cat, Victoria, who is abandoned in the streets of London and is found by alley cats known as Jellicles. Victoria learns the way of the Jellicles, and they prepare to participate in the annual Jellicle Ball, where a cat will be chosen for the Heaviside Layer. The movie was adapted from the 1981 musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber and features an ensemble cast, including Judi Dench, Taylor Swift and Idris Elba.

There was initial promise for Cats as it featured the original musical’s soundtrack and was directed by Tom Hooper, who had previously directed the acclaimed Les Misérables. However, the movie was heavily slated for its horrendous CGI effects and disturbing costume designs; it won 6 Golden Raspberry Awards in 2020, including Worst Picture. While some say that Cats might be a cult classic in later years, a remake of the movie would be better made as an animated feature, rather than live-action.

5

John Carter (2012)

Directed by Andrew Stanton

Produced by Disney, John Carter shows the titular character, a Civil War vet who is accidentally transported to Mars; upon arriving he discovers a world inhabited by 12-foot-tall barbarians. After escaping the creatures, Carter encounters a princess who informs him of civil unrest between the kingdoms of Barsoom. Carter reluctantly agrees to help in this conflict and soon comes to understand that the fate of everybody living on Mars is in his hands.

The movie was based on the 1912 story A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who also created the Tarzan series; A Princess of Mars has served as an inspiration for other science-fiction authors. A movie adaptation had been in the works since the 1930s, but the final result proved to be a disaster, receiving scathing reviews for its story changes and was one of the biggest box office bombs in history (via The Gamer). Given its source material, John Carter had the potential to be a thrilling sci-fi movie and could certainly benefit from a remake.

4

Van Helsing (2004)

Directed by Stephen Sommers

This 2004 movie, Van Helsing, stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale and depicts a famed monster hunter, Van Helsing, who is sent to Transylvania on a mission to find Count Dracula. The powerful vampire has been using the laboratory of Dr. Frankenstein to create an army of undead minions. With the help of a Gypsy princess, Van Helsing must use all of his wit and skill to stop Dracula once and for all.

The movie focuses on the character Van Helsing, who was made famous through the original story of Dracula, one of the greatest horror stories of all time. It includes spectacular visuals that pay homage to the original Dracula story, but Van Helsing wasn’t well received, being criticized for its visual effects and for the changes made to the character who was a polymath doctor in the original story. A reboot of Van Helsing is currently in development which offers hope for a revitalized story of the acclaimed character.

3

Red Riding Hood (2011)

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke

The Charles Perrault fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood, is one of the most recognized stories in history. This horror movie, starring Amanda Seyfried, depicts the title character as a grown woman, Valerie, whose peaceful life is shattered by the murder of her sister. Valerie comes to learn that she has a connection with a monster that is haunting her village and must find a way to stop him and bring peace.

When Red Riding Hood was announced, many were excited about a horror retelling of a fairytale and the opportunity to see a popular fictional character grown up, similar to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. The movie had an interesting horror concept, but it failed with critics due to its confusing plot and the decision to include a love triangle, which was deemed as unnecessary to the story. The love triangle element only complicated the initial plot, causing Red Riding Hood to miss out on a chance to be a true horror retelling of a beloved story.

2

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Directed by Zack Snyder

The second movie in the DCEU, Batman v Superman, sees the two famed superheroes going up against each other for the first time. Starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, Batman is manipulated by criminal mastermind Lex Luthor into believing that Superman will cause harm to Earth and must be destroyed. Meanwhile, Superman worries that Batman will cause trouble to the world, resulting in the two facing up against each other in a battle to save humanity.

Batman v Superman was one of the most anticipated superhero movies in the 2010s as this was the first movie that saw both popular heroes together in the same movie and was also the first cinematic appearance of Wonder Woman. While the movie did well financially, it divided critics, with many citing the fight between the two heroes as underwhelming, and for its casting. While the movie ended on a bleak note, a remake could potentially see the famed heroes clash again.

1

The Last Airbender (2010)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, The Last Airbender is a live-action adaptation of the first season of the animated series Avatar. The movie follows a young Avatar named Aang who is imprisoned in ice for a century; when he is freed, he learns that he is the last surviving Airbender and is called to save the world. With the help of new friends, Aang must learn how to master the four elements and stop the Fire Nation from enslaving humanity.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most popular shows in history and a live-action movie could have been successful. However, The Last Airbender was slandered by critics and fans of the series, receiving heavy criticism for its poor CGI effects, removal of humor and its whitewashing of Asian characters; it has since been regarded as one of the worst movies ever made. Given the popularity of the original animated series, The Last Airbender wasted its potential to be a success, and is a movie that could certainly benefit from a movie remake.

Source: The Gamer