Road House Remake’s Reviews Confirm The Disappointing Truth About The Original

Despite being remembered as a worthy addition to the popular action movie genre of the 1980s, the success of the 2024 Road House perfectly demonstrates why the original isn’t as good. Even though the controversy surrounding the Road House remake could impact its reputation, the success of the Amazon Prime remake proves the movie is still worth a watch. Although not a critical darling, the 1989 Road House has gone on to develop a cult-classic-like reputation among audiences because of its overtly cheesy action, plot, and acting.

The 2024 Road House is enjoying much more success for its fun acting performances, well-directed action, and many other reasons. The cast and characters featured in Road House also deserve praise, since many of them have exceptional chemistry, and they deliver jokes that feel surprisingly fresh and appropriate for the genre. While the original Road House helped usher in a new era of action movies that thrived on cheesy one-liners and fight scenes, the Road House remake’s better reception highlights a few key reasons why it is superior to the original.

Road House 2024 Highlights How Underwhelming The Original Really Is

Road House makes necessary updates to the premise while also staying true to the original story.

Road House sees the late Patrick Swayze as the bouncer Dalton, who is just as skilled at martial arts as he is prone to delivering philosophical monologues. Although the two hobbies might not seem like a good fit for each other at first, Dalton’s philosophical musing before, during, and after fights give it a distinct feel from other action movies. The Road House remake goes for a more straightforward approach to the handling of its plot, and based on the level of violence depicted, it actually works much better than the original’s more family-friendly approach.

How Road House 2024 Improves On The Original

Gyllenhaal’s performance and chemistry with his co-stars is much better than the original’s.

The Road House remake stars Conor McGregor as the villain, and the fun and self-aware performance that he delivers gives his villainous Knox a significant edge over the original’s Wesley. In addition to McGregor’s surprisingly fun performance, his reputation as a real-life martial artist adds an undeniable authenticity to the movie that not only makes its action scenes more believable, but it also further highlights how underwhelming the original Road House‘s action scenes were. The remake leans on its R-rating, which significantly raises the stakes in each fight, and makes for a more entertaining movie overall.

Road House features its fair share of violence, nudity, and profanity, but it’s depicted in a way that almost feels like a parody, which doesn’t hold up quite as well by today’s standards. Arguably the biggest reason for Road House‘s success over the original is Gyllenhaal as Dalton. While Gyllenhaal paid tribute to Swayze in Road House, his commitment to developing the physicality and mindset of a UFC fighter paid dividends in each of the movie’s fight scenes. Combined with his chemistry with McGregor and the movie’s humor, Road House is better than the original in many ways.