Remakes are not bad by definition. Some of my favorite movies are remakes. However. Some remakes clearly shouldn’t have been attempted, for reasons that became even more obvious with the release of each respective movie. Here I will celebrate those movies. 

Although some of the best films ever made are remakes, and the concept has been deeply embedded in Hollywood’s DNA since the very beginning, there remains no denying that the form comes with an elevated series of challenges.

The perils of those challenges are highlighted by Ben-Hur, a new remake of the 1959 William Wyler-directed classic which won eleven Oscars.

The new Ben-Hur, starring Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) in the title role, and directed by Timur Bekmembatov (Wanted), did not endear itself to the public when it was released last week. Whenever a big movie flops, industry prognosticators are quick to diagnose why, and in this case many cited the looming iconic shadow of the original film.