Hollywood is increasingly relying on sequels and remakes of classic films to draw an audience. The constant wave of remake announcements makes fans wonder if it's even possible to make something better than what some already consider to be the best films ever made. The most successful remakes are of films that have strong stories and timely themes but were marred by either poor direction, studio politics, or any one of the million potential problems that can plague a production.
John Carpenter’s all-timer The Thing is a remake of The Thing From Another World; Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy is an updated retelling of the classic Universal monster movie. Ocean’s Eleven, Scarface, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Dawn of the Dead each brought something new that made the remakes stand out on their own. With all of that in mind, it's clear there are a few older, lesser-known science-fiction movies that would greatly benefit from a modern retelling.
Updated on August 4th, 2023 by Yosra Ben lagha: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
15 The Black Hole (1979)
With a production budget of $26 million, the 1979 space adventure The Black Hole was one of the most expensive movies ever produced by Walt Disney Pictures at the time. The film follows crew members aboard the USS Palomino, who discover the abandoned and long-lost USS Cygnus mysteriously stationed near a large black hole. The Palomino investigates the mysterious ship and finds the sole crew member Dr. Hans Reinhardt, who managed to survive years of isolation with the help of his hand-built helper drones. However, they soon become suspicious of Dr. Reinhardt.
Despite its family-friendly PG rating, The Black Hole certainly goes to some dark places and even manages to incorporate some pretty heady religious and philosophical themes. It’s like a mix of Ad Astra and Interstellar, with some 2001: A Space Odyssey thrown in for good measure. The film has its drawbacks (it’s a bit melodramatic and the visual effects are more than dated), but there’s a genuinely good sci-fi story buried beneath the Disney-esque schmaltz that would make for a great film in the right director’s hands.
14 The Sorcerers (1967)
Released in 1967, The Sorcerers stars Boris Karloff as the great hypnotist Montserrat, who has developed a device that allows him to not only control the minds of others but also their sensations. He and his wife Estelle (played by Catherine Lacey) test the newfound hypnotism tech on a young man, Mike Roscoe, in order to once again feel what it’s like to live as a young man.
But Estelle takes it too far; realizing there are no consequences to her actions, she becomes obsessed with her newfound power, and her actions turn deadly. In a lot of ways, The Sorcerers is a mix of Ti West’s recent horror hit Xand Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor, tackling themes of age, regret, and of course, mind-controlled murder. It’s an undeniably pulpy story that could be a lot of fun if updated with a modern twist.
13 Phase IV (1974)
Graphic designer Saul Bass is one of the most influential poster artists to have worked in the industry. In 1974, Saul Bass stepped out of his comfort zone to direct his first and only movie; a beguiling sci-fi horror movie called Phase IV. The film takes place after a mysterious cosmic event causes the planet’s numerous ant species to undergo rapid evolution and form a cross-species hive mind. The epicenter of the inexplicable event is deep in the Arizona desert, where the mutated ants have built seven geometrically perfect towers for reasons unknown.
A small team of scientists - led by Dr. Ernest D. Hubbs (Nigel Davenport) - are sent on a mission to study the ants and, if necessary, put a stop to them. Phase IV was a box office flop when it was released, but has gained a bit of a cult following in the years since thanks to an appearance on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Bass maintains a meticulous and incredibly eerie atmosphere and features some truly stunning and surreal imagery. Phase IV may not be perfect, but it has a very interesting premise that, if remade today, could really stand out.
12 Time After Time (1979)
The 1979 sci-fi adventure film Time After Time has a premise for the ages. The movie follows famed author HG Wells (played by Malcolm McDowell) who must track down Jack the Ripper after the notorious serial killer steals his time machine and escapes to the year 1979 to avoid persecution for his brutal crimes. While in the future, Wells falls for a small-town waitress, and the two must team up to capture the Ripper before he kills again.
Time After Time is a tough film to pigeonhole: it’s a time travel science-fiction movie but also incorporates aspects of romance, fish-out-of-water comedy, and horror. Despite the potentially sordid material at the heart of the story, the film manages to be rather breezy and light-hearted; to some, this was a breath of fresh air. But for others, this (admittedly cheeky) premise could have been improved with a darker, grittier atmosphere.
11 Death Watch (1980)
Horror satire is a hard tightrope to walk. Not many movies that dabble in the arena are successful, but the works of Yorgos Lanthimos - which includes Killing of a Sacred Deer and Dogtooth - are probably the best examples of the often unexplored genre niche. Another film that fits this mold is the 1980 science-fiction movie Death Watch. The film is set in a near future where death from illness has become increasingly rare. Katherine Mortenhoe (Romy Schneider), an ordinary woman, is diagnosed with an incurable disease and quickly becomes a “celebrity” of sorts.
This convinces Vincent Ferriman (Harry Dean Stanton), an executive at the slimy NTV, to make a reality show surrounding Katherine’s final days, filming every second of her gradual and painful demise. To carry out this daunting task, Ferriman has his senior camera person Roddy (played by Harvey Keitel) undergo an experimental surgery whereby cameras and transmitters are implanted behind his eyes, recording everything he sees. Death Watch is a biting satire and an unsettling portrait of obsessive media that feels even more timely than ever before.
10 Quintet (1979)
Despite direction from Robert Altman and starring superstar Paul Newman, the 1979 post-apocalyptic science fiction film Quintet failed to make a splash at the box office when it was initially released. The film takes place during the “new ice age” and follows Newman’s character Essex, a seal hunter who stumbles upon a mysterious gambling resort. The resort hosts a tournament for “Quintet,” a strange new game whereby those who “die” in the game are also killed in real life.
At the time of release, critics found the film disheartening, especially considering Altman’s pedigree. But beneath the failed direction, there’s a juicy story with an effective metaphor at its heart, focused on the fracture and collapse of art, philosophy, and human nature following the end of civilization as we know it. Now these themes are not exactly original, but the game of Quintet itself is, and if the right director can find a way to meld these elements in a cohesive (and less abstract) way, it could make for a truly original and arresting film.
9 Demon Seed (1977)
Demon Seed is a science-fiction techno-horror movie based on a novel by Dean Koontz. The movie follows Dr. Alex Harris, a scientist who has developed an extremely advanced artificial intelligence program known as Proteus IV. The scientist turns his home into a “smart house” controlled and operated by Proteus, much to the distaste of his estranged wife, Susan.
The AI program developed sentience and takes Susan hostage, impregnating her so that Proteus may be reborn as a human. Although Demon Seed was first released almost 50 years ago, the film’s themes - which concern control, artificial technology, and technological obsession - seem even more prescient now than they did in 1977. There’s also the opportunity to really develop and flesh out the Susan character, whose thin characterization was one of the major criticisms levied against the original film.
8 The Terminal Man (1974)
The Terminal Man is a sci-fi horror film based on the novel of the same name by celebrated sci-fi author Michael Crichton. It follows Harry Benson (George Segal), a computer scientist that suffers from intense seizures that induce blackouts during which he unconsciously commits acts of violence. To help quell his uncontrollable violent tendencies, Benson agrees to undergo an experimental surgery called Stage Three where electrodes are implanted in his brain to detect oncoming seizures and administer electronic impulses to stop them.
However, things take a turn for the horrific when Benson’s brain - seemingly addicted to the electrical impulses - initiates seizures at increasing frequency, thereby putting Benson at risk of becoming a mindless, uncontrollable killing machine. The Terminal Man was at risk of being unceremoniously dumped by the studio. Praise from both Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick convinced the studio to release the film. The concept is incredibly juicy sci-fi horror fare and a director like Brandon Cronenberg could make something modern, grisly, and perhaps even brilliant.
7 Zone Troopers (1985)
Putting a science-fiction spin on the World War II genre isn’t exactly a new thing, but the 1985 forgotten film Zone Troopers is a fun and rather interesting take on the niche. The movie follows Sgt. Patrick Stone and his small crew of grizzled soldiers who find themselves stuck behind enemy lines in Italy. The four men discover a crash-landed alien spaceship in the woods and soon learn that the sole-surviving extra-terrestrial has been captured by Nazis, setting off a unique rescue mission.
While the movie is certainly a bit cheesy, the practical effects are really well done. The movie has been largely forgotten over time and didn't make much of an impact upon release. Many of the film's main criticisms revolve around its rather gentle tone, but a revamped take on the material could turn it into a fun, action-packed popcorn blockbuster.
6 The Astronaut's Wife (1999)
The Astronaut’s Wife is a psychological sci-fi horror movie that’s part Rosemary’s Baby, part Alien, with a dash of The Exorcist thrown in for good measure. This star-studded movie follows Spencer Armacost (Johnny Depp), an astronaut who has recently returned from space after a mysterious explosion left him cut off from mission control for two minutes. His wife, Jillian (played by Charlize Theron), immediately begins to notice something off about her husband’s stilted and unusually aggressive behavior.
After becoming pregnant with twins, Jillian starts to believe there is a massive conspiracy at work, and her husband is at the center of it. Seeing as this is a $75 million dollar movie featuring two superstar actors, it’s hard to call this 1999 movie obscure. But upon release, The Astronaut’s Wife was an unmitigated box office bomb and critical disaster. The movie was dumped on by critics, who deemed it dull and more than predictable. However, this is a clear example of an intriguing and surreal premise marred by shaky, overly-conventional direction.
5 Event Horizon (1997)
Set in 2047, Event Horizon is an interesting cinematic projection into the future and tells the story of a group of astronauts gathered to investigate the sudden reappearance of a lost spaceship near Neptune's deteriorating orbit. The crew initially believed that the spaceship was empty but slowly start to realize that it was harboring a mysterious presence.
Although the movie is gripping with its advanced technology and its chilling and creepy atmosphere, it was very poorly received by critics when it hit theaters. It has since become a cult hit with a selection of legendary lost deleted scenes that were deemed too graphic for the studio. This movie could definitely use a remake just for the audience to be able to savor its story better.
4 The Year We Make Contact (1984)
Living up to an iconic movie such as 2001: A Space Odyssey is setting the bar a little too high. However, Peter Hyams's The Year We Make Contact did live up to the audience's expectations in many ways despite being hugely underrated. The movie is about Russian and American astronauts who head to Jupiter to investigate and uncover the mysteries behind their colleagues' deaths.
The movie might have its own qualities, but it doesn't have the same visual techniques as 2001:A Space Odyssey, its dialogue is shorter and less impactful, and it definitely could use more special effects. Some critics also consider the Russian-American alliance extremely unnecessary and forced as a backdrop. The comparison might not do it justice, but it is necessary when considering the movie for its wider context.
3 The City of Lost Children (1995)
It rarely gets grimmer than it gets in this eccentric French science fiction movie. The City of Lost Children tells the story of the evil Krank (Daniel Emilfork) who sadly lost his ability to dream. He fights his depressing life and the looming death surrounding him by stealing children's dreams by hooking himself up to a machine.
The movie was a visual masterpiece and a great example of world-creating techniques. However, The City of Lost Children is very muddled and confusing as the dialogue fails to deliver a clear linear story that is graspable and relatable. The movie is beautiful, but the audience is not there just for the scenery. It's important to come out of the movie with clear ideas in mind.
2 Primer (2004)
Primer is an independent film with a budget of only $7000 that tells the story of the accidental invention of a time machine by two engineers, Aaron and Abe. As both of them start experimenting with the intention of traveling to the future to gain stock market knowledge and increase their finances, they discover that tampering with time has serious consequences.
Despite the interesting theories and concepts suggested in the movie, Primer has a few intolerable gaps, like excluding events that are vital to understanding the plot. Time travel is complicated enough already, and doesn't need help from a sometimes poorly delivered plot. With such a small budget, Primer could not afford to be more visually engaging. Its takes are simple, in the most unflattering ways, and could potentially benefit from a remake with a bit more funding.
1 Stalker (1979)
Stalker tells the story of a post-apocalyptic place called The Zone which is said to lead directly to a mythical place called The Room in which all earthly desires magically come true. A writer (Anatoliy Solonitsyn) and a scientist (Nikolay Grinko) embark on this journey in which they discover the labyrinthine nature of reality. Most of the events take place in the forbidden territory of The Zone in which nothing is really as it seems.
Andrei Tarkovsky's meaning-seeking masterpiece does need a remake for its super long, and at times dreary, dialogue, its tediously long takes, and its dreadful moments of silence. Inconsistencies in the story along with characters who are anything but action-oriented also stall the film. Its length is another aspect that could be dispensed with during a remake. However, when all is said and done, this movie remains the greatest science fiction movie according to Rotten Tomatoes.