Best of the Best: Movie Remakes Quiz

Answer: Johnny Depp

Gene Wilder, playing Willy Wonka, originally starred in the 1971 "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". Adapted from the 1964 Roald Dahl novel, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", the movie told the story of a poor boy named Charlie who won an opportunity to tour a rather mysterious chocolate factory that had been closed because competitors had been trying to steal the candy recipes.

At the end of the tour it was revealed that Charlie, because of his honesty in refusing to give a Gobstopper to a supposed competitor, had actually been chosen to be Willy Wonka's heir - which was the purpose of the contest in the first place. Wilder as Willy Wonka was a tough act to beat, even for Johnny Depp, who played the character in the 2005 remake, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

While each actor played the role very differently, many reviews credited Wilder with being "more likeable" in the role, and Depp being a bit "creepy".

Answer: Tom Cruise

"War of the Worlds", written by H.G. Wells and originally published in 1897 in "Pearson's Magazine", told the story of a Martian invasion on Earth, made to restock dwindling resources. In the 1953 film, the story revolved around Dr. Clayton Forrester, played by Gene Barry, and how he responded to and survived the invasion until it was finally revealed that Martians had been defeated by bacteria in the air; Ray Ferrier, played by Tom Cruise in the 2005 movie, played the same type of role with a similar conclusion.

The difference? While Forrester was a Manhattan Project scientist with no family, Ferrier was a longshoreman with complicated family dynamics. It seemed that critics were more willing to discuss the special effects of the two films - the 1953 version special effects were considered to be way ahead of their time, and won the Academy Award for Special Effects; the 2005 version, directed by Steven Spielberg, was nominated for three Academy Awards for sound and visual effects, however, lost to the same film in each category.

Answer: Lindsay Lohan

Based on the 1949 story, "Lottie and Lisa" by Erich Kästner, "The Parent Trap" movie was first released in 1961, starring Hayley Mills. Identical twins, separated from birth by divorced parents, finally discovered each other while at summer camp. They decided to switch places in order to meet the parent they never knew, and eventually brought their parents back together.

The 1998 film was Lindsay Lohan's movie debut, and had the same basic story line. Opinions are mixed as to which of the films is better.

While some would point out that it was silly to remake a movie with the same basic details, others broke the movie down scene by scene in order to determine which actress was the best in each. The bottom line? It would seem that it comes down to vintage vs. modern, and older vs. newer special effects.

Answer: Naomi Watts

Filmmaker Merian C. Cooper, who was captivated by stories about gorillas as a young boy, created the character of Kong, who lived somewhere in the Indian Ocean on Skull Island. In the 1933 version of the film, Fay Wray played the role of an actress, Ann Darrow, who traveled to the Indian Ocean with her director to make a new jungle picture.

She was kidnapped by natives who lived on Skull Island, who planned to use her as a sacrifice to the giant ape, Kong, who took Ann to his lair. She was subsequently rescued, however, Kong was captured and taken back to New York City, where he was shown as "Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World". Fearful of the noise and the flash of cameras, Kong escaped his cage, and recaptured Ann, taking her to the Empire State Building.

There he was killed by gunfire from airplanes and a fall from the building. The final line of the movie is, "Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast". The 2005 version of the movie followed the original story line very closely, and ended with the same quote. According to many critics, it was impossible for the similar story in the the 2005 version of the movie, even one that was directed by Peter Jackson, to top the 1933 movie. Don't forget - there was another remake filmed in 1976 with a different story, which starred Jessica Lange.

Answer: Daniel Craig

Ian Fleming originally published the story, "Casino Royale", his first James Bond novel, in 1953. It led to eleven more James Bond novels and two short stories by Fleming, and some by other authors as well. The 1967 movie starred David Niven in the role of Sir James Bond 007, forced out of a twenty-year retirement to find out what was happening to international spies and what SMERSH might have to do with their disappearances.

In many ways it was a comedy and a spy spoof. Set at the beginning of James Bond's career as a secret agent, the 2006 "Casino Royale" that starred Daniel Craig had a very different story.

After earning his "license to kill" James Bond was sent to defeat a terrorist financier in a high stakes poker game. Making a comparison between the two movies is very difficult as they are so different.

Many critics wrote that "Casino Royale" 2006 was "the best James Bond movie ever made", citing the performance of Daniel Craig as the reason.

Answer: Jeff Bridges

In 1968 the novel, "True Grit" by Charles Portis, was published; the film which starred John Wayne, who won his only Academy Award as Rooster Cogburn, was released the following year. After the murder of her father, Mattie Ross was determined to find his killer, and hired Rooster Cogburn to bring him to justice because she had heard that Rooster has "true grit".

The mission was completed successfully, and Mattie told Rooster at the end of the movie that she would like for him to be buried someday next to her in her family cemetery plot.

The ending of the film appears to be the biggest difference in the 2010 film remake. When Mattie was bitten by a rattlesnake, Rooster helped her to safety, but left before she regained consciousness. Twenty-five years later, she received a note from him inviting her to view his performance in a Wild West show. Sadly, he died three days before Mattie arrived.

While the 1968 version of the film won John Wayne his only Academy Award, the remake in 2010 was nominated for ten Academy Awards, and earned none.

It is definitely difficult to criticize Jeff Bridges's performance, however, John Wayne has to be the sentimental favorite, doesn't he? Actually, in my opinion, what made the difference between the two films was Kim Darby vs. Hailee Steinfeld in the role of Mattie; Steinfeld gave a much darker, edgier performance. In fact, her Mattie might have been the one who had "true grit".

Answer: George Clooney

George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell's story, "Ocean's 11", was published in 1960 and made into a movie the same year. Frank Sinatra played the title role of Danny Ocean; starring members of the famous Rat Pack, the story was about a group of WWII veterans who attempted to rob five different casinos on New Year's Eve.

The 2001 remake of the movie, which starred George Clooney as Danny Ocean, had much the same story line except that the 2001 Ocean was more motivated by revenge against the casino owner who ruined his marriage, while the 1960 Ocean was motivated by greed.

In addition, the endings of both movies are different. Which is better? It is difficult to say. "Ocean's 11" had great star power, but so did the remake; it seems that it may be the vintage vs. contemporary argument for preference, as both films did a great job of showing the Vegas of the time.

Answer: Kurt Russell

Based on John W. Campbell, Jr.'s novella "Who Goes There?", published in 1938, the first movie made was "The Thing from Another World" and released in 1951. A group of scientists and an Air Force pilot (Kenneth Tobey) were called to the North Pole after the crash of a UFO in the area.

The "Thing" taken from the wreckage was determined to be an advanced form of plant life that reproduced with seeds. In the 1982 film "The Thing", the setting was Antarctica and scientists were sent with a helicopter pilot (Kurt Russell) to investigate a UFO crash.

The alien creature that was discovered was able to take the shape of anything it touched. While in the earlier film the characters who survived were able to plan a future, the remake led one to believe that the survivors of the ordeal have no chance of survival.

The movie was remade again in 2011 and was a prequel to the plot in the 1982 film. Who played a better role? It is difficult to say, as most critics tended to focus more on the differences in the stories - and the fact that the remake, directed by John Carpenter, is considered to be his best film.

Answer: Josie Lawrence

A 1922 novel by British writer Elizabeth von Arnim, "The Enchanted April", was first made into a film in 1935, which starred Ann Harding as Lottie Wilkins. The film was a comedy drama which focused on the activities and lives of a small group of English women who took a holiday at a castle in southern Italy. Josie Lawrence played the role of Lottie in the 1992 remake; she and an acquaintance, both of whom have unhappy marriages, found two other women in their club who were also unhappy with their lives and were interested in sharing the rent on a castle in southern Italy. According to reviews, both movies had a very similar story lines and portrayed life in 1920 Italy well; the 1935 movie, however, was filmed in black and white, while the newer color version showed more of the beauty of Italy.

Answer: Russell Crowe

Based on a short story written in 1953 by Elmore Leonard, the movie, "3:10 to Yuma", was originally released as a film in 1957, and starred Glenn Ford as outlaw Ben Wade. After witnessing the robbery of a stagecoach and the murder of its driver by Wade's gang, Dan Evans, a rancher, took a job to guard the outlaw until he could be put on the train to Yuma prison. Both Wade and Evans formed an unusual relationship; even though his gang tried to rescue him, Wade almost voluntarily boarded the train, insinuating that he had broken out of the prison before and could do it again.

The 2007 movie starred Russell Crowe as Ben Wade. Interestingly, this version of the film seemed to focus more on the story of Dan Evans. Reviewers praised both of the movies and both of the lead actors, who played the role of Ben Wade as an outlaw with a humorous and likeable side.