Which Version Do You Like?

Rating: Null/10 (28 April 2003)

My opinion of remakes is usually negative. The remake is rarely as good as the original. The new cast is rarely able to equal the originals' status. Since I've seen the movie before, I know what to expect, and the movie just doesn't measure up. This remake is an exception. The 1960 version is great. The 2001 version is awesome. If we watched the 1960 version and the 2001 version of Ocean's Eleven, we could easily see the difference between the two movies.
The Rat Pack (1960) is great and compliment each other to make them look good together. The all-star cast (2001) makes it look like they have been working together in several films together, even though they haven't. The cast in both movies works together as a whole. Both movies having so many big names add so much strength to them. The likelihood of these eleven men all knowing each other and each having a skill that is needed in order to pull off the heist is a little far fetched in both movies. The length of time spent getting the other men together is ridiculous in both movies. What is also far fetched is the availability of access to the vault. There is a bit of humor in both versions of the movie. And, there is the romantic influence to the main character-- of course there is a woman involved! Because of the difference in eras that these movies were made, the diverse technology is unavoidable. For instance, the inclusion of cell phones in the 2001 remake is a twist that couldn't be there in the 1960 version. The high-tech security surrounding the vault is another difference that is obvious. The way that the money is lost in the end is different too.
What about sequels to remakes? As much as I enjoyed the 2001 remake of this movie, I can't wait for the proposed sequel to the remake. `Ocean's Twelve...'