Since 1981, The Golden Raspberry Awards—or the Razzies for short—have acted as an antithesis to the Oscars, awarding what voters consider the worst in film each year. Over the years, The Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture has been awarded to some of the most despised films ever put on screen, whether they're from celebrated directors and actors or based on a nostalgic property.
While remakes of more adored films are received with mixed success these days, it wouldn't be a bad idea to remake most—if not all—the films the Razzies consider the worst. Some of these films already had a decent enough premise but lacked the right execution, while other films need altering to suit a modern audience. Regardless, giving any of these films a decent remake might help audiences forget they were all that bad to begin with!
7 A Hudson Hawk Remake Could Soar To Greater Heights Than The Original
This action comedy starring Bruce Willis has a few fun moments and action set pieces, but they’re mostly drowned out by an extremely convoluted plot and some cartoonish performances. However, Heist films haven't gone out of fashion, so a new take on Hudson Hawk (while keeping its irreverent sense of humor) would be a welcome change in today’s film landscape. All it needs is the right charismatic actor in the lead role and a director like Edgar Wright to keep things fast, funny, and inventive onscreen.
6 I Know Who Killed Me Should Come Back To Life In A Different Genre
2007’s I Know Who Killed Me is a psychological thriller starring Lindsay Lohan as a young woman named Aubrey Fleming who's kidnapped and tortured by a serial killer, then left for dead. She’s found on the side of the road and brought to a hospital, where she shocks the Flemings by telling them she’s not Aubrey, but another woman named Dakota Moss. Aubrey’s family and the detectives on the case aren’t convinced Dakota isn’t just a persona Aubrey is using to bury her trauma, but Dakota manages to offer revelations about herself that prove otherwise. This includes Aubrey’s real fate and the unusual connection between the two women.
Despite an interesting premise, the film is an inconsistent, plot-hole-ridden mess. In particular, the plot twists involving Dakota’s real connection to Aubrey and the killer’s identity make little to no sense. A remake that tries telling the same story probably wouldn’t work, but I Know Who Killed Me would benefit from being a cross between a revenge film and a supernatural horror. Perhaps the main character could be killed but brought back to life in a mystical way, now intent on getting revenge on the person who put her in an early grave. This angle would fit the film’s title in a much smoother way.
5 A More Faithful Wild Wild West Film Could Lasso More Acclaim From Critics And Audiences
Much is said about how Wild Wild West fails as both a film and an adaptation of the popular 1960s TV series The Wild Wild West. In large part, this is because it changes so much from the series, it’s an adaptation in name only. Rather than an over-the-top buddy comedy, the show was a more serious but no less fun blend of the Western and spy genres, held together by its clever stories and the strong chemistry between its two leads. With the uptick of Western films in recent years, a new film version of The Wild Wild West that’s more faithful to the TV series could find the success the 1999 film didn’t, especially with a director like James Mangold—who isn’t a stranger to Westerns—at the helm.
4 A More Satirical Return To Battlefield Earth Could Be A Blast
To say the film adaptation of Battlefield Earth from 2000 was a massive failure is an understatement. But to be fair, the book by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard isn’t what many science-fiction fans would call a masterpiece. A new film version of the novel probably isn’t on anyone’s minds, though it might do better if it took a page from another, more successful sci-fi film adaptation.
Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 film version of Starship Troopers was essentially a satire of the novel it was based on, poking fun at the fascist undertones of the military-industrial complex its source material presents seriously. Perhaps a new take on Battlefield Earth could do something similar and skewer its source material’s roots in Scientology, creating something more groundbreaking and acclaimed.
3 Striptease Deserves Another Shot
Carl Hiaasen’s book Strip Tease has its fans, but the same can’t be said about its tonally muddled 1996 film adaptation, which lacks the scathing political satire and characterizations of its source material. It didn't help that the film came out only a year after the even more infamously hated Showgirls, which also focused on strippers as its leads.
The 2019 crime comedy film Hustlers proved films centering on strippers involved in illegal activities can be smart, dramatic, and funny in equal measure, so perhaps it's time for Strip Tease to get another adaptation. All it needs to do is update its satire and balance its respective tones, whether that's through a film medium or a TV series.
2 A New Howard the Duck Film Has Unlimited Potential
Howard the Duck's enjoyed a resurgence in popularity thanks to some cameos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the memory of the catastrophic 1986 film still lingers over everyone's favorite wisecracking waterfowl. Aside from showing up in the most unexpected of places, it's unclear what plans Marvel Studios has for Howard going forward, but a new solo film would be a welcome surprise.
Lea Thompson—who starred in the original—has spoken about her desire to make a new Howard the Duck movie. She even pitched her ideas to Marvel Studios, who responded positively. However, whether Thompson is involved or not, a new film starring Howard could stand apart from the original (and the rest of the MCU) by being as cynical, surreal, and satirical as writer Steve Gerber's iconic run on the character in the comics.
1 Gigli Could Be A Hit Crime Comedy Instead Of An Embarrassment
Few films have received as much hate from critics, audiences, and the Razzies as Gigli, Martin Brest's 2003 romantic crime comedy starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. From its unlikeable characters, nonsensical plot, and disgusting portrayal of a character suffering from poor mental health, the film's reputation is warranted. But that doesn't mean it has to stay that way.
A remake of Gigli could follow a somewhat similar storyline to the original. Perhaps a low-level mobster is hired to kidnap the brother of a federal prosecutor to use him as a bribe to keep a mob boss out of prison. However, instead of the victim being mentally unwell, they could be smarter than the mobster, showing a laughably incompetent and chauvinistic attitude (and not taken seriously like he was in the original film). As the two of them try to outwit the other, they're forced to go on the run after a tough, dedicated female police officer is sent on their trail. Such a film has the potential for great comedy, especially if it contains elements of other great crime comedies like Brest's own Midnight Run and Analyze This.