To some, the popularity of remakes over the last couple decades - along with hasty 3D conversions, the Saw series, and Michael Bay - spells twilight for great American cinema.
To others, remakes are like holidays: the comforting repetition of tradition that grounds us in a world in which technology is changing the way we live every day. But even holiday traditions aren't good by default, and the history of remakes has had more than few fruitcakes.
Either way, don't expect to escape remakes anytime soon; like sequels and reboots, they are a favorite bet with increasingly cautious Hollywood studios. In October, new versions of Footloose and The Three Musketeers will hit theatres, no doubt driving critics to their thesauruses for more ways to say "screamingly awful."
As we wait to see how audiences will treat these latest remakes, here are the five worst cinematic remakes of all time.
