For me, it has to be “Old Boy” which is originally a Korean movie but the US version sucks so much that it remains incomparable. Another contender is “The Ring” again a Japanese movie (the ending differs between both versions, as the original one refers to the protagonist’s father sacrificing himself but the remake states that the cursed tape is being sent to someone else, passing the omen towards another stranger).
For me, it gotta be City of Angels, the American remake of Der Himmel über Berlin.
The German version is art house, with the camera and soundscape designed to emulate the angel’s experience, observing humanity. The camera can move anywhere, gliding in and observing people’s most intimate moments. The soundscape is constant whispers of thoughts and wprries the people of Berlin carry with them in their daily lives. Everyone is lonely and isolated from the other despite living in a big city. The world is black and white. And then there is this one angel who, much like the little mermaid, becomes fascinated with humans and their ability to experience passion, see color and feel and taste and smell. He becomes more and more tempted by humanity, to live like them and just like the mermaid, the death nail is when he falls in love with a human and he accepts the mortal life to have a chance to be a part of humanity and to be with the one he loves.
The American version: etherally beautiful man-angel sees hot human-woman and gives up his wings to fuck.
Hot human-woman: 90s Meg Ryan. Say no more. I understand.
Etherally beautiful man-angel: Nicholas fucking Cage.
Bruh 🤣
You know what, I don’t even even think Nick Cage is ugly. He has his charm for sure. But he does not pull off ethereal beauty. And he shouldn’t have to. The German angel was played by Bruno Ganz (same guy who played Hitler in Der Untergang🤌), who isn’t exactly beautiful, but he has a warmth to him that feels comforting and that’s the point of the angels in the German version.
But the American version constantly has other characters point out how otherworldly beautiful the angel is and Nick Cage, bless him, does his best to make the soft pretty boy look that Brad Pitt made in Meet Joe Black, but he just looks like a predator when he tries and it is so fucking funny.
Lord have mercy.
The American version lacks the introspection on past sins of a society that did horrible things and have to live with that guilt. The American version also fails to comment on the theme of the all consuming loneliness we humans are bound to feel because oral communication can only take us so far in terms of making ourselves understood to another. It is inherently lonely to be human.
There are many themes that are pretty cool to dig into in Der Himmel über Berlin. I’ll never watch it again, though, because I hate ASMR-type shit and everybody is ASMR-whispering in that film and it is nails on a chalkboard for me. It was near impossible for me to finish it, but it isn’t a bad film and i like the overall idea even if the sounds of whispering people almost made me gag. Also, Nick Cave and Peter Falck have a few cameos. So there’s that. 👍
The American version has a very, very, VERY awkward Nick Cage and Meg Ryan sex scene. Pick your poison 🤣