10 “Unnecessary” Movies That Turned Out To Be Indispensable

7) Vanilla Sky

The foreign remake is similar to the franchise sequel: a much maligned cinematic practice that often falls into cynical hands, but in many instances illustrates the power of translation and reinterpretation for understanding a story. I’ve written about the subject in this space in the past, but a movie like Vanilla Sky exemplifies my point of an unnecessary movie that adds to the texture and discussion around a story. The same can be said for successful American remakes like Let Me In and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (not everyone agrees on the latter but multiple viewings indicate to me that the film totally works).

A point that ought to be restated is that while a remake is unnecessary, so was the original, and the two unnecessary movies can coexist—one does not replace or supplant the other. A viewer can choose the version they prefer, and are better off because of it in either case. An inferior version of a story is usually better than not experiencing the story at all, and it seems like elitist nonsense to say otherwise.