Although Edgar Wright's adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Running Man, which hits theaters today, seems like a scathing rebuke of modern civilization, the story's critiques predate a host of our contemporary societal shortcomings. Moreover, the film is treading well-worn ground, as both the book and the 1987 film adaptation of The Running Man, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, are so prescient that they seemingly render the 2025 remake irrelevant.
While Edgar Wright's rendition of The Running Man looks to offer ample action and thrills to justify its existence, there are definitely throngs of fans who will find the remake unnecessary. In fact, most fans of 80s media tend to view remakes as shameless cash grabs that could never hope to measure up to their 80s counterparts. In most cases, they're correct, but there are a ton of modern remakes of 80s properties that are awesome in their own right. Here's Complex's 10 Best Remakes of 80s Movies, ranked.
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Robocop (2014)
Nothing is going to top Paul Verhoeven's original Robocop from 1987. The film is far too brilliant to be confined to a single genre, blending elements of horror, satire, and action into a seamless, memorable affair.
Despite never attaining the lofty heights of its predecessor, 2014's Robocop is a solid action flick that delivers mindless entertainment. However, since the original Robocop is so remarkably genius, calling 2014's Robocop "mindless action" might be the most damning critique one can lob at it. Like protagonist Alex Murphy, 2014's Robocop is a grotesque hodgepodge of corporate design, but it gets the job done.
The Karate Kid (2010)
The original Karate Kid movie from 1984 is one of the templates for 80s nostalgia. Even though its "new kid/fish out of water" narrative is as old as time, The Karate Kid's specific variant of the formula has become synonymous with 80s parodies and homages in equal measure. Consequently, the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid scarcely shifts the approach. Despite the film taking place in China and karate being a Japanese martial art, the movie feels like a worthy addition to the Karate Kid franchise. Hence, the inclusion of its lore in the 2025 film, Karate Kid: Legends.
Evil Dead (2013)
Remaking a classic film is already a herculean task, but remaking a cult classic is even harder. When remaking cult classics, directors don't just have to hit the original film's plot beats; they also have to honor the spirit of its predecessor. Such was the undertaking placed before writer/director Fede Alvarez in 2013, when he and co-writer Rodo Sayagues approached Sam Raimi's beloved Evil Dead franchise. Viewing Raimi's original film as a mission statement, 2013's Evil Dead remake doesn't aim to copy the first film, but rather contemporize the experience while turning up the volume. It's all very groovy.
The Fall Guy (2024)
There's both an innocence and an implausibility associated with 80s properties that give them their era-specific charm. Whether it's their premise or execution, 80s media requires a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief. No property exemplifies this like the Lee Majors TV series, The Fall Guy, which followed a Hollywood stuntman and bounty hunter. Before David Leitch's 2024 remake starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, a Fall Guy remake starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson sat in development hell for close to a decade. However, the 2024 version found the perfect balance of humor and action, effortlessly modernizing the original show.
Transformers (2007)
In its original '80s run, the Transformers cartoon franchise and its equally important toy line were massive successes. However, when Michael Bay took over the franchise's theatrical reins in the 2000s, The Transformers became a titanic pop culture phenomenon. With a slew of sequels and spin-offs that seemingly have no end in sight, The Transformers are as permanent a fixture in pop culture as Superman or Darth Vader, and it all started with 2007's film. While mileage may vary on the film's objective quality, no one will dispute that Transformers is a fun, crowd-pleasing romp for the whole family.
The Naked Gun (2025)
To say that the 2020s have been a comedy movie drought is an understatement. The once vibrant and lucrative genre of comedy has seemingly vanished from cinemas, barring a few exceptions. One such exception was 2025's The Naked Gun, starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, which contained enough jokes to compensate for the entire genre's lengthy absence. Although officially branded as a legacy sequel, which the film directly acknowledges, 2025's The Naked Gun is essentially aiming to rekindle the franchise's appeal for a new generation. Whether remake or reboot, The Naked Gun is as memorable and quotable as the original.
Miami Vice (2006)
For most of the films on this list, the directors weren't working professionals during the 80s. More often than not, the directors mentioned above were either raised on or were inspired by the 80s franchises they end up remaking. However, Michael Mann was not only working as a director in the 80s, but he was also reinventing the crime genre that the original Miami Vice television show occupied. With his 2006 remake, Mann took his gritty approach to the crime and brought Miami Vice into the 21st century. Starring Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell, 20006's Miami Vice is essential viewing.
The Equalizer (2014)
There's a simple formula in Hollywood. Give Denzel Washington a role and then sit back and enjoy the critical and commercial success. While the formula doesn't work 100% of the time, who's really going to argue about a 97% success rate? Take 2014's The Equalizer, which is a remake of the 80s television series of the same name. Denzel's turn as Robert McCall has proven so monumentally successful that it's spawned two sequels and inspired a separate television reboot starring Queen Latifah. With a fourth and fifth film in development, this remake has exceeded the original by leaps and bounds.
21 Jump Street (2012)
No one saw 21 Jump Street coming. When Sony Pictures announced it would remake the 21 Jump Street television series, which launched Johnny Depp into mainstream stardom, everyone thought it was a joke. However, when the acclaimed duo of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were attached to direct, everyone stopped laughing at the film and got ready to laugh with it. Contorting the show's ridiculous premise of undercover cops in high school for comedy, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, and Ice Cube turned an '80s classic into an unlikely hit. 21 Jump Street was so successful that it almost got its own reboot series.
Dune Franchise (2021, 2024)
Calling Denis Villeneuve's Dune film series a remake isn't exactly accurate. As a fan of Frank Herbert's dense series of novels, Villeneuve's version of Dune focuses on adapting the books instead of remaking David Lynch's polarizing 1984 film. However, since Frank Herbert's Dune was considered impossible to film for decades, one can't help but compare Villeneuve's take on the series to Lynch's. Taking great care to convey the novel's religious and philosophical themes, Villeneuve's Dune is not only a visual spectacle but also a timeless and paradoxically topical film that has earned its place among the greatest sci-fi movies of all time.