Movie remakes “re-make” me want to throw up
Indigo Craane, Staff Writer
When swimming amongst sequels, reboots, and remakes, seeing an original film that is both fresh and imaginative is just rare. Recent resurrections of classical millennial films pushes the timeless notion that the remade film is always, and I mean always, inferior to the original.
Singular storylines that used to be special have been bulldozed by Hollywood. There’s a difference between remaking a movie and creating an adaptation, an example of an adaptation are the Spiderman movies, in which the characters are the same, but the story is completely different. On the other hand, is the chain of Disney’s upcoming live-action remakes. In each remake, whether it be princess or villain, Disney tweaks the story to “modernize” the plot through giving more depth to the female characters and removing any of the sexist or racist undertones, however the story is basically the same. In the 2019 “Aladdin’’ remake, the producers try to give Jasmine a fully-formed arc and more of a central role in the plot, yet the movie is just a familiar retread of the original source. These reboots by themselves are fine, but they just aren’t worth seeing because they are adding nothing to the original story, minus a couple quips or new songs. It’s the same animated tale, except it has a new cast and soundtrack. Ultimately, it does not matter whether or not the remakes are of poor quality. Disney is a corporate giant and no matter what they produce, people are going to come out in a flock to see it because of the nostalgia attached to the title. At the end of the day, all of them turn a healthy profit and in Hollywood, no one says no to a billion-dollar box office.
For a creative industry that’s afraid to be creative, it’s quite pathetic. Where is the fire that drove the artists when they first came up with “Star Wars,” “Scream” or even “Aladdin?” It’s time to just leave the classics alone! These reboots are a disservice to those who helped create the well-made and original movies who, despite their end goal to make money, focused on the storytelling and character development of the story rather than redoing the same thing. The future of cinema stands on the padded shoulders of the past, but it will not scrape by because of them.
It’s sad to watch Hollywood sell out, but the movie industry is what it is: an industry. Making money is more important than keeping the craft alive. It’s a cinema landscape to despise, but it is understandable as to why these poor remakes and sequels keep rolling in. There’s a guaranteed audience who are willing to invest their money into a mediocre experience. Remakes are safe investments and are assured to make a profit. Big-budgeted original movies are risky and tricky, and it would be detrimental to the industry’s wallet if the film happened to tank. But are the meaningless grabs towards revenue worth the inevitable disappointment?
If Hollywood does not figure out how to put their brains to use, even popcorn sales won’t save them. It’s time for filmmakers to spend time focusing on how to tell new stories instead of making yet another movie we have seen time and time again.
