While I enjoy going to the movies and watching television as much as anyone else, I’ve noticed a trend in recent years: unoriginality. More and more of the movies hitting the theaters and television shows are either adaptations of books, sequels to already successful films, based off real life, remakes, or show reboots. I don’t like it.
While I do enjoy the Harry Potter films and I do believe the Marvel movies are very well done, I think that this stagnation of imagination should be fixed. I want to be able to go to the theater to watch a film or turn on the television at home and not worry about if it’s something I’ve already seen or heard of before. I don’t want to have to worry about what part of the book will be included or how much the director is going to change it.
Take a look at the most highly anticipated films for 2016. According to Movie Insider’s list, the top 20 films are all based on another work, with two being based on video games (Assassin’s Creed and Warcraft), and all of the top three superhero movies based on comic books. What happened to coming up with new story lines and ideas?
Sure, it makes sense to want to continue with a project that has already been successful in the past, but are sequels, remakes and reboots really worth it?
I’d rather watch something new instead of constant sequels based on books.
I also think that by making so many books into films, this can take away from the magic of reading. Now, instead of reading the books, people can resort to watching the film instead. This can also lead to the realm of the reader’s imagination clashing with that of directors and producers.
People will be less inclined to read the book if they know a film is going to be made, since they wouldn’t have to read it. Now I know not everyone is like this (myself included), but has the creativity of Hollywood directors gone so dry that these people can’t come up with new ideas?
And with the use of green screens and special effects, the possibilities are limited only by the use of imagination. The same also applies to movie remakes. If the film was successful enough the first time around, such as Footloose and Pete’s Dragon, let that sleeping dog lie.
This is also true of the smaller screen. Recently the show Full House has returned as Fuller House, and Netflix has announced a reboot of Gilmore Girls to be forthcoming. While these may have been shows enjoyed by many audiences across the US and abroad (I’ve not watched either show), I think there is a time and place for everything. After these shows ran their course and ended, it’s time to move on to other more original shows.
However, these large studios and franchises have the money to put towards these remakes and adaptations, so they will be able to promote these films better than the smaller studios. People feel more comfortable with the same characters and stories they already know and love, and the directors and producers are willing to give the audience what they want.
Although, I would like to see more original films from some these studios that have the capabilities to produce new films, such as Disney which this past week has released a list of their planned live action remakes.
If we want to inspire the next generation to create and use their imaginations, then shouldn’t the films we make now also include originality?
