There have been many remakes over the course of cinema history. Ocean’s Eleven. Evil Dead. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Godzilla. King Kong. True Grit. The list goes on and on. Yes, some remakes are better than the original, like the great Ocean’s Eleven and True Grit, but, alas, there are many, many terrible remakes (let’s not talk about Planet of the Apes or Psycho). And now, there’s a new generation of remakes. This year alone, there’s Ghostbusters, The Magnificent Seven, Pete’s Dragon, The Jungle Book, and even the magnificent epic, Ben-Hur. The scary thing about this new trend is that there’s fact that the once great films can be tampered with because of less desirable remakes.
At this point, I’m hesitant with remakes. With each new announcement of a new remake, it makes me question whether or not the movie will stay true to the original film. It makes me question what they will change, what they will take away from the original in order to make it more unique. And then, it makes me ask the question: will the changes be beneficial? Will the changes improve on the original?
And, for most remakes, the answer is no.
In an attempt to make the new movie a great one, the movie often makes a giant misstep. They often try to do something “cool” or they try to modernize the original.
But that isn’t always a good thing.
Take Ghostbusters for example. In the original, the filmmakers used practical effects, which are effects that don’t use the computer, and, instead, use real life materials in order to create the desired effect. With the new film, there is an overabundance of CGI, which is incredibly disappointing. The original Ghostbusters revolutionized the industry, making the ghosts seem real and three-dimensional, rather than the obviously fake ghosts seen in the remake.
Yes, technology has greatly improved over the years, and, perhaps, makes the originals seem more outdated, but where are all great effects that made going to the cinema more enticing and impactful?
These days, the latest idea in remakes is to replace all-male casts with all-female casts. Ghostbusters did it, and now there are plans to, yet again, remake Ocean’s Eleven. With so many all male casts, it’s understandable that there is a want for more all female casts and female protagonists. However, I don’t think that this is a good solution. Why can’t we make movies where the original is an all female cast? Films like Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect had all female casts and did fantastic at the box office. They also had good reviews, so, why should we make bad remakes with all female casts? Instead, we should make great original movies with an already all female cast. It shouldn’t be that difficult to make an original movie that way, so why do we keep making these movies that might be mediocre, and can put down the possibility of making more movies with an all female cast?
To be completely honest, I believe that some remakes are unnecessary. It might be nice to have some nostalgia over an old movie, but constantly remaking movies seems like a ploy to get money. This, I believe, is the biggest issue. I completely understand if there is a new idea for a remake and their reason for that is so that they can improve an original, and I’m all for that notion. However, just making remakes for the sake of money is not a good way to think back to the original. Yes, some improved, but many are far worse.
It’s disappointing to see so many great movies become overshadowed with the newest remake. It’s disappointing to see that the sole reason for a movie being made is so that a studio can get money. It’s disappointing that there are movies that are being made not for the sake of creativity and art, but for the sake of the box office.
There should be a change in Hollywood. Promote new ideas. Shine light on screenplays that can change the industry. Get more original films on the big screen. There is an abundance of creativity out in the world. Don’t let a new bright idea be wasted and looked over because of the want to get money or more publicity. Help those who are aspiring filmmakers get their voices heard.
