Since the invention of film a countless number of movies have been made. Along the way artists have, inevitably, become somewhat pressed to develop fresh content and ideas, and many in Hollywood have given up the dedication to original content completely and have dedicated themselves to remaking old Hollywood hits. And even that is not an original idea, in fact, the first remake was produced in 1904 and since then there has been an increasing rate of movie remakes. Some of these remakes have their merits, but many have simply been the attempt of greedy production companies’ to make some dough as easily as possible. What easier way to make money than to take a film which was already successful and popular, make a few subtle changes, hire a modern cast, pump it out as fast as possible, and rake in the green?
Moreover, audiences continue to go see them. We really can’t help it. We see a title we associate with positive feelings and we get curious. We always think, “It can’t be as good as the original,” but the curiosity is there and we have to see for ourselves. This is all fine and dandy until the studio executives catch on. They realize they can be lazy and still be successful so they stop involving the most important component of any piece of art: creative intelligence. High quality, original films are always the result of countless hours of many artists’ passionate labor of love. Lacking that, they are just cash cow pieces of nonsense—a hundred other movies mashed together.
Even a large number of sequels are both unnecessary and do nothing more than to ruin some of the luster of the original. Unless sequels can secure the same cast and a coherent follow-up script, the original should be left alone. How many people remember “Grease 2”—a terrible disgrace to the original lacking both of the major stars—with anything but anger? Why was “Batman and Robin”—including the Bat-Suit complete with Bat-Nipples—necessary at all?
Of course there are some wonderful eggs tucked in with all of the rotten ones. For example, every successive “Toy Story” was impressive and “The Lord of the Rings” is perhaps the greatest trilogy of all time. It’s just frustrating to see a film that may mean something personal to us soiled by production companies’ profitable tumors.
The Silver Screen provides us with a catharsis. A way to escape the monotonies of everyday life through exciting tales told on screen or to open our minds to new ways of thinking by simulating experiences. Much of the impact made in us by these films depends on our seeing something we haven’t before. Hollywood is truly deserving of applause for the masterpieces and timeless classics they have given us. But when they circumvent the magic in the film for the sake of time and money we all stand to lose. Below is a list of either recent remakes or ones that are in the works. If you don’t want to see your childhood insulted, don’t read any further.
List of stupid remakes:
“Scarface”
“Red Dawn”
“Footloose”
“Dirty Dancing”
“Annie”
“All Quiet on the Western Front”
“Child’s Play”
“The Neverending Story”
“American Psycho”
“Romancing the Stone”
“The bodyguard”
“Gremlins”
“Point Break”
“Clash of the Titans”