by SERGIO MADRID//Staff Writer
Hollywood is notorious for ruining things, such as, careers, fashion, individuality, and food.
It also has ruined some of our favorite culture-defining movies with unnecessary sequels and copycat plots. Unless a writer envisions a sequel, more than likely it is forced and the plot may be inadequate. It may also suffer in acting, as some actors may put little effort into a performance merely for a paycheck. In some cases, the same actors may not even be cast in a sequel.
These days, there doesn’t seem to be anything new, which gives way for zombie movies, alien attacks, and crime-thrillers that seem to be cliché and predictable.
Marvel is making big money with the superhero genre, especially with “The Avengers.” So rival DC came out with the “Justice League.”
Coming-of-age books have been making lots of noise, receiving the Hollywood treatment and capturing the hearts of teenage girls everywhere.
The modern coming-of-age movies aren’t your typical high school-centered dramatic comedies staring Molly Ringwald.
In fact, there is no school.
Instead, it is magical, and possibly post-apocalyptic, where everyone is conveniently attractive and witty, and the protagonist, better known as “the chosen one,” is pubescent.
The infamous “Twilight” franchise and the success it had led the way for more science fiction novels to reach theaters, such as “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” and “The Maze Runner” series.
It is all so incredibly unwanted.
But it’s not unbearable.
What is unbearable, that I absolutely cannot stand for, is Universal Studios taking a beloved childhood movie in “Dumb and Dumber,” and giving it an uncalled for sequel 20 years later.
If that isn’t bad enough, someone approved a sequel to the 2001 cult-comedy, “Zoolander.” But it doesn’t stop there.
Not only are they making sequels to some of our favorite classics, they are remaking them completely, for no other reason than to torture us all.
“Red Dawn,” the 1984 war film, was remade in 2012. The 1991 crime-thriller “Point Break,” was remade in 2015. The 1984 hit drama “Footloose,” starring Kevin Bacon, was remade in 2011.
The only silver lining I can find in this plethora of remakes is the 2012 remake of the 1995 science fiction film, “Judge Dredd.” It exceeded expectations and definitely did not receive enough attention that it deserved.
Unnecessary sequels and uncalled for remakes would be enough to drive anyone crazy. But it does get worse.
For whatever reason (money), every movie is part of a series, and every series must be made into a trilogy. Unless, you’re “Harry Potter,” then you get seven books and eight movies.
A children’s book, “The Hobbit,” was stretched into a trilogy, receiving the same treatment as its successor, “The Lord of the Rings,” which actually was a trilogy as a novel.
I blame Sylvester Stallone, who wasn’t satisfied with just one “Rocky,” one of the greatest American films ever made. He had to make five more and a spinoff in “Creed,” which was actually pretty good.
Even so, how can Hollywood continue to make, or, in this case remake, movies and still make money?
If you’re asking why no one has any new and creative ideas, know that there are. It’s just that no big-time production companies are interested in new and innovative films. That’s why Michael Bay gets away with literally resurrecting the “Transformer” series.
That means new writers and directors have to work with lower budgets and smaller companies, making it hard for them to advertise films and bring their ideas to life.
Recycling is a great idea for the planet, but a destructive practice for the entertainment business.
Leave a Reply