Hollywood: Where recycling is more than just tin cans.
Just because it will make money doesn't mean you should make it. Modern movie studios seem to be only interested in the short term. No one is taking risks.
It has gotten to the point where studio executives are even open about it. Many freely admit to scheduling only films that are part of existing franchises, remakes of tried and true moneymakers or recycled pop-culture icons. If it's not a remake, it's based on some comic book. If it isn't based on some comic book, it is a film version of some semi-popular 80's TV show. If it wasn't once a TV show about a talking car, then its based on a novel by some sappy, chick writer.
Where are the original scripts?? Where are the original ideas?? When did movies become the dumping ground for old material that has already been played out everywhere else? Don't believe me? Just look at the movies opening in March: The Time Machine, based upon the classic novel by H.G. Wells and the original film directed by George Pal.; E.T.: The Extraterrestrial 20th Anniversay Edition a re-issue of a classic film; Blade II, the sequel to the popular horror/action flick starring Wesley Snipes and based upon the comic book character of the same name; The Rookie starring Dennis Quaid, based on the true life story of an aged baseball player.
Tip of the iceberg folks. That's just the stuff you see floating above the water. There's more on the way. Barely a day goes by that some greedy film studio doesn't announce it's intention to remake something, or adapt something, or flat out steal something from someone else. Most are openly rejecting anything that doesn't fit into this strategy, profit is the only thing they see.
For that, I can't blame them. For a studio, movies are a business, and it is in their own interest to do what will keep their stock up. But this is such a short term view! No one is even bothering to develop anything fresh anymore. How many Scooby Doo's can you make before people get bored with it? How many times can you remake The Time Machine before people get sick of it? Sure, there is a wealth of old material out there to be recycled, but the quality seems to degrade with each iteration. What about reputation? What about artistry? What about creativity?
I submit that there is more money to be made in developing something NEW than
there is in buying
up all the ready made material out there to shove into America's megaplexes.
Audiences hunger
for new experiences. Look at The Matrix! Give them something truly inspired,
something truly
different, and audiences WILL respond!
Instead, most movie studios look at The Matrix and try to figure out ways to
copy it. What they
should be copying is its originality, not its substance and form. That's not to say I don't like the recycled stuff! For every putrid Rollerball
or stilted rehash
of The Time Machine, there is an X-Men or a Lord of the Rings. There are few
people out there
more hyped up to see this summer's Spiderman movie than me. But do we really
need a remake of a
classic like The Seven Samurai or a lousy Black Panther movie? Where is the
line? I say we
don't need one. Just open up and be willing to give NEW material a chance. Yes
Warner Brothers,
I know it is easier to bet on a sure thing like Scooby Doo... bad as the film
may be. But the
payoff is empty, hollow. You can still make your Knight Rider movies, and your Mission Impossibles, in fact, I'd encourage it!
However, just for a
minute, even a second, stop. Stop and consider NOT remaking It's a Wonderful
Life and take a
chance on something original instead. The risk is greater, but the payoff is
big. Make a name
for yourself again Universal. Become known as the guys who gave us something
new. Step up to
the plate MGM! Make that Lion's face synomyous with creativity and innovation!
The truth is, if
this industry isn't growing and changing, it's dying. If you only sit around
thinking up new
ways to recycle old material, you're already dead.
