It seems that since 2010, remakes and spin-off films have been flooding the cinemas and not everyone has the best opinion of them.
I used to be a part of the group that did not like remakes because "why mess with something that already works?" But while I was watching the SuperCarlinBrothers on YouTube, they convinced me that remakes and spin-offs aren't that bad. The SuperCarlinBrothers are known for their Disney, Pixar, Harry Potter, and other fandoms theories. Their video titled "Is The Live-Action Lion King A Good Idea" opened up the idea of the new movie is better than the original.
Now I began to feel odd about remakes. I mean really? Why remake it? But then it came to me... timing.
Take Footloose. The original was released in 1984 but then the remake came in 2011. 27 years in between the same movie means that there is a different audience. The is a whole new generation who were alive when the remake came out just like the generation that was alive when the original came out. The kids of the '84 release had kids and let them watch the remake. The remakes allow the newer generation to still be included in the 80's classic but still brought in modern day themes. It's the same concept with Annie. Take the 1982 version, spice it up with modern day themes, new actors/actresses, and a better flow of the movie. The list of remakes are ridiculous and includes Carrie, Jumanji, The Karate Kid, The Parent Trap, Red Dawn, and Fantastic Four.
It's the same thing with spin-offs but it brings to light a different view from the same film. Movies such as Maleficent, Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them, Rouge One, Evan Almighty, and Minions are all considered spin-offs.
Spin-offs are different than sequels or prequels because the main focus of the spin-off is the new main character and the spin-off either doesn't involve the character from the original, barely brings them up, or takes a past character and let the audience see their point of view. Rogue One is one of the latest spin-offs but is the highest grossing film of 2016 with $488,335,735 in total revenue. Rogue One ends just minutes before the first movie, A New Hope, starts but gives the audience the back story to how Princess Leia received the Death Star plans from the team, Rogue One. In A New Hope, how Leia received the plans gets blown off like "Oh it was nothing. Some stuff went down, blah blah," but with Rogue One, you get to see what really happens and it adds onto the Star Wars films with new information.
Star Wars has a huge following because the first trilogy came out in the late 70s-early 80's, the second trilogy came out in the 2000's and the newest films came out in the 2010's. This is 40 years of fans to come together and watch these movies. But spin-offs can be used to see someone else's point of view during the time of the original film. Maleficent is a good example because it takes the story from Sleeping Beauty, updates it and lets the main focus be Maleficent and her backstory and her feelings. Now it didn't end how the original ended but it added to the canon or story that is Sleeping Beauty.
Remakes and Spin-offs aren't meant to make you think that the original film was bad or not well done because a studio won't remake a bad film but rather to include more generations into that movie genre.
These movies already had a large following before the remakes but now with extra generations, the following can grow even larger and more inclusive than before. Remakes and Spin-Offs aren't just made for the new generation to watch, but also for the old generation to reminise on the orginal.
