In an age where the box office reigns supreme amongst entertainment for many different nations, why on earth has it becomes so tough to come up with an original idea nowadays?
Being at the cinema is one of my favorite things to do. The smell of popcorn in the air, the relaxing recliner seats, and excited feeling you get as the film you have just paid to see starts on the big screen. However, something from this cinema adventure has been missing for some time now.
This coming weekend, "The Blair Witch" will hit theaters. If that name sounds familiar to you, well it should. This film is a remake/sequel to the 90's hit that spurred a generation of found footage camera scares. While I can't say the film is good or bad yet, it still hits me hard that we are seeing something that we have known and heard of before.
With this premiere looming over our shoulders, one thing that becomes overtly obvious over the years is the lack of uniqueness or originality hitting the big screen.
Simply put, if it's not a sequel, which is also a rarity in the theaters as well, it is a remake.
The face you make when you hear "remake".
Ah yes, the dreaded thing that every fandom fears as soon as they hear the words that mean a company is trying to capitalize on the success of the franchise once more, even if that means destroying the very work of art they are trying to imitate. While some may say, "but isn't imitation the highest form of flattery," I will stare back and ask..."is it really?"
While some films have been a huge success in the remaking game, i.e. "The Departed" which was not only an Academy award winning darling, but is also one of the greatest pieces of film to grace the big screen, others have not been so lucky.
In the wise words of Marky Mark, this is what "The Departed" looks like in comparison to other remakes...
While many unlucky remakes of different genres have come to fruition as of late, no genre gets the struggle of the remake game like the horror genre.
When it comes to remaking a film that is considered horror, the company and executives end up making it way scarier...and not in a good way.
They mold and mend the film to become a true monster of their own creation, something that mortifies those who once treasured the film. While films in this genre do have a chance to be something great once being remade, like "The Departed," it is very difficult.
A film that comes to mind when thinking of a successful horror remake is the remake of "Evil Dead." While some may shout and scream, "NO" I say just hear me out. The remake of "Evil Dead" wasn't really a remake at all, and this is where the true success in a remake lies, when the writers and directors of the new film decide to not just do a shot for shot remake of a film, but give it new life and make it something new and different entirely.
In the film, they changed up the characters, by creating new ones entirely, and paid homage to the original film in subtle but fantastic ways.
This is how a remake should be done, by not just "remaking" the film but coming up with new and creative ideas while respecting the material it is based on. This is where a perfect blend of creativity and remaking come into play, coming into perfect harmony and creating something the masses will not only love but the fandoms will too.
So in short, not all remakes are bad, but there are so many stories to tell and so many people willing to listen, so please movie executives ...give creativity a chance.
