Out of all of the trends in movies these days, one seems to be growing throughout the past couple of years: sequels. And prequels. And reboots. And adaptations. And everything in between. Many have ridiculed this new trend, saying that there is no such thing as original content anymore. Too many movies now come from books or historical events or are just a continuation from a previous film. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s frustrating to see that there are not as many films with such a degree of originality.
In 2017 alone, there will be over 40 films that are sequels or prequels. This makes one question why the studios are doing this. Maybe, and most likely, it’s because of the money. There’s always seems to be a relationship between what movies get sequels and what movies were hits in the box office. But, the benefit in this is that audiences get to see their favorite characters come back to life on the big screen again and again. But, then again, it does get repetitive.
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But there’s one arguably less cynical way of seeing this craze of sequels: the story writer's want to continue the story. They want to go in depth into the characters and in depth into the complex world that they had created. Book authors do this all the time, even more so with fantasy novels. They create a new universe and they want to explore it, and the fans want to see more as well. Yes, money is most likely involved in the thought-process of greenlighting a movie, but there also might be a push from the writers or directors that this story needs to go on. That the story needs to be seen in its fullest, rather than a two-hour film that may barely scratch the surface.
The Star Wars Saga comes to mind when this is brought up. Yes, there are sequels and prequels and sequels to the sequels and spin-off television shows and spin-off movies, but there is still a whole world to be explored. There is so much to know and learn about this unknown universe, that there can be brand new content in each film. Even the Star Trek franchise can do this. It redefined the idea of the sequel by ultimately creating a new timeline, thus making it possible to literally “explore new worlds” without the restraints of the original films.
Admittedly, it is always a breath of fresh air to see something completely original come onto the big screen. Christopher Nolan does a great job in that department with a resume of Memento, The Prestige, andInception, just to name a few. Steven Spielberg is another example of this with his fantastic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Although most of his films come from books or are based on true events, he does occasionally have films that unique and original.
Quentin Tarantino, however, is probably a prime modern example of creating films that are completely original. Even the films that took place in an earlier time period are completely fictional. His writing has been recognized for this and for the amazing talent that he has in creating new stories. He is able to create intriguing characters and plots without being too convoluted with history or unnecessary context. His work in the film industry is a great and amazing look at the number of original ideas that people still have in this world.
Sequels, prequels, and reboots might be irritating, but they are also a way to see deeper into the world that has been created for audiences everywhere. At a certain point, franchises or sagas do need to end, but that doesn’t mean that people should completely condemn this trend. There should be a promotion of both original films and the building of worlds and universes so that there can be rich storytelling and compelling films. No film idea should be ignored, but if the idea brings new ideas and content to the world, it should be welcomed by all.
