Wednesday, July 29th, 2015

The Film Industry: Remakes Vs Original Stories

Jonathan Blum

What has caught my attention lately is the decrease in production of original film content. It seems to have become a trend (especially among the big cinematography companies) to readapt previous box-office hits to suit modern times or “reset” them using reboots which tell us the story we already know but from zero. Some examples are “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Superman” and even “Batman”.

What is causing this? Is it a lack of original ideas? It has been proven time and time again that in most cases it is simply because it can be a winning formula. What is fact is that remakes and reboots are here to stay. You only need to take a look at the billboard over recent years with films such as “The Italian Job,” “War of the Worlds,” “Karate Kid,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” and many others that have been just as, if not more successful than their original versions.

However, there are always exceptions to the rule. Films such as “Psychosis,” “Carrie,” or “Planet of the Apes,” failed in the box office and left viewers feeling unsatisfied.

So, why not create more original content that brings new things to the world of entertainment and stories that take viewers to undiscovered places? When a remake or reboot is taken on, its challenge is to improve on the original version. Viewers have a reference point and if the new version doesn’t outdo expectations, it becomes a total disappointment causing million dollar losses. When you use original content, it is possible to drive movie buffs into new terrain although the risk of disappointment remains.  If you are going to play the game, why not do it with something new? Doing so would bring the magic back into film…