Good morning, world! As I continue to enjoy relaxing in SoCal, more free time than a normal weekday causes me to think some more about film-related subjects. And so another has popped into my head, and it does represent a current trend in Hollywood….TV & Film remakes. I feel the same way as I did about my previous post covering 3D films….it’s a total hit or miss and that sums it up. And I am NOT saying this trend is NEW by any means, as it’s been going on for a LONG time, maybe more than you realize once you do the research. I am CHOOSING to focus on the more current examples, from the 2000’s at least.
So, as overall originality seems to be in short supply with many mainstream releases, this has most certainly contributed to the increase in seeing previously done films AND, moreso, TV Shows being brought back to the big screen or made INTO big screen versions. Now, there have been SOME that I have truly enjoyed, as I felt they kept the basis of the original source material, but updated it to suit a modern viewing audience. These include offerings such as “Miami Vice“, “The Italian Job“, “The A-Team“, “The Equalizer“, “Ocean’s Eleven“, “I Am Legend“, and “Star Trek“, just to point out a few.
Now, when you have the likes of Directors such as Michael Mann, Steven Soderbergh, Antoine Fuqua, J.J. Abrams, and Joe Carnahan with actors like Colin Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Will Smith, and Chris Pine in your roster, capped off by engaging writing…what’s NOT to like? But as with so many GOOD things, OTHER things come along to spoil the day, and that has ALSO been the case here. Some of the WORST remakes to come down the pipe were victims of both bad writing and simply….WHY?? Even WITH solid actors in the films, they could not save the pictures. Some of THESE include “The Stepford Wives“, “Land of the Lost“, “Bewitched“, “Godzilla” (’98..ok, so not EVERYTHING was from the 2000’s..sheesh! LOL), “Clash of the Titans“, “Footloose“, and “The Dukes of Hazzard” to again, just name a few of the more atrocious entries. Again, bad writing, bad execution overall, and just there being no real NEED to bring these things back in the first place, again, for me Plus, it is also hard when you may have HAD some expectation for the remake, and THEN it’s a dud…it’s such a letdown when all that anticipation leads to disappointment…and wasted cash.
As you would expect, the trend shows NO signs of slowing down, with upcoming feature film versions of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.“, “Poltergeist“, “The Fantastic Four“, “Gremlins“, and “Jumanji” (WHY!!) all either filming or in development. And who KNOWS how many OTHER properties are Hollywood has out there being prepared to be re-launched onto the unwitting public. Folks, sometimes it’s best to leave well enough ALONE!
As always, this is all for YOUR consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
