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Why doesn't Hollywood grow a pair and film original material for a change?

Unspeaked

Unspeaked

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 29, 2003
2,448
1
West Coast
I know there was recently a thread about the remake of an 80s movie (I think it was The Karate Kid) were this topic got touched on a little, but after I read this afternoon that there's plans to remake They Live - one of the greatest cult classics of the past 30 years - I'm just fed up with it all.

Watchmen? GI Joe? Harry Potter? The Hobbit? Those are all films that aren't even released yet...

Has Hollywood honestly run out of ideas? Can they only remake films or use preexisting source materials (like comic books and television shows)? What the hell happened?!

I mean, I can see maybe redoing a film from the 40s or even 50s (and even then I don't condone it, it's just more understandable) but stuff as recent as They Live simply does not need to be remade; not to mention the fact that the filming and tone is just about perfect for what the film is meant to be as-is.

At least TV networks, for all the remakes they do, throw out an original concept from time to time (though admittedly awful, usually).
 
So long as people continue to watch remakes there is money to be made by Hollywood. That's why I haven't given a penny towards stuff like that new Italian Job, the new War of the Worlds.
 
I found out they're re-making "The Never Ending Story"

The original was visually stunning even by today's standards and it's still just as enjoyable today, even in my 30s
 
New ideas cost more money to develop and are 'higher risk', as in, not guaranteed to maximize profits. Whereas old franchises have an established history that is guaranteed an X amount of income.
It's all about profits... There is no artistic merit to be found in Hollywood's board rooms. Sad but true.
 
charlesbronsen said:
:eek:the buggers.

hitchhikers guide remake really got under me skin..
Click to expand...

As terrible as that movie was it wasn't a remake, since there was no existing movie (only a british TV series).

The Italian Job was worth the money. War of the Worlds and The Day The Earth Stood Still were both horrendous remakes.
 
you could always watch "Mansquito" on the SciFi Channel ;)

Me, I'm hoping "Power of the Dark Crystal" doesn't insult the original movie.
 
charlesbronsen said:
:eek:the buggers.

hitchhikers guide remake really got under me skin..
Click to expand...

Are you referring to the 2005 movie that was written almost entirely by Douglas Adams himself?

In my opinion, Hollywood turns out quality as often as any other English-speaking film industry. There are gems every year, but not a statistically significant amount more or less than ever. The primary goal of such an expensive process as feature filmmaking is recouping expenses. There are lots of vehicles for that goal, but against competition from television and DVD, studios are having to provide a better reason for audiences to leave their homes and visit the cinema. What can the big screen provide that the other media can't? Spectacle and experience. That's why so many cinema releases are like roller coaster rides - it's not usually because the producers have no imagination, but that they have to cater to the strength of the silver screen. Sequels are a further way to guarantee an audience. The fact is that films are a very risky investment.

However, it's no secret: original, popular stories are the gold of the entertainment industry, so attempts will always be made to create them. And, generally speaking, people will pay for quality, even if what people pay for isn't always quality.
 
Nothing has changed, it's always been 50/50, new material and remakes. Most films are based of books anyway, so it's rarely ever original material to begin with...
 
Why don't they remake Manos, the Hand of Fate?:eek::confused::eek::confused::eek: Seriously, they can't make it any worst.:p:p:p The main storyline is much better than a lot of the garbage they have out now. The original sucked because the acting, the dialogue, the cinematography, the special effects...:eek::eek: basically everything except the plot.:eek:
 
Unspeaked said:
I know there was recently a thread about the remake of an 80s movie (I think it was The Karate Kid) were this topic got touched on a little, but after I read this afternoon that there's plans to remake They Live - one of the greatest cult classics of the past 30 years - I'm just fed up with it all.

Watchmen? GI Joe? Harry Potter? The Hobbit? Those are all films that aren't even released yet...

Has Hollywood honestly run out of ideas? Can they only remake films or use preexisting source materials (like comic books and television shows)? What the hell happened?!

I mean, I can see maybe redoing a film from the 40s or even 50s (and even then I don't condone it, it's just more understandable) but stuff as recent as They Live simply does not need to be remade; not to mention the fact that the filming and tone is just about perfect for what the film is meant to be as-is.

At least TV networks, for all the remakes they do, throw out an original concept from time to time (though admittedly awful, usually).
Click to expand...

To be fair, some of the things that you mention aren't really remakes, but adaptations of novels. Watchmen and Harry Potter hadn't been made previously, and I wouldn't consider a new Hobbit movie to be a remake because it would be jumping from a childrens' cartoon to a more adult themed film. And this isn't really anything new. Hollywood has been adapting books for the screen since the very start (and the stage had done this prior to film).

Although i agree with you that there are too many remakes. In my mind, a remake shouldn't be made unless there truly is something to add. For instance, many consider (myself included) the 70's remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers to be far superior to the 50's version.

P-Worm
 
Since it hasn't been mentioned here, what about the remake of Last House on the Left?

And Hollywood will keep making remakes/reloads of old stories because people keep spending money on them, why create an original story when you don't know if anyone will pay to watch it? Just go with something you know people will pay to watch, even if it's just to see the differences from the original. (That's why I want to see the new Street Fighter, DBZ, and Transformers 2)

EDIT: It's like saying why doesn't Apple lower their prices? Cause people continue to buy them.
 
Indeed. It cuts both ways. Production companies make sequels because they have a captive audience. People go to see sequels because they know what to expect. That's why almost every movie today is quite specifically in a genre - audiences don't seem to be willing to risk leaving their homes to see a movie they don't already know about.
 
barkmonster said:
I found out they're re-making "The Never Ending Story"

The original was visually stunning even by today's standards and it's still just as enjoyable today, even in my 30s
Click to expand...

Wow!!! You're right. I've been waiting for them to remake that film forever!

Or more accurately put, i've been waiting for them to make the first REAL adaption of the book.

For anyone who's read the book, you'll know that the 1984 film took the source material and ripped it's heart out, cut off it's head, diced up it's body and threw it in an incinerator.

The movie is a complete and utter catastrophe. What they did with that movie is like, taking Lord of the Rings, and making a film out of it in which the ending is the arrival at rivendell half way through The Fellowship of the Ring. It's like "yay, we escaped the black rider chase. Roll the credits."

That's how the neverending story movie was to the book.

They desperately need to make a REAL movie of that masterful book. I don't hold high hopes for this remake, but you never know...
 
P-Worm said:
To be fair, some of the things that you mention aren't really remakes, but adaptations of novels.
Click to expand...

Yes, but that was part of my argument, as well. Turning a TV show or comic book into a movie isn't much different than remaking an old film, in my opinion.

At least with a novel adaption, there's very little (if any) visual source material to work with, which makes a film rewarding in that aspect. A comic book already presents everything in panels (and TPB are even cut into chapters most of the time) so it's already pretty well established, visually.


Mord said:
BUT WHY?!!!! How could you possibly make the film better? It's not even all that dated FFS.
Click to expand...

My sentiment exactly.


MasterNile said:
Since it hasn't been mentioned here, what about the remake of Last House on the Left?

And Hollywood will keep making remakes/reloads of old stories because people keep spending money on them, why create an original story when you don't know if anyone will pay to watch it? Just go with something you know people will pay to watch, even if it's just to see the differences from the original. (That's why I want to see the new Street Fighter, DBZ, and Transformers 2)

EDIT: It's like saying why doesn't Apple lower their prices? Cause people continue to buy them.
Click to expand...

Last House on the Left is another good example - the original is very much a product of it's time and by just taking an old film and "updating it" with computer special effects and more graphic scenes doesn't mean you'll be improving it at the same time (see My Blood Valentine: 3-D).

As for your point that these remakes keep making money, I can't imagine that can hold up forever. Eventually, people will get sick of these, right? Right?!
 
You do know how much Iron Man and Dark Knight made right? and have you compared their profits to movies released around the same time with "original" movie plots?
 
MasterNile said:
You do know how much Iron Man and Dark Knight made right? and have you compared their profits to movies released around the same time with "original" movie plots?
Click to expand...

There's always the Speed Racers, Punisher: War Zones and Stardusts of the world to even things out...
 
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