The Era of Remakes by Autumn Snow

It is a scientific theory that each generation of the human race is becoming less and less creative and intelligent. And that theory couldn't be any more substantiated within the art of film-making. At the very least, it's been pretty obvious over the past few years that the silver screen hit its peak of inventiveness a long time ago.

It seems as though reboots and remakes are all the craze lately, which certainly doesn't give a whole lot of credit to the television industry. This year alone, over ten remakes will be coming out, Tomb Raider, Mary Poppins Returns, and Scarface being a few. Not to mention all the remakes from the last few years, including The Mummy, Beaches (**sigh**), Ghostbusters, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Rings. Then there's the swarm of reboots searching for a comeback, such as Fuller House, Will and Grace, and Taken (which plays off of the movie franchise). In fact, it's hard to name more than a few movies and TV shows that came out over the last two years that weren't some form of a remake.

Now, I'm not saying that remakes are bad overall, because they aren't. They can be very interesting, especially if a new cast somehow does justice to the original (which isn't often the case). The first rule of remakes, as Randy Meeks from the Scream franchise (another example of reboot-mania) might say, is to never mess with the original. However, one wouldn't want to watch the exact same movie go down with no difference other than the cast, who essentially makes the movie what it is. You've got to be picky if you want to create a good remake. You've got to make it seem even more enticing than the original (which it will never, ever be). You've got to take somebody else's story and make it your very own without altering it entirely. And when you think about all these ways to make a good comeback, it may seem as though these screenplay writers, directors, et cetera might actually be more creative than we think. But who cares, because it's still a remake, and remakes are pretty much God's way of telling viewers, "Yo. You could be doing something better with your time than watching beloved memories from the past be remade with less enthusiasm."

Again, I'm not trying to trash remakes, I'm just saying . . . This nation must be getting pretty darn bored.

(And, good gracious, that Beaches remake was absolutely deplorable.)

The End