It seems with every year that goes by, more and more directors in Hollywood choose to play a little game 5-year-olds call "Anything you can do, I can do better." In doing this, they often take fan favorites from one generation, slap a little CG on them and re-release their stories unto a new generation. It works as often as it doesn't work. For example, in 2005 we saw a few remakes that made us forget about their predecessors and a few remakes that made us want to forget all together.
On the side of success, Christopher Nolan and crew gave the Dark Knight some welcomed upgrades in Batman Begins and Johnny Depp brought Willy Wonka back with extra jovial lunacy in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The flip side brought us Andrew Douglas' mediocre re-envisioning of the 1979 horror triumph, The Amityville Horror and Guess Who, which proves that any movie with Ashton Kutcher is destined to pale in comparison with one starring Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn. But that is all a matter of opinion.
The same unpredictable success can be said in the realm of sequels. Last year saw winners in the 12th, I mean 4th installment of the Harry Potter series as well as the final piece to the epic puzzle that is George Lucas' Star Wars saga. These films proved that it is possible to have success with a sequel even if you are forced to employ the acting "talents" of Hayden Christensen to carry the film. Even the mongers of the "torture porn" universe cashed in with sequels like Saw II and The Ring Two. While less successful than their prior brethren of the silver screen, they still put plenty of butts in the seats, as is the case with many sequels.
Such is the case for this year's round of un-originality. How can we expect to go into another summer of film without seeing the rehashing of our favorite storylines and the rebirth of our favorite characters in mild-mannered, watered down versions of films we previously loved? You are right — we can't. So this year, Hollywood is providing us with some smart remakes and at least one sequel that is, to say the least, worth walking the plank for...
Article comments
1 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
hmm, a fine feast all round then... Great round-up, Neil. One thing, though. The Ring 2 has nothing in common with the "torture porn" you mention. it's a totally different affair altogether. a pg-13 ghost story, as opposed to the relentless lashing, flailing, slicing of Saw, Hostel and the like.
The Omen was utterly abysmal. Utterly.
2 - Aaron Fleming
"If you can overlook the fact that Save the Last Dance star Julia Stiles was cast as the mother of Satan"
Haha, sounds pretty appropriate to me.
And that kid from Home Improvement! Haha, this summer sounds hilarious. I think there's a good chunk of stupidity hangin' on practically every new film on its way.
Although, I am looking forward to Snakes on a Plane, finally a film that knows how dumb it is!
3 - El Bicho
Nice round-up, but it leaves me with questions...
"more and more directors in Hollywood choose to play a little game 5-year-olds call 'Anything you can do, I can do better.'"
What 5-year-old, other than Rosie O'Donnell's kids, knows "Annie Get Your Gun"? But why blame the directors? They have to eat and show they can make money. Blame the producers and studio who greenlight the stuff.
Is it really so unpredictable that proven, talented directors like Nolan and Burton create successful adaptations where the almost unknown directors failed to deliver?
What was unpredictable about the success of HP and SW? They were two of the most successful franchises to hit the media in the last 30 years. I seriously doubt that anyone forced Lucas to use Hayden, considering the way he is able to push around theatre exhibitors. And the sentence makes it sound like Hayden was in HP.
The remakes and sequels began in May. MI3, Xmen 3, Posiedon.
Mann should also be trusted since he one of Vice's executive producers.
Why no mention of Superman Returns?
4 - Neil Miller
"Blame the producers and studio who greenlight the stuff."
I agree. The producers are to blame as well.