There’s been a lot of talk about remakes in Hollywood lately. With the highly anticipated new rendition of “The Great Gatsby” on the way, critics and moviegoers alike are abuzz about how Tinsel Town is more willing than ever to take another movie and rework it.
But is it possible too many producers look to other producers for more than inspiration, but for entire creative endeavors themselves?
Recently we’ve been seeing more and more sequels and re-workings in the film industry, and fewer and fewer original screenplays. One could point out that nothing truly is original, that every movie is in some small way or another influenced by past movies and other forms of artwork, but that isn’t what I’m addressing. I am addressing, to put it a bit harshly, Hollywood’s laziness when it comes to creativity.
The last three or four movies I saw in theaters were either based on books or previous movies (or a musical). I enjoyed them all immensely, but it seems to me that we are at a point in time when Hollywood’s creative slump has hit an all-time high.
We’re coming out with sequels to movies that were absolutely fine without them (looking at you, “Paranormal Activity”) and re-releasing 90s classics in theaters just so the sentimental among us can see our favorite young actor on the big screen before he became washed-up.
Yes, I realize that re-imagining is a different form of creativity, but for once I’d like to go to the movies or turn on the television and see an original plot and screenplay. Inspiration is one thing – Judd Apatow’s “40 Year-Old Virgin” spawned countless raunchy buddy comedies of the late 2000s. This isn’t what tends to happen, though; sometimes it seems like it’s reached a sort of creativity stalemate.
The silver screen isn’t the only place where this slump has taken place. Two of the biggest shows on TV right now, “Game of Thrones” and “The Walking Dead” are based on a book and graphic novel series, respectively. Not that they aren’t fantastic pieces of television, but I’d like to see more originally-produced shows like “Parks and Recreation” and “Breaking Bad” dominating the air.
Even The History Channel, of all things, jumped on the adaptation bandwagon with their soapy retelling of the Bible.
By no means am I saying remakes are terrible and all Hollywood content should be based on nothing but the creator’s imagination. Some of the best movies are based on books and plays, such as “Gone With the Wind” and “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Those are wonderful and I wouldn’t dare say that they were uncreative examples of film. But when I hear rumors of a Carrie Underwood remake of “The Sound of Music,” it gives me pause.
Creativity is subjective, certainly, and we could argue all day long about whether it is more original to take something and put your own spin on it or to write something new.
We’re four months into 2013, and this is my challenge to film studios: take a breather from classic literature and other people’s movies – and for the love of humanity, please step back from the sequels – and give your own ideas a chance.
Beth Lindly is a sophomore majoring in journalism. Her column runs biweekly on Tuesdays.
