Remakes/Reboots

With the current flurry of Hollywood remakes going on, I wanted to consider what the reasons are for it all. There's a long history of retelling popular stories, and it's not a bad thing in my mind. After all, if a story worked before it will probably work again. Depending on who you listen to, there are a limited number of story types (as few as four, and up into the dozens). Anyway, there just aren't a whole lot of ways of telling man vs. nature for instance. But, those are just story types; the framework binding a story together.

Remaking a story usually involves modernizing, or retelling it with a different perspective. Actually, one of my favorite movies is a remake: "Ever After" the Drew Barrymore reimagining of Cinderella. Done thoughtfully, it's a great thing and can be very respectful. It comes down to taking something that worked before and making it your own. In my opinion, it's risky and requires a lot of respect for the source material.

This new trend doesn't respect it's source. Hollywood is doing it just to get more money from a concept/franchise that isn't producing anymore. I think that's why the new "Lone Ranger" film is doing so poorly. Even the new "A-Team" movie had more respect for the old show. I guess the main thing is that it's a risky choice, even with things as classic as "The Hobbit."

- M