After recently viewing the highly anticipated reboots Now You See Me: Now You Don’t and Freakier Friday. I began to question: Do we really need remakes of every successful movie, or has Hollywood gotten lazy?
Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed consuming both movies; they gave me a sense of nostalgia, and it’s fun seeing these once-loved characters on screen again. But it’s always the same old narrative that appeared in the first one.
I understand the argument that they are showing these films to a completely new generation, but I don’t think the new generation cares. Viewers most likely to watch these remakes are those who saw the original. The latest generation of kids don’t care; they will see new movies that have come out, and they will become nostalgic for them. They don’t need to have the same film sphere as the generation before.
It seems like Hollywood is just scared of originality, but why? There have been plenty of successful original movies in recent years, from Saltburn to Challengers and Anyone but You. All very different genres, yet each hugely successful.
Even the 2023 Barbie movie, although based on well-loved characters, the storyline was a completely new and refreshing narrative. Which likely accounted for much of its success.
But instead, we just get another live-action princess movie or a new Mission Impossible. Simply because Hollywood would rather stick with what people know than venture into something new that could be great.
Don’t even get me started on the Fast and Furious franchise. Nearly a dozen films about driving around in fast cars. At that point, it seems like the cast and crew just want an excuse to keep hanging out.
The same applies to the Jurassic Park franchise; the Jurassic World reboots are now on their fourth film (not including the three previous Jurassic Park movies). There are only so many storylines that can be told about dinosaurs; for that reason, it is time to move on.
Television has become equally as bad, with Hollywood wanting to recreate the early 2000s nostalgia in teen TV shows. Take the 2021 Gossip Girl reboot as an example; although not the same characters as the previous series, it still followed a group of teenage New York socialites. The show was unfortunately cancelled after only two seasons, a testament to the fact that nostalgia isn’t always successful.
TV sitcoms are another genre that has jumped onto the reboot bandwagon. With shows like Boy Meets World, iCarly, Full House, and Saved by the Bell earning reboots. Often, sitcoms are rewatched over and over again anyway, so the need for all of these reboots seems unnecessary.
It is time for Hollywood to break out of the safe zone and start getting creative. I am sure there are thousands of artistic minds out there with incredible ideas for an original movie. If Hollywood just gave them a chance, the future of cinema could be changed forever.
Currently in 3rd year studying Journalism, Media and Communications with Social Policy.
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