PANEL OF AMATEURS

Why the Hollywood remake isn't so bad!

by Terry Diamond on September 17

To kick off our new podcast, Peter and I will be reviewing the magnificent 7. With that being said I’m going to tell you why the Hollywood remake isn’t so bad.  I’m sure we’ve all read a comment or two after a Hollywood remake is announced; “No originality”, “they’re ruining my childhood”, so on, and so on. Well I’m here to tell you it’s not actually a bad thing, and why they’re not going anywhere!

1. It revitalizes an older property for a new generation. I debate with those both older and younger about the sports stars, or cartoons I watched growing up, and even the cereal I ate. Those debates are what keep us going back for more, and what also has us checking out the newer or older version. While I don’t particularly care for the most recent version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I’ll admit I’m happy they’re still around, and when someone younger tells me they did enjoy it, it gives me the opportunity to introduce them to the version I grew up with. What is old is new again!

2. Remakes are certainly not all bad, and certainly not all are good either. I can’t be certain that the 2016 version of the Magnificent 7 will be enjoyable, or even hold a candle to its predecessor, but what I can say is the 2016 version has peaked my interest for both. One of the things I enjoy most about adaptations is source material. I eat up the fact that I can compare the previous material to what I’m currently watching. A remade movie, comic to screen, book to screen, and even toy line to screen, gives me the ability to dive deeper into the story  or characters. While they’re great in their own right you don’t always get that from original material. How many kids are now seeking out the old TMNT cartoon or comics, how many people are going back to rewatch or watch for the first time the Sean Connery 007’s. I watch a new Batman, and it makes me want to revisit the animated series. Let’s not forget that a portion of the population may have no experience with anything but the current property, and a remake stands to make the older version relevant again. A remake doesn’t replace the previous version, but it can certainly enhance it, and make it great for a new audience!

3. Hollywood is a business, and like any business it’s risk vs reward. While this may be something the fans don’t care all that much about, it factors heavily into the types of movies we get each year. Studios want to make money, and redeveloping an already proven property is of little risk with potentially high rewards, and is what a studio considers easy money. Studios will always revisit a well until it’s dry, and still go back for more. Because they know we like familiarity, given the choice between what we know already, and the might be, we will normally choose what we know. Remakes, adaptations, and reboots (reboot is just a fancy way of saying remake) have built in audiences, which means built in dollars. Mix those built in audiences with the new ones and it’s hard to lose.

Remakes can be a good thing for both the studio and the fan. the studio has to understand we don’t want you to regurgitate the same ol story, but to dive deeper into the characters and stories we’ve lived with. We fans have to understand that for every great original idea that comes out of Hollywood, they have to take surefire bets. So enjoy the rich history, background of characters, and stories we’ll get to carry with us from generation to generation.