The original is not still the best

With the sheer volume of sequels, prequels, remakes and adaptations that seem to be hitting our screens lately, there doesn’t seem to be much room in Hollywood for original ideas. With the notable exception of “Inception”, it’s difficult to think of a mainstream “big” movie that came out last year that wasn’t a sequel, an adaptation or based on factual historical events.

But is it due to a stunning lack of original thought in Hollywood, or is it just because an adaptation or sequel already has a built in audience so studios see it as less risky?

It’s not to say that these types of films can’t be excellent. Discounting “The King’s Speech” (as it was based on actual historical events), look at some of this year’s biggest films: “The Social Network” (based on a book), “Toy Story 3” (a sequel, or threequel if you’re an idiot) and “True Grit” (based on a film or a book depending on who you ask). Some of my personal favourites from last year included “Shutter Island” (based on a book), “Scott Pilgrim vs the World” (based on a comic) and the excellent “Kick Ass” (based on a comic).

This year we’ve got a whole heap of unnecessary sequels – “Fast and Furious 5” (or “Fast Five” if you think it’s cooler), “Scream 4” and “The 5nal Destination” (yes, that’s right, they’ve put a five at the front, how clever. Just be glad they didn’t do that with the last one, or it would have attracted a whole different audience…think about it). There’s also four big comic book movies (which is great for a geek like me), in the form of “The Green Lantern”, “Thor”, “X-men: First Class” and “Captain America”. But where’s the next big original idea?

I think that it’s because of this market place that’s so saturated with recycled ideas, that when something as original as “Inception” comes along it really stands out. We’ve reached the point where a series as popular as the hateful Twilight saga or the outstanding Millennium trilogy comes along, studios pounce on the idea of adapting them for the screen. The Millennium trilogy has been made in it’s original language as well as the coming US remake. Studios are so keen to cash in on the ongoing success of the Harry Potter franchise that they’ll jump on anything remotely resembling family friendly book to film adaptations. See the woeful “The Golden Compass”, “Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief” and “I am Number Four” (which the studio gobbled up on the promise of a six-book series, even though only one has been written).

It’s a sad state of affairs, because I truly believe it stifles the creativity of filmmakers. Surely the film going public is smart enough not to discount a film from the start just because they haven’t read the book/seen the first one? The only good thing (arguably) that comes out of this onslaught of adaptations is that it puts books in front of people who wouldn’t normally read them.

I don’t want to sound like a pessimist, but the best film I saw at the cinema last year was “Back to the Future” on it’s 25^th anniversary release. Obviously I’m not entirely subjective as that was a childhood favourite, but they just don’t seem to make them like that anymore, and I think the fact studios are so hesitant to produce original films in more than partly to blame.

You never know, perhaps in 25 years, I’ll watch the re-release of “Fast and Furious 5” and I’ll complain that they ‘don’t make them like that anymore’.

But I doubt it.