By Over the past five years, a staggering amount of reboots and remakes have been pumped out of once proud cinematic franchises. Many of my peers and I feel though that the creative genius Hollywood once was when we were kids has since dissipated.
As someone who is apart of the early Gen-Z demographic, I witnessed a myriad of original stories put to screen.
From animated classics like “Wall-E” and “The Incredibles,” to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and even “Star Wars” prequels, all of these films have become popular for their ambitious storytelling.
Nowadays, it feels like fewer films are willing to take risks of telling entirely new stories.
It’s not that there haven’t been any good movies in recent years, but rather that Hollywood seems stuck in a loop of remakes and sequels, recycling any and everything that was once popular.
“The Incredibles 2” and the live-action “The Little Mermaid” are great examples of this trend.
When the “The Incredibles” came out in 2004, it was considered to be one of the most creative takes on the superhero genre in the history of cinema. Some even went out of their way to call it one of the greatest movies of all time.
“The Little Mermaid” was very similarly successful, as it is remembered to be one of the first movies to successfully challenge traditional gender roles in the public eye.
It’s also important to note that sequels and remakes are unoriginal in nature because they revisit familiar story arcs, characters and themes. They are essentially a new spin on something that has already been created.
While that can still provide entertainment value, it often leads to a sense of predictability and a lack of novelty for audiences who crave fresh storytelling experiences. Originality in Hollywood has to do more with completely new ideas rather than a rehash or spin on an already beloved story.
The most flagrant example of today’s Hollywood is the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, Disney’s pivot after acquiring the franchise.
George Lucas’ prequels from the early 2000s were divisive, but also original in their storytelling.
Disney’s sequels, on the other hand, choose safe nostalgia over any kind of risk-taking. The trilogy’s subsequent entries also lack a cohesive vision and rely heavily on nostalgia over substance.
Despite this, each film still grossed over a billion dollars, according to Box Office Mojo.
I believe that the sequels alone painted a picture for Disney and Hollywood in general. People will pay to see familiarity, and familiarity is better for business than risk-taking.
Since the MCU directly effects the rest of the industry, this practice eventually seeped into Marvel’s operations as well.
Furthermore, the three most anticipated action movies of this summer are a “Godzilla x Kong” sequel, a “Planet of the Apes” sequel and a “Deadpool” sequel.
This shift reflects a fear of financial failure rather than a fear of creative risk-taking.
Hollywood has learned that it can rely on established universes and fanbases. This is evident by the success of the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy and the reign that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had on the box office for over a decade.
We seem to be in a cycle where the golden age of inventive cinema is no longer a priority. Hollywood is content with milking established franchises dry.
On the bright side, Hollywood’s reluctance to venture into the unknown could also eventually lead to industry stagnation, which could in turn potentially prompt a renaissance in fictional movie making down the line.
While that is just a theory, evidence does suggest that people are finally starting to get tired of the same, popular recycled franchises. The MCU’s latest project “The Marvels” only made around $200 million at the box office, making it the poorest-performing MCU film to date.
For now though, Hollywood has essentially become the embodiment of someone who is playing not to lose rather than playing to win.
