While scrolling for new movies to watch on Netflix or in your local cinema lists you can see a list of movies that are reboots, remakes or revivals. Despite technology being the most modern that we’ve ever had, Hollywood has continually remade legendary shows and movies from the early ‘00s, ‘90s and 80s. The growing trend of reboots and remakes need to stop, it is boring our audiences to sleep.
‘Nothing new’ should not be the motto for the film industry, but rather it should be the place of innovation and blossoming creativity. Reboots have always happened but with more than a dozen movies and a plethora of shows being revivals or sequels, it’s all too tedious. For art’s sake, bring back original thoughts and experiences.
Shows such as Succession, Adolescence and The White Lotus are what the shows should be! Not just the same old retelling of the story in hope of modernising it through having new cast members. Why remake something that was already great to begin with?
This seems to particularly be a Disney issue with them remaking ‘Snow White’ a plethora of times. They also have remade live action versions of seemingly everything such as ‘Mulan’, ‘Aladdin’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Cruella’, a prequel to the 1996 ‘101 Dalmatians’.
Yes sure, some revivals have been done well but only when they added something new to the film, such as ‘Dune’ and ‘West Side Story’. ‘Dune: Part Two’s’ box office collection became one of the highest earning films of 2024, demonstrating that it can be done well, and adding nuances and cinematic elements to an already amazing movie.
But the few good remakes are few and far between; there’s been reboots and remakes of shows from Sex in the City, Gossip Girl to the TV remake of Harry Potter set to release in 2026. It begs us to wonder if it is even necessary, it’s at such a point of abundance. Most often they are just cash grabs especially in this age of competition, where movies are trying to compete with the landscape of short form content and TikTok.
Why remake something that was already great to begin with?
With the world being in turmoil, it seems like we are stuck in a memory lane. It’s a safe bet for the production companies, actors and brands involved in the films. They already have an in-built audience or fan base, even if the movie is awful. It’s an easy way of getting an easy win, rather than risking another million on a completely new production.
It’s not like new narratives don’t do well financially, we’ve seen how incredibly well Barbie and Oppenheimer did at the box office. It’s a matter of giving a new idea a chance like we have seen with Squid Games. So why not give it a shot, try out new concepts and ideas, take the risk and it just might be the new hit show or movie.
