Don't Call it a Comeback:  Perspective from the Teen Generation.

By Jessica Jonsson

It seems as if every time we turn around these days, another movie remake is hitting the box offices.  Apparently, even though the first versions of these movies flopped or were classics that should never have been tampered with, people are eating up at the opportunity to squeeze a little more money out of the precious franchises.  It makes sense.  The story is already there, it just needs to be "spruced up" a bit.  Why bother with one's own creative ideas when one can just tweak another's?  But has this gone too far?

I guess there are so-called logical reasons for these endeavors: bring a classic back to life.  Personally, I think Titanic had the better route by being rereleased in 3D.  This is something I'm pretty opposed to as well because all I see is a desperate attempt at trying to squeeze a little more money out of a fairly dead franchise.  But no one would ever dare remake that movie, right?  After all, who could ever replace Kate Winslet and Leonardo Dicaprio?  I give it five years before some hot shot Hollywood director thinks he can do it a little better.  Since we're so hip and fancy with technology today, somehow the idea is created that we need to take something old and spruce it up with CGI and attractive actors (or, well, attractive people; I’m not so sure they should be considered people who can act).

Let's take some physical examples that don't just show my opinion.  A Nightmare on Elm Street - a classic movie that, albeit, may seem a bit cheesy is loved by many and is still a film that comes around every time Halloween hits the season.  So how necessary was the remake?  My favorite source for all things critical (Rotten Tomatoes) has a very similar opinion.  For the original, it blatantly states that 78% of the users and 95% of the critics liked it.  The remake, which attempted to create its own twists, turns, and gory scenes, gets a whopping 39% of users and only 15% of critics liking it.  Talk about a big flop.  This seems to be a common occurrence in the horror movie remake industry.  Just another example of this includes Halloween, which received 85% of users liking it and 93% of critics, but only got 64% of users liking the remake and a whole 24% of the critics.  The scariest part about these films is having to sit through the entire thing.

It's almost always that fans of movies and television series that are being remade get cynical, and often dislike the newer versions.  How hard is it to come up with original ideas?  Although, I do have an exception: a movie I caught in theaters a couple of weeks ago.  One that many were very skeptical about, this would be the television to film adaption of 21 Jump Street.  After watching the preview for the movie, the parts they showed seemed genuinely funny, but it wouldn't be the first time the preview had every funny moment of an entire film.  My dad asked if I’d see it with him, therefore I couldn't decline, and was pleasantly surprised.  To me, it was its own story.  The film wasn't so much a remake as it was like a modern day take on 21 Jump Street with a catchy storyline and its fair share of hilarious moments.  If only the rest of the film industry would get in on making something their own idea, with a little sprinkle of the original.  Besides, how could anyone deny the movie after Johnny Depp and Peter Deluise make their final appearance?

So it could be argued that some remakes aren't too shabby in the long run (probably every one in five or so are an actual success).  But the truth of the matter is irrelevant movies are being made in attempt to out-do a classic or try to put a modern spin on it.  With movies such as The Wizard of Oz, Dirty Dancing, The Neverending Story and Scarface in line for a face lift, one can only hope the people in charge will do them justice.  Although, I will remain forever skeptical of how necessary any of this is.

Jessica Jonsson is a freelance writer and actor from Snellville, GA who is currently working on a few film scripts. She is almost twenty years old and an avid Whovian. Most of her time is spent writing and watching entire television series in record timing. Often she travels around the country and works on furthering her career as a published writer and professional actor.

Jessica Johnson can be reached at: paigejonsson@gmail.com