remakes/adaptations/plagiarism - stories were meant to be told and retold, and thus cliche's are born. how many variations have we seen on the romeo/juliet theme? on the serial killer investigated by a vulnerable, ballsy female? how many romances with miscommunications, accidental confessions, and public scenes of love declaration?
there's nothing wrong with retelling a story if you think you can do it
differently or better. those are the key words, by the way. if you don't think you can do it differently or better, you shouldn't do it at all. the point is to care about the story and retell it with feeling, however your artistry demands you tell it. whatever format that may be in - stage play, film, comic book - whatever. as long as you're true to the artistry and the characters and the telling.
i think the problem that raised this thread is that, while I disagree that hollywood is technically running out of ideas, it is running out of originality. the irony being that there's no shortage of originality - people in power in the film industry, are just choosing to ignore it. they think that most of the movie-viewing public has the brain of a cow. that we'll be happy if we get the basic fodder and moo happily if they give us a new cast and crew, a new title, and retell something that got told twenty years ago.
the only way to force them to keep it original is if we boycott the crap, but of course, that won't happen. not for a long time anyway. there's also a huge bang to get out of getting tickets from people who want to see if you pulled off a retelling well - you might not have, but they don't know that til they've paid their $10.
but, the right and freedom to make the crap is theirs. but i am totally unhappy when they choose the easy way out instead of the interesting way.
if they at least really care, and really try, i'm for it. as an example, Pride and Prejudice. I can't stand this latest version. I utterly prefer the original version - 1940 (with Laurence Olivier) - and the British miniseries version (1995 with Colin Firth). But in the end, these are all retellings of a novel, are they not? And the directors and filmmakers can recreate it any way they d@mn well please.
But I don't have to like it.
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